Gold Hardware

[Bekanor]

How much of a pain in the ass is it really?


I'm thinking of swapping to gold hardware on one of my guitars but if it's only going to look good for a couple of weeks then be gross and tarnished for the rest of the time I think I'll pass.

 

[budda]

if you can keep it clean, you're fine.

im still wondering how to clean up all of mine, as my bridge and pickup covers dont look the greatest...

but i also sweat a lot when i play, and have fairly acidic sweat. take that into account as well.

and dirty gold hardware looks clean from a distance lol

 

[jymellis]

i guess it kinda depends on alot of factors. how long are you gonna keep it like that? also im pretty sure the higher quality ones wont tarnish as easy. if its just tarnish it can be wiped away with several products like zap. its mainly for brass and antique silver but works well on lots of other things (like guitar hardware). what you want too watch out for is the cheap ones that use shoddy material and shoddy electro plating and the gold actually wears away. tarnish can be cleaned, wearing the the gold finish cannot be cheaply fixed. hope this helps.

 

[Randy]

As long as it's a descent quality piece and you keep it clean then you'll be fine. I have cheap gold hardware on an LP copy, and the bridge pretty much turned to chrome just from sweat and friction from my palm muting.

That said, gold will look really classy on the right guitar and is more than worth the hassle.

 

[Concerto412]

Gold plating on hardware, no matter who's making it, generally doesn't get much thicker than the 1/1000th " mark. The metal underneath is left uncoated and unprotected if the gold is worn away, which is why pitting gets fairly common on older guitars with gold hardware.
Yes you can take fantastic care of your hardware, and yes it will last longer. Yes higher quality bridges will likely use a tougher grade (or alloy) of gold for their plating, which should be more resistant to wear. If you really dig the look of gold hardware, the upkeep should be worth it and the look can be preserved a long time. But if you like to play, it's going to wear, simple as that. thats what gold hardware does.

 

[Bekanor]

Thanks guys, I'll keep mulling it over.

 

[Harry]

Hmmm, wonder if I did anything wrong then.
I never had particularly corrosive sweat, but my gold plating hardware on my bridge started to look pretty average after about 2 years.
From a distance it still looks okay though

 

[ephriamiv7]

dont do it it will end up lookin shitty no matter what quality just my 2 cents

 

[rikomaru]

i've got gold hardware on a couple of my guitars at both ends of the quality spectrum......and especially far on the shitty sidei might add haha i've got an old MIJ LP copy and the gold is so faded it looks like a 50s model or something. once i got it to do some serious fading on the bridge and pups it started to look pretty pimp my other build has classy gold hardware though like that damn wilkinson vs400 trem that's apparently gonna make me wear steel wool mittens to fade it. haha

i wipe my guitars down on a regular basis without cleaning solutions most of the time so i guess my gold hardware tends to last a bit longer than normal?

 

[Scali]

I have a golden Lo Pro Edge, where some of the gold is nearly completely worn away, showing more of a dulled chrome finish instead. The volume knob is even worse.
I also have some golden Gibson pickup covers... pretty much the same thing.
This made me turn off gold hardware. It looks nice when it's new, but after a few years it loses its shine...

 

[Naren]

I've had a Gibson Les Paul Studio with gold hardware for about 5-6 years now. All of the gold on it is fine except for the pickup cover screw and the pickup screws. I have INSANELY acidic sweat (my Ibanez screws around that area are also rusted to hell) and it just eats away like crazy.

To me, whether it's gold, black, silver, or whatever, it WILL rust. My sweat guarantees that. But, for what it's worth, pickups themselves are still in good condition and the tuner pegs are in perfect condition. The strap pegs are also in perfect condition. For me, it's just the screws that are completely destroyed. But that happens on all of my guitars, regardless of the color.

 

[rikomaru]

I don't get it. How is it that so many people are willing to dish out extra cash for custom shop "aged/distressed" guitars but despise the real deal? I see this oxymoronic mindset play out constantly on Ebay and pretty much anywhere else you can buy musical instruments. People turn up their nose at the first sign of wear on any used guitar but get all giddy when it comes off the line looking even worse for thousands more.

!!!!!!!!!!!!IT'S JUST INSANE!!!!!!!!

 

[Concerto412]

^^
Very true, and I've never understood the love for 'new relics'... isn't there already a used market? But I think in general those drawn to the aesthetics of gold hardware are less likely to want it looking weathered.
Ive always preferred the look of a well played guitar with a bit of road wear, but Im not much a fan of gold hardware in general. Shiny and new it looks a bit gaudy to me, particularly on solid finishes, and in general I don't find that it ages gracefully compared to other hardware types.