Finish on the Mustaine Livewires?

DalyTek

New member
I just got a set of Seymour Duncan Dave Mustaine Livewire pickups.
They were old pickups, but had never been installed.
They still had the clear protective sticker over the front of them.
When I peeled the sticker off, it left massive amounts of "sticker goo" on the face of the pickups. I cleaned the goo off with rubbing alcohol, but I am left with what I can only describe as an "oilslick" look. The oily-looking marks do not rub off or smear or anything.

Anyone have any idea how to restore the black chrome look to the pickups?
Thanks for any advice!

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Re: Finish on the Mustaine Livewires?

Try lighter fluid. It removes nearly any residue.
 
Re: Finish on the Mustaine Livewires?

I'll give that a shot, ex-250. I have some Naptha I can try.
It doesn't seem like it's a residue though...more like it's IN the metal....
I'll reply with results after I rub with the lighter fluid though....
 
Re: Finish on the Mustaine Livewires?

Looks like it corroded the finish. Paging Frank?
 
Re: Finish on the Mustaine Livewires?

They sound fantastic. They just don't look good.
 
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Re: Finish on the Mustaine Livewires?

Looks similar to water spots on aluminum, though it´s almost certainly NOT aluminum... But the fixes should be similar ;)

Have you tried hitting them with brasso and a rag for 5 minutes? A good metal polish SHOULD clean up most surface discolorations.... maybe brasso and a dremel if it works but doesn´t get quite deep enough (remember , polishing is essentially nothing more than sanding at ultra high grits ;) ). It will probably take longer than normal polishing, though.

If however neither of those work, then you may have to go after them with a wire brush or even wheel, which unfortunately could go so far as to eat through the plating, and that obviously isn´t the droid we´re looking for....

FRAAAANK!!!!!!!! EVAAAN!!! SOMEBOOOODY!!!!! :laugh2:
 
Re: Finish on the Mustaine Livewires?

I could actually see the spots through the clear protective stickers before I removed them, but I thought they were air bubbles.
It didn't make the spots any better or any worse when I was rubbing the sticker residue off.
It seems weird that whatever removed the plating didn't affect the signature logo at all. It almost seems like maybe the glue turned acidic over time?
The "spots" go onto the sides of the pup too (the short edges, not the long edges) because the stickers went down the sides too.
I even tried rubbing one of the sides with #0000 steel wool to see if I could even out the coloring in an inconspicuous area.
Even that didn't do anything! I will try the Brasso method and see what happens, but it seems that would be in essence a lighter form of what I was attempting with the steel wool.

It seems the finish is destroyed. It's not anything I can "clean off" unfortunately. I just wonder if anyone has seen anything like this and maybe someone has an idea how to make it look a little more evened out?
 
Re: Finish on the Mustaine Livewires?

They basically sound like the JB/Jazz combo, but with a little more bite to them.
They sound much less stale than other actives (EMG) I have tried.
 
Re: Finish on the Mustaine Livewires?

Maybe some Goo Gone or Goop Off?
Goo Gone works very well for most of my apps(mainly sticker residue,actually).
If there's a Dollar Tree or similar near you,it's only $1,too.
Personally haven't tried Goop Off,FWIW,haven't really had to...

Hope that helps,& Good Luck!
 
Re: Finish on the Mustaine Livewires?

Hold off on forum member experiments on things you paid for until Frank gets back with you buddy.

I'm guessing after 2 weeks that Frank is not going to give me any advice... :crying:

These pickups are still fugly and I can't find anyway to bring them to the glorious finish they are supposed to have.
 
Re: Finish on the Mustaine Livewires?

change your thread title to "FRANK?! EVAN?! SOOOOMEBODY!!!" :smokin:
 
Re: Finish on the Mustaine Livewires?

Make some time to call in to customer service today. Tell the person who answers you've spoke with me on the forum and to walk over to my desk for an explanation.
 
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