MetalNecks.com - Your source for metal necked guitars and basses.

Greg Bailey

Posted: 11/14/2006 at 6:26 PM Post subject: Bailey Custom ALUMINUM Guitars and Necks

HI, I'm Greg Bailey and I also build aluminum guitars, but I mostly build aluminum necks. I've gotten very good feedback on my work. I do custom work and I also do other projects to just sell on Ebay. Anyway, if you're bored and want to see some of what I've done, check out my site at: http://hometown.aol.com/gbailey842/main.html Thanks, Greg

Disclosure: Any links to eBay or Amazon.com are affiliate links. Affiliate links may provide commission payments to the site based on purchases.

MetalNecks

Posted: 11/14/2006 at 6:54 PM Post subject:

Hello Greg Welcome to the site! MetalNecks

Barry

Posted: 12/07/2006 at 08:29 AM Post subject:

hello Greg your aluminum Harley strat is absolutely beautiful. hat's off to you. Barry

Greg Bailey

Posted: 12/08/2006 at 07:04 AM Post subject: Thanks!

Thanks Barry, I'm glad you liked it. I'm currently working on another aluminum Strat with a motorcycle theme. I don't know if it'll actually be a "Harley" thing, but if it is, it'll be different from the last one. I'm currently working on the fingerboard inlay, I'm inlaying a chopper made of aluminum and brass into the black phenolic fingerboard. I'll eventually put the guitar on ebay, but there will be pix of it on my site once it's done. Again, THANKS! Greg

Barry

Posted: 12/08/2006 at 10:46 AM Post subject:

Greg looks like the neck on this one is aluminum and perhaps a phenolic fboard. is that right? can i ask how much the guitar weighs? Barry

Greg Bailey

Posted: 12/08/2006 at 1:34 PM Post subject: Harley Strat

HI! YES! This guitar has a solid aluminum neck with a black phenolic fingerboard. I don't remember how much it weighed though, I sold it about a year ago. I've not been very concerned about the weight of my guitars and necks till just the last year or so. I always assumed that people would accept the weight because of the material, but now, the aluminum guitar market has gotten a little more competitive, so now I do make some hollow necks and I also look for other ways to make the items I make lighter without drilling a million holes in them. Anyway, that guitar has one of the hollow aluminum Strat bodies, so the weight wasn't bad, especiallt compared to guitar with a solid aluminum body. I believe this one was even lighter than the Travis Bean reproductions I've done. Thanks, Greg

Disclosure: Any links to eBay or Amazon.com are affiliate links. Affiliate links may provide commission payments to the site based on purchases.

blackmarker

Posted: 12/08/2006 at 4:17 PM Post subject:

I own you most current TB copy. I'd be interested to know how the neck was hollowed.

Greg Bailey

Posted: 12/08/2006 at 7:45 PM Post subject: Hollowed TB

HI, I hollowed this one on a Bridgeport mill starting near the first fret and making two channels down to somewhere around the 19th or 20th fret, (If I recall correctly) The two channels got wider and deeped as they got closer to the body. The two channels started out about 1/4" wide each and ended up being about 1/2" wide each. I wanted strength in the center, so that's why I made two channels. Yeah, one wide channel would have made it lighter, but I was concerned about strength. Just about all the necks I've ever made do pull up slightly under string tension, it's very slight, but the DO pull up a bit. After I finished milling the neck, I attached the fingerboard. The board being laminated to the aluminum is really strong. I feel that an aluminum neck with a phenolic fingerboard is even more rigid than solid aluminum. Thanks, Greg

blackmarker

Posted: 12/08/2006 at 8:00 PM Post subject:

Very cool, thanks for the info. I've adopted this guitar as my #1 over the SG Standard I also have. The neck does have a slight bit of curvature, but not much even though I play 11's in Standard...action is still pretty darn low. The phenolic is great too, I think it adds a bit more brightness and snap than Beans with the rosewood FB. I'm waiting for an A5 neck pickup to come in the mail...I will be sending you a bridge and neck pickup to drill out for me when it arrives. Thanks!

Greg Bailey

Posted: 01/30/2007 at 09:02 AM Post subject: Honorable Mention

THANK YOU Metal Necks. I was thrilled to see the honorable mention on your home page and the link to my site. It's great to be recognized. I do hope to see the custom builder area someday. Right now, I don't have a line of guitars for sale, but I will have a few of my own designs for sale soon, (I HOPE!) I have sold some of my experiments and the buyers like them a lot. Bailey Custom is me, just one guy and I do all my work from my one lathe, digital mill/drill and variuos hand tools. I also do some of the work at my job that I work at on 3rd shift. I do a lot of work by hand, I just like to be able to make a curve or contour to be a certain way and it's hard to do all that by machine, so I do a lot hand filing and sanding to get a neck to feel the way I want it to feel. The only problem with that is that each neck DOES vary somewhat, but they are unique. As far as precision goes, I use a digital readout on a mill to cut the nut a fret slots, so they are VERY accurate. What's the point in having a custom neck if the frets aren't in the right places, right? I've had some email problems lately and I hope to get them ironed out soon so I can keep in contact with my customers better. Thanks again, Greg Bailey

Greg Bailey

Posted: 02/10/2007 at 08:23 AM Post subject: NEW WBSITE

HI All! Just a note to let you all know that I have a new website. It's not much yet, but I will be able to update this one more often than the last one and hopefully it'll be much more informative too! Here's the site: http://www.baileycustomguitar.com/ Keep Pluckin' Greg

Disclosure: Any links to eBay or Amazon.com are affiliate links. Affiliate links may provide commission payments to the site based on purchases.

Greg Bailey

Posted: 03/20/2007 at 06:52 AM Post subject: Travis Bean Rose?

HI, Do you all think there would be much interest in a Travis Bean guitar that has a Floyd Rose tremolo unit? I bought a Floyd rose for a Strat body I have, but it won't work on that body, so I'll replace it, but The unit I have would work OK on a Travis Bean if I build it just for this unit. As you may know, I build Travis Bean reproduction guitars and I have had people ask me about a Bean with a tremolo. The block on this unit I have is small and I'd have to machine it even smaller, but I think it'll work, probably with a small cover on the back that is in the reciever of the neck and DOESN'T stick out at all. Anyway, any feedback would be appreciated, I just wonder what other people might think about it. I'm a HUGE Brian May fan and I love his guitar. I noticed that there are VERY few reproductions of his guitar that seem to be even close to the original, so maybe I wouldn't be out of line making changes to Travis' original design? Thanks, Greg

Norm Spivey

Posted: 09/01/2016 at 9:46 PM Post subject: RE:Bailey Custom ALUMINUM Guitars and Necks

Greg, I own both the flame neck guitar and the chopper strat neck which now has the 94 strat aluminum body with jeff beck custom shop pick ups. Both guitars are loved by every one I have allowed to try them. You are the best and the weight is perfect. YOU ROCK!!!