Custom Ron Wood 1978 Metal Front

1978

Not on view

On loan to The Met

This work of art is currently on loan to the museum.

Tony Zemaitis was a British guitar builder who specialized in high-end, fully handmade, and elaborately decorated instruments for his many celebrity clients. One of his signature designs was the Metal Front electric guitar, which features an aluminum top that shields the electronics from interference and bears custom engravings by gun engraver Danny O’Brien. This example was made for Ron Wood, one of Zemaitis’s first customers, for the Rolling Stones’ 1978 U.S. tour. The top displays motifs related to Wood’s home and his upcoming journey overseas.

Technical Description:

Mahogany body and neck, engraved aluminum top plate; ebony fingerboard; 25 in. scale; set neck with mother-of-pearl dot and diamond inlays; headstock with metal truss rod cover engraved “Custom Ron Wood 1978”; two active humbucking pickups, three-way selector switch; two volume and two tone controls, two preamp boost controls and toggle switch; nickel or aluminum bridge, tailpiece, tuners, knobs, and front plate

Artwork Details

Overview

Exhibition History

Title: Custom Ron Wood 1978 Metal Front
Artist: Tony Zemaitis (Lithuanian, London 1935–2002 Tokyo, Japan)
Artist: Ronald "Ron" Wood
Date: 1978
Geography: London, United Kingdom
Medium: Mahogany, ebony, aluminum, nickel, plastic, mother-of-pearl
Dimensions: Length: 39 in. (99.1 cm)
Width: 13 in. (33 cm)
Depth: 1 3/4 in. (4.4 cm)
Weight: 9-10 lbs. (4.1-4.5 kg)
Classification: Chordophone-Lute-plucked-fretted
Credit Line: Collection of Ron Wood
Curatorial Department: Musical Instruments