BYJAMES EGOLF
Metal
Guitars
PRODUCT REVIEW
I ran into Phil Cook at the Premier Guitar Festival in
Boston. His booth was over in no man’s land, near
the concession stand tables and Army recruiter’s
booth, and would have been easy to overlook had
it not been for the striking, chrome-plated guitars
displayed there. Since my company was sponsoring
the event, I had plenty of things to do and Phil and
I were only able to chat briefly – just long enough
for him to persuade me to stop by when I was able
to dedicate a few minutes to properly check out
one of his guitars.
When I wound back by his booth Sunday afternoon,
I honestly wasn’t expecting too much. Although
I’ve given other aluminum guitars I’ve encountered
a cursory once over, I’ve never been moved enough
to buy in and drink the Kool-Aid. Fully aware that
I’ve never given metal-bodied guitars a fair shake,
I was nonetheless in no mood to start. I did mention it was Sunday, right? My back was killing me
and my ears were whistling more than the theme to
the Andy Griffith Show, but Phil seemed like a cool
guy, so I kept my word.
The first thing I noticed when I picked one up
was the heft, giving the guitar a sense of being
impervious to any idiocy I could muster. According
to Liquid Metal’s website, the guitar weighs in at
a respectable 8. 2 pounds – substantial enough
to wake any drunks not minding the boundary
between audience and performer but still comfy
after a few sets. The bodies are crafted from a single chunk of 6061 T6 aircraft-grade aluminum, routed out in the back to save some weight and accommodate pickup and control mounting. The pickups
are made specifically for Liquid Metal by TV Jones
and look especially good on the guitar. I know that
shouldn’t matter, but everything about this guitar
– the body shape and material, the black-lacquered
maple neck, unique headstock shape and pickups,
even the chrome logo – contributes to a visually
stunning instrument. Even the Hipshot Baby Grand
bridge/tailpiece combo is fetching on this guitar.
The body shape reminds me of Saul Koll’s Glides
and is shockingly thin – Epiphone-batwing-head-stock-Coronet thin, making for a really comfortable playing experience. It’s really nice that Liquid
Metal chose to retain a somewhat traditional
shape. This guitar wouldn’t look out of place in
Robert Fripp’s hands, or at the other end of the
spectrum, Ron Asheton’s.
Of all the alternative materials used in the manufacture of guitars – fiberglass, plastic, composites and metal – aluminum has been one of the
most successful. Early adopters of this material
have included Messenger, who used aluminum
