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Custom Ron Wood 1978 Metal Front

Tony Zemaitis Lithuanian
 Ronald "Ron" Wood

Not on view

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

Custom Ron Wood 1978 Metal Front, Tony Zemaitis (Lithuanian, London 1935–2002 Tokyo, Japan), Mahogany, ebony, aluminum, nickel, plastic, mother-of-pearl

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Courtesy of Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

Custom Ron Wood 1978 Metal Front, Tony Zemaitis (Lithuanian, London 1935–2002 Tokyo, Japan), Mahogany, ebony, aluminum, nickel, plastic, mother-of-pearl
Custom Ron Wood 1978 Metal Front, Tony Zemaitis (Lithuanian, London 1935–2002 Tokyo, Japan), Mahogany, ebony, aluminum, nickel, plastic, mother-of-pearl
Custom Ron Wood 1978 Metal Front, Tony Zemaitis (Lithuanian, London 1935–2002 Tokyo, Japan), Mahogany, ebony, aluminum, nickel, plastic, mother-of-pearl
Custom Ron Wood 1978 Metal Front, Tony Zemaitis (Lithuanian, London 1935–2002 Tokyo, Japan), Mahogany, ebony, aluminum, nickel, plastic, mother-of-pearl
Custom Ron Wood 1978 Metal Front, Tony Zemaitis (Lithuanian, London 1935–2002 Tokyo, Japan), Mahogany, ebony, aluminum, nickel, plastic, mother-of-pearl
Custom Ron Wood 1978 Metal Front, Tony Zemaitis (Lithuanian, London 1935–2002 Tokyo, Japan), Mahogany, ebony, aluminum, nickel, plastic, mother-of-pearl

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