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Chrome guitar?


Ferdinandstrat

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In the '90's fender sold Strats with hollow aluminum bodies that were available chromed and with other finishes.

 

And Ibanez offered the 10th Anniversary Joe Satriani model with a chromed luthite body ("chrome boy" models).

 

I wonder of either material can really hold the plating long term, aluminum isn't ideal for plating and, IIRC, Satch had trouble with the chrome flaking and scraping his skin.

 

As for wood, I think you best option is metallic paint.

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In the '90's fender sold Strats with hollow aluminum bodies that were available chromed and with other finishes.


And Ibanez offered the 10th Anniversary Joe Satriani model with a chromed luthite body ("chrome boy" models).


I wonder of either material can really hold the plating long term, aluminum isn't ideal for plating and, IIRC, Satch havd trouble with the chrome flaking and scrapping his skin).


As for wood, I think you best option is metallic paint.

 

 

The finish on the Tokai Talbo I used to have (aluminium body) flaked off.

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Yep, but it won't be cheap.

 

You can make any smooth surface look like chrome with the Killer Chrome paint from AlsaCorp.

 

http://www.alsacorp.com/products/killercans/kc/killerchrome.htm

 

Video demo here:

 

http://www.alsacorp.com/live/view_killerchrome_demo.html

 

Spectacular looking results - the downside is that the Killer Chrome kit, with the basecoat/chrome/clearcoat you need, is $115. At that price, mistakes get expensive mighty fast. And with any kind of chrome/mirror finish, surface prep will be ridiculously important - any flaw will be extremely evident.

 

ONE IMPORTANT NOTE - the video shows the guy spraying with no face mask. Probably because he's in a high dollar downdraft spray booth. Spraying anything with no mask is a bad idea - however, the clear is a catalyzed finish and would be particularly bad to inhale, as it could harden inside your lungs. Rather bad. Spraying this stuff really would require a respirator, not just a paper dust mask.

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the initial JS2's were chrome plated basswood, but were never really marketed as the chrome peels off really easily.

 

I've got one of the Chrome (luthite) JS10 guitars, and it's holding the chrome so far and it's 10 years old. Granted I don't actually play it much though.

 

There was a later versin JS2PRM that was aliminium plated and these are supposed to be hardier.

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Yes, Joe Satriani played one.


122.jpg

 

 

Joe was playing those when I seen him on the `Crystal Planet` tour. They looked really good under the lights.

 

Actually, I got to meet Joe that night. My friend who went to the show with me was a cop and he talked to security and got us in after the performance.

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