How do those different aluminum-shaping methods affect the
final product?
All of the previous casting processes had a problem with a lack of
homogeneity in the material after it cooled. But when I started with
the Birdfish, it was too expensive to cut them from a solid block of
aluminum. Now I have a CNC machine that I use to cut them.
You even make your own screws sometimes. Why?
Teuffel made approximately 20 John F. Kennedy series basses, most of which were
maple neck-through designs with rosewood
or ebony fretboards, Bartolini pickups, and
a passive 2-band or parametric 3-band EQ.
Three were 36"-scale 5-strings like this one
from 1991, but most were 34"-scale 4-strings.
The screws for the locking nut are small but rigid. Regular stainless-steel screws aren’t durable enough for that purpose, so I had to use
a stainless-steel alloy that can be hardened. But they have to be custom made, because you can’t buy screws made of that material.
Do you ever plan to unveil new designs—and, if so, when? Or
do you find yourself spending most of your time building the
existing ones and thinking of ways to improve them?
