Asheville – James Taylor (no relation, though he admits his mom was a fan) is one of three luthiers working at Aluminati Guitars. Another luthier, owner James Little, turned his hobby into a business in 2020 after 15 to 20 years of research and development on his kitchen countertop in Asheville. He was interested in finding alternative materials for guitars.
Traditional guitars have necks and bodies made of wood, and those with a musical ear can truly hear the difference in the harmonics of, for example, rosewood and mahogany. Much of the best guitar wood comes from rainforests. “Traditional materials are hard to come by,” observed Taylor, “because if you can find them, they’re not logged or sourced with the planet in mind.”
Aluminum serves as a good alternative for several reasons. One reason is that it is highly recyclable.
Another reason, Taylor explained, is how aluminum contracts and expands with changes in temperature and humidity. Anyone who has performed in extreme weather knows the challenge of keeping the show going as their instrument drifts out of tune. Taylor noted, “The aluminum will adjust to changes in temperature over a matter of seconds, whereas a wooden instrument will continue to move over hours or even days.”
Taylor mentioned that Little was not the first to make guitars with aluminum, but he incorporated many improvements into the design. Most notably, the neck is hollow due to a proprietary design. The frets are made of stainless steel, which reduces wear and tear and “gives good energy transfer from the strings to the neck.” Their low maintenance allows players the freedom to play harder and faster.
Taylor describes the result as a sound with a “nice, light brightness.” An Aluminati guitar provides the player with a “full spectrum” of harmonics and allows them to decide what they want to filter with their amplifiers and effects boxes. “It’s easier to roll off harmonics than to add them back,” quipped Taylor.
Surprised by a request, Taylor connected one of the guitars to an amp and demonstrated some improvisational modern blues. The tone was mellow and not tinny as expected. He plays a lot of jazz and rhythm and blues and noted that these guitars work well for mixing major and minor scales in chord progressions. He used to do a lot of fingerstyle playing, but that style lends itself better to acoustic guitars. Several customers are jazz artists, but the majority prefer heavy metal.
Taylor mentioned that many famous people buy their guitars, but he was unsure about the nondisclosure agreements in their contracts. He could at least share that Aluminati makes a signature model for ZZ Top’s Kevin Scott, and Guitar Player’s five-time Best Rock Bass Player Billy Sheehan “is a fan.”
In addition to building their own guitar lines, Taylor stated that an important part of their business model is manufacturing OEM parts for guitar companies. They also sell individual pieces to people who are building their guitars one piece at a time.
Along with the luthiers, Aluminati employs an engineer and several “business people.” Taylor noted that he and three others previously worked for Moog.
The commitment to saving the planet isn’t just a marketing strategy for someone who enjoys making aluminum guitars. The company strives to support local businesses. For example, they source their carbon fiber from Brevard, a company in Arden handles their machining, and they partner with Industry Nine for anodizing guitar parts to increase color options.
Coming full circle, Aluminati has recently sourced some affordable wood that will benefit the environment as it is made into guitars. You’ve heard of the Stratocaster and the Telecaster; now, Aluminati is introducing the Floodcaster. The wood comes from a local proprietor whose inventory was destroyed by Helene.
Aluminati has a storefront open to the public at 53A Shiloh Road. For more information, visit aluminatiguitars.com.