David Scrilla Posted January 12, 2014 Share Posted January 12, 2014 Hi there... I bought an Epiphone Ultra 3 Vintage Sunburst a couple months ago... got it in perfect condition.. However after removing the plastic paper which was glued on to the pickups, to protect them, I realised that after some time, my pickups began to look a bit tarnished (Not rusty..). Now my guitar sounds perfect and everything and this is just a cosmetic issue, but i'd like some advice.. How can I remove the tarnish off my pickups? Can I use the metal cleaner that comes in the Gibson Vintage Reissue Kit? http://store.gibson.com/vintage-reissue-guitar-restoration-kit/ Remember I can't use liquids on my pickups or it will damage the wiring inside.. Any advice? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capmaster Posted January 13, 2014 Share Posted January 13, 2014 Hello David, and welcome aboard. To my experience, this is normal on nickel platings. The nickel-plated hardware and pickup covers on my Epiphone and Gibson guitars tarnished within days. They already have obvious "mojo" after the few months I own them although the finished surfaces look like new and will so for many years. The chrome platings on most of my guitars still look nice even after decades, that's just the way it is. On my 1970s Gibsons the finish has more of a natural aging than the hardware - except for the machine heads since they are nickel-plated. Restoration kits are very useful to make the surfaces bright and glossy again, but keep in mind that every treatment will remove the oxidized metal as well as some of the unaffected plating. So it might take less time until it's gone compared to leaving it alone. I live with it, just keep my guitars nicely set up, well tuned and play the hell out of them. ;) Hope this helps, capmaster Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Scrilla Posted January 13, 2014 Author Share Posted January 13, 2014 Hello David, and welcome aboard. To my experience, this is normal on nickel platings. The nickel-plated hardware and pickup covers on my Epiphone and Gibson guitars tarnished within days. They already have obvious "mojo" after the few months I own them although the finished surfaces look like new and will so for many years. The chrome platings on most of my guitars still look nice even after decades, that's just the way it is. On my 1970s Gibsons the finish has more of a natural aging than the hardware - except for the machine heads since they are nickel-plated. Restoration kits are very useful to make the surfaces bright and glossy again, but keep in mind that every treatment will remove the oxidized metal as well as some of the unaffected plating. So it might take less time until it's gone compared to leaving it alone. I live with it, just keep my guitars nicely set up, well tuned and play the hell out of them. ;) Hope this helps, capmaster Woah, thanks for this advice... I wouldn't want to speed up the process.. I guess i'll have to leave it :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Scrilla Posted January 15, 2014 Author Share Posted January 15, 2014 Oh another question.. should I replace my nickel guitar bridge parts with chrome ones? Would it affect anything? http://www.amazon.com/-matic-Bridge-Tailpiece-Chrome-Replacement/dp/B0094NVV5C/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1389803789&sr=8-2&keywords=chrome+bridge+guitar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vinlander Posted January 15, 2014 Share Posted January 15, 2014 Funny how for some tarnishing (aging) is something looked for while for others it seems they prefer the brand new shiny look. I guess Nickel is more of a vintage look and will age better than anything chrome. I love gold hardware in my case, but unfortunately that doesn't age quite well... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capmaster Posted January 15, 2014 Share Posted January 15, 2014 Oh another question.. should I replace my nickel guitar bridge parts with chrome ones? Would it affect anything? http://www.amazon.com/-matic-Bridge-Tailpiece-Chrome-Replacement/dp/B0094NVV5C/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1389803789&sr=8-2&keywords=chrome+bridge+guitar Yes, it would. I considered that, too, but don't want to fool around with the pickup covers. Soldering heat may affect the magnets, and you never know about microphonics before swapping covers. The look of nickel-plated parts next to chrome-plated ones may be odd. Nickel appears a bit yellowish-brownish whereas chrome looks greenish-blueish due to the very thin, cohesive chrome(III)-oxide coat present on all chrome finishes. Sadly, nickel oxides aren't cohesive but behave like rust... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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