bobv

Modified the inside of a tv cabinet with two pieces of wood handrail and a scrap of poplar for a top rack, lined it with cork (maybe I'll add suede over it later) and that's all there is to it (besides patching the back to fill up the hole that used to be there for the back of the tv). Nice and handy to grab whatever guitar suits my mood, but they can all be closed up and protected from dust and stampedes Thanks for the idea, neo.

I've been impressed with the Epiphone imports, but not these maestro things. One thing to keep in mind is that they're sold in department stores and discount stores where a kid, or parent, will not have a real guitar to compare it to. Cheapens the marque.

That Maestro and a Gibson have nothing in common except the use of Les Paul's name. Different types of woods let alone quality, different construction methods, wiring, pickups, hardware, finish. You get the idea.

I would wipe it gently with a rag dampened with naptha (lighter fluid) which should remove whatever gunk wants to come off. Then leave it alone. The more you rub gold the more it rubs off because it's a soft metal. The tuning pegs on one of my guitars has the gold worn away from using a stringwinder on string changes. Another has the gold entirely gone from two tuners because I was too lazy to remove them when buffing the neck with a big felt buffing wheel. It doesn't take much to remove the gold. On the other hand, gold is relatively inert and it's hard to imagine it actually corroding or oxidizing, it might just be dirt and gunk that can be lifted with a gentle cleaner. I'd avoid anything sold as a "metal polish" since that's going to be abrasive and is meant for polishing hard platings like chrome (or nickel). if you really want to use a metal cleaner, maybe you should try it on the underside of the tailpiece first.

You do have the amp grounded and you've tested the outlet to make sure it's wiring is correct and the ground is real? I only get the static-on-the-pickguard problem when using a battery powered amp sitting outside barefoot (no, you don't want to see pictures of that). The string ground is supposed to take care of static but the amp needs to be properly grounded.