Chrome guitars ever made?

[TDurden]

Hi,

Does anybody know if the custom shop has ever built guitar(s) with a chrome finish, like Satrianis "Chrome Boy"? I'd like to have a soloist that would look like this.

Can it be done with paint or do you need something heavier. On the "Live in San Francisco" DVD Joe talks about his guitars and shows one that has imperfections and says that it's "one of the prototypes from the time they tried to learn how to dip a wooden guitar into liquid chrome without frying it"...Would they really need to do that?! [img]graemlins/scratchhead.gif[/img] Sounds a bit phony if you ask me.

[Immortal]

Re: Chrome guitars ever made?

I've dealt very much with chrome and painting because my friend's father is a talented car lacquerer.

Well we tried to do a finish on a wood. First we put on a lute to have a perfect surface that could be painted. We used some pro paint finishes in chrome colour. The result was exactly like Satriani's guitar. A plastic look.

Then we took a metal board an chrome with a original chroming procedure (warming up chrome and spreading it on the surface). The result was much better that using a chrome paint on a wood.

But if you're trying to have a chrome finish on your guitar I guess there's no other way than finishing the wood. How would a chromed guitar of metal sound? [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]
As I said it's possible but painting the wood in chrome won't give the best results.

[Subvamp]

Re: Chrome guitars ever made?

I have a JS 1000 that I wanted to have "chromed", and some helpful soul right here on the JCF sent me this link:

http://www.gunsgirlsandguitars.com/guitars.html

I got ahold of these guys, and they said they do "dip" the guitars to chrome them, just like custom bike shops dip motorcycle parts to chrome them. I'm a bit wary of how a chrome guitar would sound, but then again, it seems to work just fine for Satriani.
[img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

[TDurden]

Re: Chrome guitars ever made?

Thanks guys. The process of using real chrome seems to be an all or nothing process in the sense that you cannot protect any part (like fretboard) from the chrome. That's probably why these guys can do it only on bolt-on bodies.

I found this site though. They have a three phase process and the results seem quite good (look at the product showcase). I wonder how the coating compares to nitro lacquer or if you can put nitro on it.

[pharaoh]

Re: Chrome guitars ever made?

The Guns Girls Guitars guys have messed up two bodies now for me... I'm not gonna boohoo and tell you they suck. It's a great looking finish. But you will not have a very nice guitar to play after they are done. In the name of "cleaning up their work" they took a big chunk out of a cavity in the back and really screwed up the neck pocket area. Any holes you have will have to be redrilled and cleaned up, and any areas of your guitar that are fit-important, like the neck pocket area, really will need work when you get it back. I did it once, and it was screwed. The second time, I had them do it to a dummy Strat body, and told them to leave the cleanup work to me...not to touch the router to it. But there was so much involved in getting it out of the areas that needed to be cleaned out. Real pain in the a$$. Just be careful... don't send a really valuable or sentimental guitar there. I know it may be bad mention another brand, but on an Ibanez board (Jemsite), there's a guy named Rich who will also tell you and show pics of what they did to his guitars... Be wary my friends... [img]images/icons/confused.gif[/img]

[mupps]

Re: Chrome guitars ever made?

It can't be done.

Unless you wanna spend big bucks like Satriani.

Ibanez first made these themselves but found out that doing it on wood made too many imperfections. They then reissued it using luthithe which was slightly cheaper and less prone to imprefections.

Actually, it can be done, just now well. Satch did get to pick out of a whole range of Chromed guitars dont forget.

Andy!

[10secondLX]

Re: Chrome guitars ever made?

Didn't Kid Rock's guitar player have a Fender that was chrome plated? I thought it had a Mustang theme to it. [img]graemlins/scratchhead.gif[/img]

[mupps]

Re: Chrome guitars ever made?

If it was a metal body then that's possible.

[little0x]

Re: Chrome guitars ever made?

That one link has color changing paint. Do that instead of chrome. That would be even cooler!!


Ox

[peabuddy]

Re: Chrome guitars ever made?

since chrome plating is done by electrifing( i know this is not the right name for the process but i can't remember what the proper name is) the part so the metals will bond, i can see where it would be a problem on wood. real chrome plating is a multi part process of dipping in a nickel bath and other chemicals.

[pharaoh]

Re: Chrome guitars ever made?

That's how GGG does it...the problem isn't the process... it's their idea of "cleaning up the mess they made".

[mupps]

Re: Chrome guitars ever made?

Originally posted by peabuddy:
since chrome plating is done by electrifing( i know this is not the right name for the process but i can't remember what the proper name is) the part so the metals will bond, i can see where it would be a problem on wood. real chrome plating is a multi part process of dipping in a nickel bath and other chemicals.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Electrolysis

[GWARGHOUL]

Re: Chrome guitars ever made?

I thought it was elyctroplating?

[RacerX]

Re: Chrome guitars ever made?

Electroplating or electrodeposition

[peabuddy]

Re: Chrome guitars ever made?

i thought electrolysis is what your girlfriend does to remove her mustache anodizing is what i originally meant but that's not right either