I've got a '96 Hamer Archtop P-90 GT (Studio Goldtop), that has gold Schaller tuners and a gold TOM/bridge setup. I don't know if they're original or not to the guitar (yeah, the color is a bit much, but that's how I got the guitar), but I've noticed recently that they've developed brownish 'spots', especially to the top of the bridge and stoptail, and to the metal tuner buttons. I've kept the hardware and strings wiped down every time I've played it, but I haven't pulled the guitar out from my closet for playing in over a year. The frets have become tarnished, and the strings have a dirty 'flat' (as in not slick) feeling quality to them. The 'spots' on the gold hardware remind me of the mold that you'd find on cheese. Needless to say, I'm bummed.
Could having the guitar in the case for a very long time have something to do with the spots, the strings, and the frets? Could the ivoroid binding be causing this (the binding looks fine)? The case? It's a original Hamer TKL, BTW. Edited to add: can these 'spots' be polished out without removing the plating? I'm thinking the answer is probably not. Is there some type of protective finish or varnish to the hardware that somehow these 'spots' got under?
TIA!
P.S.: A friend of mine once had a very old (1930's) mandolin with the original celluoid pickguard and binding...the pickguard had started to deterioriate (binding was fine, under the nitro finish) in that crazing way that old celluoid sometimes does. He had purchased it without strings, put new mandolin strings on but left the pickguard on the mandolin, and stored the mandolin away in it's case. About a month or two later, he opened the case and found that the steel strings had been practically eaten and corroded through! The bronze strings were badly tarnished but not in nearly the shape that the steel strings were, though. The metal parts (probably pot metal?) on the mandolin didn't seem to be affected. Go figure. He took that pickguard off and stored it away, no reoccurence afterward.
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crunchee
I've got a '96 Hamer Archtop P-90 GT (Studio Goldtop), that has gold Schaller tuners and a gold TOM/bridge setup. I don't know if they're original or not to the guitar (yeah, the color is a bit much, but that's how I got the guitar), but I've noticed recently that they've developed brownish 'spots', especially to the top of the bridge and stoptail, and to the metal tuner buttons. I've kept the hardware and strings wiped down every time I've played it, but I haven't pulled the guitar out from my closet for playing in over a year. The frets have become tarnished, and the strings have a dirty 'flat' (as in not slick) feeling quality to them. The 'spots' on the gold hardware remind me of the mold that you'd find on cheese. Needless to say, I'm bummed.
Could having the guitar in the case for a very long time have something to do with the spots, the strings, and the frets? Could the ivoroid binding be causing this (the binding looks fine)? The case? It's a original Hamer TKL, BTW. Edited to add: can these 'spots' be polished out without removing the plating? I'm thinking the answer is probably not. Is there some type of protective finish or varnish to the hardware that somehow these 'spots' got under?
TIA!
P.S.: A friend of mine once had a very old (1930's) mandolin with the original celluoid pickguard and binding...the pickguard had started to deterioriate (binding was fine, under the nitro finish) in that crazing way that old celluoid sometimes does. He had purchased it without strings, put new mandolin strings on but left the pickguard on the mandolin, and stored the mandolin away in it's case. About a month or two later, he opened the case and found that the steel strings had been practically eaten and corroded through! The bronze strings were badly tarnished but not in nearly the shape that the steel strings were, though. The metal parts (probably pot metal?) on the mandolin didn't seem to be affected. Go figure. He took that pickguard off and stored it away, no reoccurence afterward.
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