Thanks Posterchild, I think the smiley face stickers are a great idea and surely a more attractive option than abalone or mother-of-pearl!
I have a bit of a problem with your suggestion that I change the strings though. Not that I have a problem with using all .56 gauge,(my home-made, heavy-duty steel picks can cope with that), rather the issue of having to tune them all over again. It took me so long to get this set just right(in tune AND all the tuning pegs facing the right way) that, once achieved, I prudently super-glued the pegs into position to avoid having to undertake such time-taking work again.
Is it possible to carry out this work by detaching the neck of the guitar while leaving the strings attatched? There's already a bit of play on it and I think it wouldn't take too much effort to free it completely!
Any ideas?
Ed Cayse.