These look pretty nice in design. Not entirely for me though, I've never liked the Neo Pad layout (on sticks anyway). I'm a strict '4 buttons in a line' guy... that or 'low Kick, and then all the punches' (on a six-button setup) with a dropped A (low kick). When playing on a saturn pad, I even play A,X,Y,Z.
Also with regard to the stick itself, I tend to prefer Seimitsu (LS-32 or 56). There are ways to make your base plate (top plate) be compatible with multiple different models of stick - you do also have to be careful with the final mounting height (as that laregely effects the 'throw').
It's an interesting project though, and I look foward to seeing where it goes. If you are doing a coating, will you offer various finishes? Most shops that do powdercoating will be able to offer finishes like 'sandtex' which can look pretty great imho; anodizing tends to look like crap and also easily scratches.