saturn Posted September 29, 2015 Share Posted September 29, 2015 As I stated recently in the "moist gig" thread, the humidity really did a number on my strings lately. I haven't had strings actually rust in a long time. Anyway, I see that my pickups on the Goldtop have really gotten more corroded lately too. It's right under where the strings run. I tried putting a little WD40 on a towel and wiping it but it didn't do much. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saturn Posted September 29, 2015 Author Share Posted September 29, 2015 Please ignore my other triple posts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aster1 Posted September 29, 2015 Share Posted September 29, 2015 I use this on Guitar, Car, & my precious Harley's. You can find it at older style Hardware stores often enough still. Try it as a test first carefully so you know how thick the plating is. Aster Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glp2012 Posted September 29, 2015 Share Posted September 29, 2015 Ah, the good ol' days...NEVR - DULL and wire spoke motorcycle wheels. Really, it is magic. Funny, I NEVR thought of using on guitar corrosion, but that is the genius idea of the night. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L5Larry Posted September 29, 2015 Share Posted September 29, 2015 I have never "scientifically" researched this syndrome, just took it for granted and lived with it. There seems to be a reaction that affects the pickup plating between the magnetic field of the strings and magnets. Every Gibson Humbucker I've ever seen of any age looks like this, gold, chrome or nickel. I used to think it was caused by the fact that generally you can only wipe down the pickups BETWEEN the strings, but I have done careful wipe downs/polish of the pickups on a couple of guitars under the strings, to no avail. They still develop stripes. Even a major buff/polish will not change the look very much (as for motorcycle polishing products to use on guitars, I prefer "Mothers"). As the covers are "electroplated", and the magnets and coils create a permanent magnetic field that is constantly being altered by string vibration to create voltage, I'd like to know IF there really is some scientific reason for this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tman Posted September 29, 2015 Share Posted September 29, 2015 I think Larry must be right. It's like an etch-a-sketch (or whatever that toy is) but instead of iron shavings you've got oxidation over time arranging itself based on chronic magnetic field patterns. One could probably do forensics and figure out whether you are a shredder or a Peter Paul and Mary kind of guitar player based on the spread? Love that Gold Top. Maybe it is being "reliced". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surfpup Posted September 29, 2015 Share Posted September 29, 2015 You'd have to pay Tom Murphy big bucks for that kind of corrosion. String it back up and play it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riffster Posted September 30, 2015 Share Posted September 30, 2015 That happened to my R8 when I left it at Joe Glaser's guitar shop, I don't know what is floating in the air over there. Anyway, I bet it is a chemical reaction to the VOS treatment Gibson puts on their guitars and the pickup covers. Those covers are nickel, very thin plating and they are distressed on top of that, what you see is not rust rather brass or whatever material the metal covers are. I used Brasso to clean the covers on my guitar, it actually took a couple of applications to get back to normal or close to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capmaster Posted September 30, 2015 Share Posted September 30, 2015 I have never "scientifically" researched this syndrome, just took it for granted and lived with it. There seems to be a reaction that affects the pickup plating between the magnetic field of the strings and magnets. Every Gibson Humbucker I've ever seen of any age looks like this, gold, chrome or nickel. I used to think it was caused by the fact that generally you can only wipe down the pickups BETWEEN the strings, but I have done careful wipe downs/polish of the pickups on a couple of guitars under the strings, to no avail. They still develop stripes. Even a major buff/polish will not change the look very much (as for motorcycle polishing products to use on guitars, I prefer "Mothers"). As the covers are "electroplated", and the magnets and coils create a permanent magnetic field that is constantly being altered by string vibration to create voltage, I'd like to know IF there really is some scientific reason for this. There might be a very small magnetic effect since nickel is ferromagnetic. Their nickel content is the reason why metal pickup covers are potentially microphonic. They are brazen and nickel coated. The nickel layer also allows for a subsequent gold or chrome plating. Chrome is by far the toughest of these materials, and its natural passivation ensures a much better resistance against electrochemical corrosion, in particular through sweat. Nickel will corrode the fastest. As soon as the noble gold is suffering abrasion, the left gold will help to corrode electrochemically the ignoble nickel. Chrome is less noble than nickel but withstands mechanical and chemical aggression much longer since the Chromium(III) oxide created through passivation is much nobler than nickel and rather cohesive. I never encountered corroded chrome parts on guitars but lots of corroded gold- or nickel-plated ones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saturn Posted September 30, 2015 Author Share Posted September 30, 2015 Nickel will corrode the fastest. As soon as the noble gold is suffering abrasion, the left gold will help to corrode electrochemically the ignoble nickel. Chrome is less noble than nickel but withstands mechanical and chemical aggression much longer since the Chromium(III) oxide created through passivation is much nobler than nickel and rather cohesive. Yeah that's what I was thinking too. :unsure: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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