Bridgwater's guitar hero presents: 'Crystals are forever' (From This is The West Country)

Bridgwater's guitar hero presents: 'Crystals are forever'

11:07am Thursday 21st January 2010

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FIRST he covered a Fender Stratocaster in solid 24-carat gold - now a Bridgwater guitar maker has encrusted a Les Paul with 4,000 of the world's finest crystals.

The Mercury dubbed Kim Webber 'the man with the golden guitar' last October after revealing how a mega-rich celebrity pal asked him to gold plate the instrument.

But this week Kim is proud to present 'crystals are forever' after the same mystery customer - believed to be a world famous musician living in Monaco - placed an order to re-plate another guitar with 24-carat gold, but also cover it in endless glittering Swarovski crystals and set it up with gold strings.

Kim, who owns a workshop in Phillips Close, has now completed the exhausting job and believes the stunning and unique final product, a Gibson Zakk Wylde Bulls Eye Les Paul, could be worth up to £20,000.

He said: “The story in the Mercury last year seemed to work because it went global and since then we have done three other guitars for the same customer and have even bigger orders in the pipeline.

“There are only five other guitars like this latest one in the world but myself, and associate Graham Baker, went a step further adding the gold plating.

“I got the crystals from the same supplier who does Madonna's microphones, and it was a tough job - I sat in the bath for 48 hours wondering how to go about it!

“But the result is outstanding, I saw a similar model on eBay recently which sold for $15,000 - it is definitely one of the finest guitars you'll ever see.”

WHO do you think Kim's mystery customer is? Speculate in our comment forms below.

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