Author Topic: NOS Gold Plated Parts (Read 472 times)

poor_nigel · « **on:** December 15, 2009, 03:19:19 PM »

I took possession of an S II with gold plated parts today, 03 13095. Bass has hung on the wall unplayed for six years. I popped the factory installed strings off and was cleaning it with Alembic polish, of course, but the gold plating looks like it has some kind of film over it that will not come off. Inside the bridge, it looks like the gold plating is tarnished (darkened, like a flame was put to it). I do not believe gold tarnishes? It has old style Gotoh tuners on it, and they are gold plated and cleaned up nicely. The nut has the same film on it. Do the gold plated parts come with some kind of coating from the factory? I used my dremel with a soft buffing pad for a 15 seconds to a minute on the tail piece and rails of the bridge. Nope, it looks more like a satin finish, but patchy. I do not want to do anything to ruin the gold plating, scratch it, MELT it off or anything. Ideas and suggestions welcome. Thank you.

(Message edited by poor_nigel on December 15, 2009)

mica · « **Reply #1 on:** December 15, 2009, 04:54:15 PM »

Gold plating isn't supposed to have any coating on it from the subcontractor. It's plated with copper, nickel then 24K gold.

We use a Connoisseur's brand jewelry polishing cloth to clean the gold plating. If you can't find one let me know, I have several here and I'd be glad to mail one to you.

A slightly damp very soft cloth should remove any deposited film (like smoke) pretty well.

Can you post or email me a picture? It doesn't sound like anything I've seen before. Thanks!

poor_nigel · « **Reply #2 on:** December 15, 2009, 05:51:11 PM »

It is not smoke. The would come off easily with alcohol. It is an ultra thin film of something. I am currently soaking it in isopropyl alcohol, as I figure that can't hurt the metals there. Wood stove? Southern California polution (scary!)? Where do you get a jewely polishing cloth? I have an incredibly soft micro cloth bought for polishing things. Damp cloth is not doing anything. It is almost like this stuff is in the metal. I think buffing it off is probably the only solution.

I am stopping for a while. Maybe I will pick this back up this weekend. I will be taking some pictures of the bass, as I have some questions about how a couple of things were carved, mounted, and constructed. Thanks for the help, Mica.

lbpesq · « **Reply #3 on:** December 15, 2009, 05:59:48 PM »

I rub Alberto VO5 on my brass parts after polishing to slow down the tarnishing. Could it be something like that?

Bill, tgo

mica · « **Reply #4 on:** December 15, 2009, 08:30:50 PM »

Department stores generally carry that brand of polishing cloth.

Worn through the gold plating to the nickel? I have seen that before. You know you can call to discuss anything, Thomas.

poor_nigel · « **Reply #5 on:** December 15, 2009, 09:04:59 PM »

While I am at the department store picking up a jewelry polishing cloth, I will pick up some Vital Sasoon for my other brass parts - Thanks Bill. Is it only Alberto VO 5 (Actually, I needed some shampoo quick and grabbed a bottle of that stuff last week - Don't use it on your hair!!!) that works? Just a drop and wipe it dry? Doesn't it make the parts sticky??? How could the gold be worn through? Those basses hung on his wall for six years, and were not played. Whatever it is, I will investigate more this weekend and take lots of pictures. I just want to play it for a while now. Here is something interesting.

I asked David J. King to make me some replacement knobs for my old S II, and to make em out of ebony and gold. The above pictures are them in the rough. He polished them up and I lemon oiled them tonight and put a set on the new to me bass I got and dang! They really look great. at first they look just like the regular knobs, but when you look closer they are little works of art. David really does do wonders with wood, big or tiny. (Message edited by poor_nigel on December 15, 2009)

lbpesq · « **Reply #6 on:** December 15, 2009, 09:20:35 PM »

Thomas:

I don't know if other products work too. Someone once told me about VO5 and it seems to work well. After polishing, I rub a very little bit on the brass with my finger. Then I lightly wipe it off with a clean soft cloth. The remaining thin coating helps to keep the brass shiny longer and doesn't feel tacky to the touch. By the way, love the knobs.

Bill, tgo

edwin · « **Reply #7 on:** December 24, 2009, 07:03:01 PM »

David is great! I have his serial # 15, a headless fretless 5. Wonderful bass!

bigredbass · « **Reply #8 on:** January 02, 2010, 11:23:20 PM »

Thomas, what I use for the haze that seems to accumulate on nickel/chrome/gold parts that nothing seems to take off is a good car wax (mother's, meguiar's, Zymol, etc.).

Be sure you use one labeled WAX and NOT one labeled POLISH or WAX POLISH. The polish-lableled products have fine abrasive blended in for scratch removal, but it will eat off the thin gold plating. The waxes lack that and usually will take this sort of thing off. And NEVER use brass polish on gold-plated parts.

The Vo5 talked about above is the hairdressing in the gold toothpaste tube. All organic and harmless to finish and electronics, a thin film wiped on after polishing brass or plated parts will keep them shiny a LONG time.

poor_nigel · « **Reply #9 on:** January 03, 2010, 01:18:53 AM »

Thanks Joey. I actually have Mother's and Meguiar's out in the garage, I believe. Hopefully, I have remembered to put them in my winter garage storage box upstairs, as anything left in the garage from January to March that can be damaged by extreme cold, is ruined by spring's arrival here in the wasteland. And, thank you very much for defining which Alberto VO5 product works for brass parts. I would have smeared some shampoo on my tail piece of my '84, made a strange face after it turned a funny color because it did not appreciate the lack of conditioner in the product.

I do think of you once in a while, when I take out my big red bass to mess around with. You and my old Gibson have the same moniker. I do have a fondness for old Gibsons, as they are what I started playing professionally on, way back when, during pre-Alembic stoneage era of rock and roll. Thanks for the info on the new tricks learned here.

bigredbass · « **Reply #10 on:** January 03, 2010, 09:51:17 PM »

That great, Thomas.

The Mother's, et al, works as a great guitar polish on poly-finished instruments (it really is car paint after all), though I wouldn't use it on lacquered instruments like your BigRedBass. Really leaves a slick feeling on the painted necks instead of that draggy, grabby feeling they sometimes acquire.

I've never owned a semi- or hollow-body bass: Is the difference you hear more the body, or the ancient, EB pickups?

J o e y

poor_nigel · « **Reply #11 on:** January 04, 2010, 11:18:32 PM »

Hey Joey:

The answer is of course, C)., All of the above. Strings make a real difference. I put Chromes on this one, as I want zero fretware, but still want to play it. Why they put a 'boom' switch on this bass is kind of over kill, as the neck pickup is already 'boomy.' Surprisingly, the bridge pickup adds quite a bit of definition to its sound, and I even like it for old rock and roll. I mainly use the front pickup to play with my blue grass friends. The hollow body and the front pickup do a resonable job of faking a fretted accoustic sound. I like this bass, my old Les Paul Recording, and my EBO for sentimental reasons, and for goofing around on. Of course, if I ever want to get a sixties sound going, no problem at all. Nothing sounds like a sixties bass, like sixties basses.

bigredbass · « **Reply #12 on:** January 04, 2010, 11:41:54 PM »

Sixties basses, Sixties tone . . . . geez I hope it never comes to bass players using vintage amps: God Help Me I DON'T want to drag an Acoustic 320 around again ! ! You're a better man than me, though: If I drank a case of beer and saw one of those old SG-style EBO's burning, I'd walk a mile to find a bathroom. But I can see where the 335-style EBO with flats would be perfect for things where you don't want a lot of definition.

I always see Chas Chandler playing one with Eric Burdon in my memories.

It REALLY makes me feel old when I see things like those Pods and I REMEMBER every old amp on the emulation selector.

J o e y

poor_nigel · « **Reply #13 on:** January 05, 2010, 02:30:45 PM »

You are correct that EB-0's are a boat paddle with almost no definition, besides filling the low-end void. Terrible basses, IMO, but sentiment does not follow logic. It is an icon of my youth. An Acoustic 320 is a head - What bottom(s) did you use with it/them? 408's were heavy cabs! I used to have to drag around two 370's and their 301 bottoms. Wheels and hand trucks, always! Getting old sucks.

keith_h · « **Reply #14 on:** January 05, 2010, 02:56:01 PM »

Thomas,
I had the same setup with the addition of two JBL single 15's that were run off of a Yamaha B-100. I think it had pretty good sound and was definitely loud. I like to look at not using that same stuff today as the wisdom one gains with age.

Keith