I've had it for about a month now, those of you who are in the Aluminium Axes FB group might've seen it already.
During the process Gabo and I had a lot of contact, and so we deviated from my envisioned specs somewhat, but to good result! It has a great tone, the aluminium really gave me what I was looking for and the Bare Knuckle pickups are awesome as well. We abandoned the dual output idea because it proved to be too complex electronically for 3 pickups without risking dropped output from splitting too much internally without a buffer. The colour is also something different, which I like, it looks different under different lights and that just adds to the mystique. Went for a ceramic BlackHawk instead of the alnico model as well and it sounds great in the middle position.
Given that this was Gabo's first Bass VI I was really blown away by the sound it makes and the way it feels. I am still looking for the perfect string set (got a variety of Kalium gauges incoming as we speak) but it definitely needs to be high tension to get the neck straight. Currently I have a .102 Kalium low E a friend gave me and the rest is from a standard Labella set, and I feel the lower strings could be tighter still (especially the A & D). Part of the reason I want even tighter strings is that it really sounds better the harder you play it (and it has a huge dynamic range). I'm just not the type of person that deals well with string rattling/fret buzz, even if it remains unheard through the amp
Will I change anything about it in the future besides strings? Yeah maybe I'll try an even hotter Bare Knuckle HSP90 or a proper humbucker in the bridge at some point, but I guess modding is just in my nature
I've played 2 gigs with it so far though and response from my bandmates and audience that has seen us before has been great.
The only downside is that I have to re-evaluate some a lot of my pedal choices
Between the higher output pickups and aluminium sound, my dirt and pitch pedals respond quite differently than they did with my Fender Pawnshop VI.
If you are in the market for an alu guitar then Nude Guitars should be a serious contender, especially if you are Europe-based (saves $€£ on import taxes etc.)
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