The metal front plate is the most familiar sign of a guitar by British maker Tony Zemaitis.

He was already a well-known maker of acoustic guitars when, around 1970, he was shielding some pickups on an electric guitar with aluminum foil and decided to take the concept to the extreme.

His first guitar with a full metal top went to bluesman Tony McPhee. His next was the first of many made for Ronnie Wood (then of The Faces, later of The Rolling Stone).

He enlisted the help of gun engraver Danny O’Brien for the elaborate ornamentation of the metal top plates, and his clients quickly grew to include Keith Richards, Ronnie Lane and Eric Clapton.

Zemaitis also made instruments with intricate pearl and mosaic inlays, and he was known as the father of the “boutique” guitar by the time he retired in 2000. He died two years later, but his designs were carried on by his son, Tony Zemaitis Jr.