Epiphone LP Custom gold hardware

M

Mudkicker

New member
So I have not played since circa 2005. I am starting to get back into it. Yesterday I pulled my Epiphone LP Custom Vintage Sunburst of out my storage room. All the gold hardware is tarnished. The machine heads are almost black! I bought the guitar in 2005 for $900 CAD.
I am pretty upset to be honest. Perhaps it was not stored in optimal conditions, basically in the case and in a closet.
Anyhow, are there any kits to replace all of the hardware on this POS? I am thinking of changing to chrome finish in order to avoid this from happening in the future.
Your thoughts?
 
Re: Epiphone LP Custom gold hardware

It's true that the old Epiphone hardware was pretty cheap, but it's no worse than many other inexpensive guitars, and sitting for 10 years will play hell on any guitar, regardless of how well it was made or how good the hardware is.

AFAIK, there is no pre-packaged kit to upgrade your hardware. There are a thousand upgrade hardware parts out there, but you will probably have to buy them piece-at-a-time.

For now, I would just polish off what you can, not obsess, and play the thing. Try a fine metal polish called Maas. Press very softly (you don't want to take the gold off), and realize that a little goes a long way. Use Q-Tips for getting into the tight areas. Then, if you keep playing, and feel the guitar is worth keeping, start replacing the hardware bit by bit.
 
Re: Epiphone LP Custom gold hardware

Could you post a picture of the guitar, it could help? My guess is that its a combination of a few things. One is you, you could just have a high P.H. balance so there's a lot of acid in the oil from your hands? The rest would be environmental, I.E. moisture was able to get to it while it sat & it mixed with that residual residue to go on to tarnish it over time...

Gold hardware is notorious for tarnishing & really should be wiped down after each use, not that I take my own advice, LOL!!! But that tarnished look can actually be quite appealing for "reliced" guitars and can add a cool road worn look to the right fiddle but I'm guessing the L.P. in question is not one of those?

You can always try some tarnish remover on the hardware before replacing it too, might not be a bad place to start?
 
Re: Epiphone LP Custom gold hardware

As already mentioned, Gold hardware is notorious for tarnishing...actually just about all hardware will tarnish over time.

I would suggest WD-40 (lightly used) on the moving parts and use the residue to wipe off the hardware that is tarnished. The tarnish remover idea is a good suggestion as well. If the tarnish bothers you then you can buy replacement hardware for the new look...but it will tarnish in time as well, especially if its gold.

And welcome back to the guitar players world!
 
Re: Epiphone LP Custom gold hardware

Nostalgic Distortion said:
My guess is that its a combination of a few things. One is you, you could just have a high P.H. balance so there's a lot of acid in the oil from your hands?
Click to expand...


+1. Some people's skin chemistry is very corrosive, and they are hard on guitar strings, PU's, and hardware. Others sweat a lot, and the salt in that eats up metals too.
 
Re: Epiphone LP Custom gold hardware

ItsaBass said:
It's true that the old Epiphone hardware was pretty cheap, but it's no worse than many other inexpensive guitars
Click to expand...
Perhaps I am naive but for me a $900 guitar should not be considered as cheap. I expected better quality for that kind of coin.
 
Re: Epiphone LP Custom gold hardware

Mudkicker said:
Perhaps I am naive but for me a $900 guitar should not be considered as cheap. I expected better quality for that kind of coin.
Click to expand...

Firstly, $900 Canadian is not that much money for a guitar. I wouldn't think it would buy a great quality instrument. A decent and playable instrument that would benefit from some upgrades over the long term is what I would expect. Secondly, I think you paid over normal retail price for the guitar. You paid the US equivalent of about $650, when the Epi Customs were $550–$600 guitars here in the States at that time. Maybe the guitars were at a slightly higher price point in Canada; I wouldn't know that offhand. Thirdly, a lot of that money that it cost over the Epi Standards was a "luxury" cost, for purely cosmetic reasons (extra binding, etc.). You're talking about a guitar with $400–$450 (retail, USD) worth of build quality, that has simply been dressed up a bit, with absolutely no added quality. Point being, you paid more than a Standard for the more flashy cosmetics, not for a quality increase. Then, the hardware tarnishing mainly happened because you let the guitar sit. While it's true that the hardware quality was not great, you can't entirely (or even mostly) blame the quality of the guitar for it. Finally, remember that you are talking about the cheap version of what was at the time a $2,500 US guitar (about $3,500 Canadian). Maybe they were even $2,800; I am not 100 percent sure. But regardless, even the hardware on those was simply OK. It was nothing to write home about, and would sometimes need upgrading as well. It too certainly would have tarnished if let sit for over 10 years. It probably wouldn't have gotten as bad, but you certainly would've had to have cleaned it up. Expecting high quality hardware at such a low price, on such a cosmetically dressed up guitar is an unrealistic expectation IMO.

The point of this is not to say that your guitar is a piece of ****, because it most certainly is not. Is just to say that I think your expectations for it are unreasonably high.
 
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Re: Epiphone LP Custom gold hardware

So does Fender's. We have nearly 100% humidity in Florida all the time, and that kills gold hardware. Even the 'good' stuff. I've moved over to satin-finished chrome, or painted black.
 
Re: Epiphone LP Custom gold hardware

Mudkicker said:
Perhaps I am naive but for me a $900 guitar should not be considered as cheap. I expected better quality for that kind of coin.
Click to expand...

$900 CAD is about $650 USD, while not cheap its not expensive either–looking at import level of quality which usually means a decent to good guitar that could use hardware and electronic upgrades.

As mentioned by others, doesn't matter who manufactures it or the price, hardwear will tarnish in time.
 
Re: Epiphone LP Custom gold hardware

Mincer said:
So does Fender's. We have nearly 100% humidity in Florida all the time, and that kills gold hardware. Even the 'good' stuff.
Click to expand...


It is extra work. I like the look of gold on some guitars, so I make a point of wiping it down after playing.
 
Re: Epiphone LP Custom gold hardware

What would be a good quality, affordable brand that makes replacement hardware in chrome for it? By switching to silver color, would chrome finish be the best option?
 
Re: Epiphone LP Custom gold hardware

It didn't tarnish because it was a $900 Epiphone, it tarnished because gold hardware ****ing sucks. I've seen $2500.00 guitars with tarnished gold hardware...just the way it is.

I would go chrome or nickel. Grover Tuners, Schaller Bridge...

Take some cymbal cleaner to it though, it may get off alot of the ****, it wont be gold underneath but may allow you to upgrade one piece at a time.
 
Re: Epiphone LP Custom gold hardware

Mudkicker said:
What would be a good quality, affordable brand that makes replacement hardware in chrome for it? By switching to silver color, would chrome finish be the best option?
Click to expand...

No manner of money spent will entitle you to be immune to the laws of physics and the nature of chemical change, which is what tarnishing is. Get used to this simple fact and life will be much easier for you.
 
Re: Epiphone LP Custom gold hardware

BX8a said:
I am not sure about that. I bought an Epi Standard red flame top in 2005. It is probably the lowest Standard of the Epi family, cause it was made in China (serial number starts with DW) and cost me in the equivalent of only 270 dollars, but the tuners are Grovers. The hardware has not shown any rust or tarnishing to this day.

With regard to this particular issue, if I had this problem I would remove the hardware altogether and spray contact cleaner all over 'em including the inside.
Click to expand...

Firstly, Grovers are crap these days compared to how good they used to be. They are no longer a mark of quality; they are mainly something that cheap guitar companies put on as a selling point, because their reputation from the old days carries forward into today. Secondly, did you let the guitar sit uplayed for over 10 years? I don't know of a single piece of guitar hardware, high end or otherwise, that would not show evidence of being let sit for that long...especially if it was put away dirty by someone with acid sweat.
 
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