I am not a big fan of the dead reptile look, but I think I like the Les Paul bridge tailpiece with a thyroid condition set up.
German saboteurs with a US background was a nice enough idea that just didn't pan out. Now the German POW who escaped and hitch-hiked to Chicago in his Nazi uniform, where he blended in and ended up buying and running a barroom before being caught (in the 1950's no less) - a much better story.