Over the years I have jotted down some of the ideas I've had for such projects, although the electronic modifications have consumed most of my time (nevermind the fact that I have limited talent in the other areas).  Below are a few of them.

• Acrylic.  Make the body out of an acrylic block (a la the famous Dan Armstrong model or the latest B.C. Rich creations), then cut (rout) groves in the surface and fill them with wire (or bits of clothes hangers), possibly of different gauges to create interesting patterns.

• A different "heavy metal" guitar: For obvious reasons, bicycle frames are incredibly strong, able to withstand string tension.  In spite of this, you can (read: I have) cut through them with a Dremel and/or a hacksaw (and a lot of determination).  Some ideas:
• use curved, semi-parallel bars of girls' bike for body.
• or use bicycle steering column for body.
• to this you can attach a conventional bridge, neck and electronics to create something like the Birdfish by Teuffel.

• Holey guitar body, Batman.  Cut holes into the body (and/or headstock).  Turn it into Swiss cheese.  Or you can cut away chunks.  Of course, be careful that it's structurally sound afterwards.

• Sheet metal.  It's an easy material to obtain and to work with (well, relatively speaking).  Cut an overlay for the surface of the guitar and/or the headstock.  You now have a surface that is highly amenable to engraving (get out your Dremel!) or something more brutal like rusting, gouging, or blasting.  Be sure to get your tetanus shots before you go on tour.

• Screw your guitar!  You can then adhere sheet metal to the wood with either screws or copious amounts of glue (depending on the aesthetic you're going for), but screws are interesting in and of themselves as they can be arranged in artistic patters (think symbols, logos, initials, etc.).

• Something heavier.  A variation on the above would be to use diamond plate metal as a pickguard.  This is the stuff typically found on trucks as well as on James Hetfield's signature model ESP Explorer (guitar, not truck).

• Greased lightning.  Check out auto parts stores for additional materials, but especially look in the auto detailing aisle for decals (yay! flames!), chrome strips, colored tape, etc.

• Lite Brite.  Add colored lights and/or LEDs to the guitar.  These could be installed in the face of the body or, alternatively, may be placed in hollowed out sections (i.e., like the resonating chambers of some guitars) and covered over with opaque plastic (picture the material from milk bottles or plastic greenhouses).  Lights can be made to flash by having them triggered by monitoring the guitar's output.  There is a one-of-a-kind Rickenbaker with many of these attributes currently on display at the Smithsonian's "Art of the Guitar" exhibit (I have seen the same instrument featured in several books on the subject of guitar design as well).

• El-wire!  A very effective variation on the above.  To learn more (and to check out a great supplier), click here.  Note: one technical hurdle you'll have to overcome here is getting the pickups and other electronics shielded from the whine of the inverter that powers the el-circuit.

• New frontiers in paint.  Many craft stores carry specialty paints you wouldn't ever find at your local hardware store.  Some examples:

• Glass paint - Designed to emulate stained or colored glass.  It's transparent, so you might consider using a single color of this paint on top of either white or silver paint.  Or you might try interesting blends of color.  For example, if you painted three overlapping transparent stripes of green, blue, and red, you could also have purple and aqua or turquoise as well.

• Crackle paint - This gives an aged appearance to, say, pottery, but it could be applied to dramatic effect on something like a "themed guitar.  For example, maybe you want something gothic or Egyptian and want to emulate the appearance of papyrus then paint heiroglyphic symbols on top of that.  Hey, don't laugh.  It's just an idea for you to go trick or treating with.

• Acrylic rod transected.  This creates approximately the dimensions of a guitar neck (admittedly, it is probably a little closer to a baseball bat).

• Inlay.  In conjunction with the above, it would be especially attractive to add inlays made from dark plastic or, alternatively, LEDs inside the neck.  Also, consider interesting inlay patterns.  Some of my favorites have been a series of different symbols based on unconventional themes such as Egyptian heiroglyphics or simple fractal designs that have shown up in crop circles.

• Making a switch.  Rather than going with a traditional Strat 5-way switch or Gibson 3-way toggle, check the variety of interesting hardware at, for example, Radio Shack (links to search), including lighted switches, rockers, rotary models, etc.

• Hardware stores.  Things like light switches and wall plates from hardware stores offer interesting and kitschy ways of adding functionality to your instrument.  The knob from a dimmer switch can be adapted to your volume/tone pots to add to the illusion.

• Odd meters.  Other unconventional things like volt meters or triggered LEDs (e.g., an "output meter" project) can really dress up a guitar or even put it totally over the top.  Simple "kits" for amateurs can be found on many electronics sites that create coordinated patterns or level meters from LEDs.

My friend Grak is a drummer, but plays a little guitar as well.  Here are a couple of projects he told me about that fall somewhere between "found art" and old-fashioned recycling.

• Bridge over troubled guitars.  "Right now I'm working on a guitar that uses Jesus Christ on the cross as a bridge.  I cut grooves into the cross to help the strings sit right and control some outrageous intonation."

• Drumster.  "I recently built a drum kit out of a fouton frame I found in a dumpster.  It took a little while, a couple beers and powertools, but we eventually got it done."

So just where do you get an acrylic rod or block of plastic or a piece of machined metal?  A number of industrial suppliers have a presence on the web including the following:

• McMaster Carr
• MSC Industrial Supply
• Boedeker

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