ABOUT

The Guitars

Unlike wood, aluminium absorbs little of the resonance produced from a plucked string, giving the player more control over the sustain produced. Longfellow Guitars are generally hollow-bodied, built around a solid internal structure. All instruments are designed, cut, welded and finished by hand and, as such, every one is truly unique. Although Aluminium isn’t the first choice for guitar makers, it has a growing fanbase among builders and collectors alike. We feel this is for good reason: Our guitars are noted for their distinct resonance, sustain and aesthetics.

History

‘In the town of Hanwell, located in the West London borough of Ealing where he grew up, metalworker/artist/luthier Pete Longfellow creates one-of-a-kind aluminum guitars out of his small workshop that’s a scant 200 yards from Jim Marshall’s (yes, that Jim Marshall) first shop. It’s the same borough where the Rolling Stones came together at the famed Ealing Club—one of the main hubs of British R&B—and where it was common and “no big deal” for the teen-aged Longfellow to sit with the likes of Keith Moon and Peter Townshend at local pubs. “Music was all around, and I watched it and bought it and have done it ever since,” says Longfellow.

Longfellow got his career started with a mechanical engineering apprenticeship as a toolmaker. He then went on to run a metalworking shop helping and instructing postgraduate, art and design students at the Royal College of Art in London. He first started building aluminium guitars simply because he wanted to have an instrument to play in his workshop when things were quiet, one that he could play without having to worry if it got “knocked.” And because Longfellow was already a fan of resonator guitars and their use of aluminum for the cones, it made perfect sense for him to “have a go at an all ‘ally’ guitar.”

Longfellow, who learned about guitar building from Jon Free of Black Guitars and legendary tech Stuart Monks, knew that past attempts at aluminum guitars had a reputation for easily going out of tune. But through his experience in working, welding, and sandcasting aluminum, Longfellow didn’t really feel that aluminum should have this affect, since he was aware that the metal has little chance of expansion or distorting, and that it shrinks less than one percent when going from molten to cold. “I knew of aluminum’s qualities of resonance, so I thought I’d better get at it,” he says.

Though his first attempt by using a cutdown aluminum pipe with a plate welded to it for a neck didn’t quite work out, Longfellow was encouraged by its looks. After some initial trial and error using cast aluminum for the necks of his first few instruments, he found that even with relieving the weight somewhat by machining the necks with CNC, he still couldn’t get the guitars to balance the way players are used to. Since then, he’s been mostly using wood for his necks.

Longfellow says that he doesn’t make two guitars the same and that his favorite is “always the last one I made.” He admits that it can sometimes be difficult trying to think of shapes beyond those from Fender, Gibson, and Gretsch, but that he does try to make his shapes more sympathetic to the material itself. “I am influenced by the great shape of the Gretsch lap steel,” says Longfellow. Be it something fashioned from one of the classics, a way out there design, or one of his new amp casings, Longfellow has found a way to craft a wide assortment of instruments from this highly resonant material.

Even though Longfellow doesn’t believe aluminum guitar makers will make an impact in the mainstream industry, he feels he has something uniquely different to offer. “My guitars have a good, strong sound with nice sustain. My customers like that and their look,” he notes.’

Taken from: Premier Guitar, 2013

Future

In early 2020, after many years of admiring their father’s work and seeing the potential of the business grow, Pete’s sons Tom and Ronnie decided to join him in producing, marketing and selling these wonderful, unique products.