LTD EC-1000 Deluxe. Gold hardware problem.

Updated
Anelor

Hi everyone,

Last week I got my LTD EC-1000 Deluxe Vintage Black and was pretty happy with it so far until I realized the gold color of the screws on the pickups wore off. It seems like the those screws are not actually gold which was a huge disappointment for me. Did I just got scammed by the distrubitor or the screws are not actually gold by default. I am considering to sending the guitar back.

 

Here is a photo:

Big Daddy B

Gold hardware is actually gold plated and will wear off. How long depends on how much you play the guitar, how acidic your sweat is, and how thick the plating is. Some people would recommend wiping down the hardware but others would point out frequent wiping may hasten removal of the plating.

A potential bright side, worn hardware may compliment the vintage finish.

ESP 348

I wonder if it would be a good idea to remove the gold hardware from a new guitar and have it clear coated by a professional paint shop to preserve the gold plated finish?

Not too sure how it would affect the pickups, but surely it's been done before.

Big Daddy B

Yeah not sure about that. From what I have read in the past, I think if the coating was of significant thickness, would dampen the vibration and kill the sound.

Road King

My screws are real gold. Looks like you got scammed.

ESP Admin
Anelor wrote:

Hi everyone,

Last week I got my LTD EC-1000 Deluxe Vintage Black and was pretty happy with it so far until I realized the gold color of the screws on the pickups wore off. It seems like the those screws are not actually gold which was a huge disappointment for me. Did I just got scammed by the distrubitor or the screws are not actually gold by default. I am considering to sending the guitar back.

 

Here is a photo:

Hey Anelor, 

Big Daddy B actually explained this issue very well in his earlier reply. Gold hardware is gold plated. It is not made of gold (otherwise it would be too expensive for all of us to afford). However, every manufacturer uses a different plater that may result in slightly different levels of gold plating. In our experience, gold hardware does wear off quicker than a black chrome or chrome finish. Both gold plating and nickel plating wear down faster than chrome plating due to the different properties of the chemicals used. There are other factors as Big Daddy B pointed out: how acidic your sweat is – this is actually very true. There are certain players who are able to wear down plating much faster due to the acidic properties  of their sweat or oils from their hand. We suggest cleaning your hardware regularly with a clean cloth after playing so that the oils from your hands aren’t left on the plated surface. Please rest assured that you were not scammed. If you still feel your hardware plating is coming off too quickly please contact your dealer or distributor for further assistance. Our customer service department may also be able to assist and you may contact them at customerservice@espguitars.com. Please keep in mind that replacing your hardware may not solve the issue since it can be caused by normal playing and contact with oils from your hand.

Anelor

I want to thank everyone for their reply. My hands sweat a lot when I play guitar and it seems the issue is connected to that. The main reason I bought a gold hardware guitar isbecause I was sweating a lot and had the idea that gold wouldnt react with my sweat due to its chemical properties. I have a little bit of disappointment in that case and the coating wore down after a week of play but I'm still loving the guitar sounds amazing.

Road King

Wait, you seriously thought the hardware was real gold? Wtf lol.

Big Daddy B

I wouldn't worry about it too much if this is a guitar you bought to play and not collect. Like I said I think the work parts will look nice with the vintage finish on your particular guitar. If it gets to the point it really bothers you, you can always buy new hardware. Have you thought about chrome hardware? That seems to be the least reactive followed by black. Nickel will stay silver but become dull, sometimes darker like a grey. I think a satin black finish with black hardware might look nice.

Anelor

It is not a big deal actually. I was just worried a bit because I thought I got scammed. I might consider chrome hardware in the future we will see  Thanks for the advice.

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