Gold hardware

Haych

Are there different grades of gold hardware fitted to guitars or are they all junk?

I have a very nice and quite expensive Gibson with gold hardware. I bought it more as a “I have to have it” guitar than something to play. I think it’s had about three hours of total play time since I bought it (new in 2017) and it’s been cased when it’s not in use. 

However, the hardware is starting to tarnish quite heavily. The neck pickup cover looks aged and pitted and the nickel beneath the gold is showing through. 

I’ve attempted to clean it up with some Gibson low abrasion metal cleaner but even that seems to be rubbing off the top layer of gold quicker than 80 grit sandpaper!

I suppose Gibson would probably laugh at me if I tried to claim it was a warranty issue?

In all honesty I’ve never come across a guitar with gold hardware that didn’t have the same issue (and I don’t normally go for gold hardware anyway, as a rule it’s tacky) but was hoping maybe something that’s meant to be a quality instrument (let’s not go there ok) might have been properly sorted. 

In all other respects the quality is very high and it’s a superb instrument. It just pains me that if I ever wanted to sell it I couldn’t claim it was mint due to the hardware tarnishing rather rapidly. 

tony99

korina explorers, black beauties and white customs are the only guitars that should have gold bits and the more tarnishing the better quite frankly

Haych

tony99 said:

korina explorers, black beauties and white customs are the only guitars that should have gold bits and the more tarnishing the better quite frankly

This is a white custom. Sort of. It’s an Alex Lifeson ES Les Paul. Beautiful guitar. Personally, not so keen on the gold hardware but it didn’t come with any other option. 

Kittyfrisk

Tarnished, worn gold hardware is 'hot' but new/untouched gold hardware is 'cheap/nasty' .
No logical explanation, it just 'is', a bit like most rules of religion 

OilCityPickups

Gold  hardware always screws up rapidly ... even expensive stuff. This is the main reason I'm reluctant to supply gold finish covers ... I don't want the hassle of explaining why even expensive gold covers revert to nickel stupidly quickly.

Haych

Ah, there we go then. All gold is equally pants it seems. Lol. 

markv

I'd add the Yamaha SA2200 to the "no gold hardware" exception list. Yes, I have one so there's a bit of bias here

It's 10 years old and the gold is still pristine, apart from one corner of the bridge pickup, and that's probably more to do with my inept technique than anything else. Granted, it's not had a hard life, but it gets played most days.

darthed1981

I've got an Epi Les Paul Custom Pro, and managed to accelerate the tarnish of the gold hardware with some gentle metal polishing.  I was appalled at first, but it actually looks more like a guitar and less like a spangly suit now.

streethawk

It's gold, of course they're not going to apply a generous coating!

Kittyfrisk

Haych said:

Ah, there we go then. All gold is equally pants it seems. Lol. 

Apparently not. Let's see you erasure this from your memory 

mbe

Don't the Gibson Custom LPs have solid gold pickup covers? 

Haych

streethawk said:

It's gold, of course they're not going to apply a generous coating!

Is it though? Or is it just some gold coloured coating? I didn’t think gold tarnished at all?

CasperCaster

The gold hardware on a Gibson has to quickly wear through, flake or become pitted, otherwise it isn't Authentic! 

Kittyfrisk

mbe said:

Don't the Gibson Custom LPs have solid gold pickup covers? 

Oh, if only   they'd be worth more than the guitar 

Kittyfrisk

This is what gold hardware can look like after 30-40 years. No faking, relicing etc.  
Funnily enough, the sound gets better.  No, really 

Philly_Q

Haych said:

streethawk said:

It's gold, of course they're not going to apply a generous coating!

Is it though? Or is it just some gold coloured coating? I didn’t think gold tarnished at all?

I'm pretty sure it's real gold, but it's an extremely thin layer.  And I don't know if it tarnishes as such, it just wears through very easily.  Metal polish will take the gold layer right off.

Sassafras

A dab of Brasso will soon take the gold plating off.

Simon_M

Haych said:

streethawk said:

It's gold, of course they're not going to apply a generous coating!

Is it though? Or is it just some gold coloured coating? I didn’t think gold tarnished at all?

Pure gold is a noble metal i.e. is resistant to oxidation and corrosion but gold is usually mixed with other metals to make it more durable/scratch resistant and cheaper etc... and it’s the metals it mixed with that tend to corrode quickly. I suspect it is gold but not very pure. 

TINMAN82

I’d add the Jem 7v to the list of exceptions.

Voxman

The gold on my 1990 LP Custom and 1989 Epi Sheraton II are still in pretty good condition for guitars that are 'players' and around 30 years old.  

57Deluxe

the gold on hardware (Taps espesh) these days is not GOLD gilding but the minutest deposit of Ag Au from Potassium Gold Cyanide and Potassium Stannate in an electrolytic reaction.

 This is why they all wear so badly.