660 Guitars tackles new materials at NAMM 2016
January 2016 – At the winter NAMM show, 660 guitars made their first appearance at the event with a range of guitars and basses. The company is one of many trying new materials to create a guitar that will not suffer from the environmental effects of travel and alternating indoor and outdoor venues. Their material of choice is aluminum. The company took the path of taking a full aluminum billet and machining it to the shape of a guitar and then adding artistic design to provide the weight reduction on the body to make the unit comfortable. The instruments also have a carbon fiber neck that is extremely smooth.
The basis for the guitar was to first create something where the knobs for the guitar strap connections did not break, crack or damage the guitar or bass body after long periods of use. The second function was to eliminate the warp that came into the neck and the body, and keeping the guitar in tune, when traveling between shows. The solid billet aluminum slugs are a perfect vehicle as they hold tight, they are machined into shape as well as machined to create the holes for the mounts for the knobs for the straps.
As it is a machined product, it is very easy to finish the unit to a smooth surface and edges to bring a very comfortable touch and feel. The guitars are currently powder coated for complete smooth coverage by the paint. At this time they are providing single color design, but they are starting to work with local artists to provide custom pain and images on the guitars.
The guitars are available as standard 6 string, and an option for a 7 string. Future guitars will include not only new shapes, but also a 12 string unit. On the bass side, they make both a 4 string and a 5 string design. A unique aspect to the guitar is the mount for the pickups. They are located in a recessed area that has an adjustment for placement closer or further from the bridge. Additionally, the pickups can be mounted at an angle if desired. The guitar is a standard passive guitar, so it is playable as a regular guitar and good for touring, as it holds where it is tuned and it plays the same in both indoor and outdoor venues.
The guitars and basses are currently available directly from the manufacturer and their website.
