Re-plating of gold plated hardware

Lefty · Post by **Lefty** » 26 Jul 2000 4:01 pm

I don't know where this subject should reside. Does anyone have any experience of having this done. My Gretsch Country Gent has gold plated parts, and the gold has worn off the pick-up covers in the hand contact area. I know there are replacements repro's available, but was curious about the costs and merit of replating.
Thanks.

Steve B · Post by **Steve B** » 26 Jul 2000 4:26 pm

You can get your guitar parts re-plated, gold, chrome, whatever. You can look in the phone book, or call up any (H-D) motorcycle shop, and they can point you towards a chrome shop. Plating is a labor intensive process, and the cost reflects that.

Richard Sinkler · Post by **Richard Sinkler** » 26 Jul 2000 4:37 pm

I used to be a shop foreman for a plating company, and as Steve said, replating is very labor intensive and very expensive. It requires stripping of all the layers of different platings, polishing the base metal and re-plating. Just as an example, to take a car bumper that was chrome plated, you would have to put it in the chrome tank and reverse the current through the part to make the chrome come off. Then it goes into a stripping tank that removes the underlying nickel and copper. Then the base metal gets polished to an almost mirror finish. Then it gets plated with copper. Then polished again. Then plated with nickel. Then polished again. Then the nickel is "activated" and plated again. Then polished again. Then chrome plated. Then polished again to remove any "nodules" that the chrome plating may have left and any discoloration. It's very possible for that bumper to cost 3-4 hundred bucks or more.

Gold plating is similar.

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Carter D10 8p/10k
Richard Sinkler BS, www.sinkler.com

Lee Baucum · Post by **Lee Baucum** » 27 Jul 2000 3:42 pm

When dealing with vintage guitars, I think it is wise to check with those in the "business" to see if replating would add or detract from the value of your guitar. I have an early '60's 6120 that has very little of the gold left. I'm going to leave it alone. I inherited this guitar from my Uncle Mike, so the guitar has a high sentimetal value, as well as a high dollar value. I have chosen to leave it "as is".

Just my one to two cents worth. Probably not worth any more than that!

Lee, from South Texas

Lefty · Post by **Lefty** » 27 Jul 2000 4:57 pm

Good advise and information from all. I think I will take the original covers off and save them, and replace them with repros for playing. I don't play this guitar that often, anyway. I think Dan Erlewine cleans the gold parts with napha, and sprays them with a coat of clear lacquer for protection. I may experiment with that, and consider doing it on the covers and bigsby tremelo.

Jack Stoner · Post by **Jack Stoner** » 28 Jul 2000 2:07 am

I'm moving this to technical, as it has nothing to do with electronics. Actually it probably belongs in off-topic since it's about regular guitars, not steels.