“The metal elements in the finish will give a vintage-looking patina specific to each guitar”: Solar has launched a metal guitar that literally oxidizes depending on how you play it

Age-worn guitars can be highly sought-after, and now Solar Guitars has offered its own spin on the aesthetic with a metal-topped guitar that will literally oxidize in response to your playing.  

The Chrome Canibalismo is the latest addition to its growing Chop Shop collection, and brings together a unique blend of metals, paints and polymers for an evil-cyborg finish that looks like it devours hard drives for breakfast.    

Launched in 2023, the Chop Shop range is assembled in Madrid, Spain, and aims to bring “never been seen before” models to the market. A guitar etched with 1,000 volts of electricity fired its bold opening statement, and it looks like the firm isn’t resting on its laurels.  

The Chrome Canibalismo takes an alder-bodied Solar Type AB and gives it a finish that doesn't just look metal – it is metal. 

The full-body finish is created from a unique metal material that requires a five-stage process to cover the body. It's then given “considerable time” to cure and harden, with Solar’s Canibalismo finish applied after the base coat.  

Interestingly, the metal finish will oxidize so each guitar ages with a unique appearance. That means the more blood and sweat that goes into playing this guitar, the more stand-out its finish will become. 

As Solar explains, “The metal elements in the finish will oxidize and give a vintage-looking patina specific to each guitar.”

Solar adds that, due to the “raw materials and random elements in the cosmetic processes of Chop Shop guitars, there may be unique imperfections that are in fact part of the product design” – all of which will add to each guitar’s individuality.

Beneath its metal casing is a fairly standard but solid spec. Its alder body is paired with a bolt-on, C-shaped roasted maple three-piece neck and fretboard. It has 24 frets and a 25.5" scale length and comes loaded with a Floyd Rose 1000 bridge and Solar locking tuners, too. 

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Its black hardware, which includes a push/pull tone pot and three-way blade for its passive Seymour Duncan Dual Rail (neck) and Solar Modern (bridge) humbuckers, stands out against the satin feel finish.   

There are also Luminlay side dots for riffin' in the dark, and it comes with a hard case and Certificate of Authenticity signed by Ola Englund and the luthier that assembled each guitar.

Owning one will cost $2,199, with the guitars now available from the Solar website.