7vwh bridge gold wear questons

davester1234 · #1 07-28-2002, 05:34 PM

Hey guys,
I was wondering, how regular is it for the gold fade on the bridge of a jem 7vwh? Does it happen all the time, or just sometime?

Secondly, can the problem be corrected? ie, can you have the bridge gold plated again, to make it new again? I'm assuming you can, but I wonder if it'd be the same, or if it would stand out like a sore thumb.
Let me know if any one has any comments on either of the above.

WMerkert · #2 07-28-2002, 05:39 PM

This problem also happened to me and i think buying a new bridge is the easiest solution.

EKG · #3 07-28-2002, 07:27 PM

I see it all the time, the plating wearing off. You can always get it plated again, but it is not quite the same and it is costly. You are right, I think. Easier and less pricey to just pick up a new one. I had my LoPro7 gold plated. Very nice, indeed, but I paid a lot to have it done. Also, as the plating wears, more "pimpling" seems to occur, and if you re-plate, you will see see imperfections even more. I had some used chrome ones plated gold and the imperfections are very obvious now. I like the wearing of the plating. Gives the guitar a little more character

anuj · #4 07-28-2002, 08:37 PM

I like the wear. my 7vWH (even for me, a poor college kid

) is a player guitar, and i'm proud to play it. i even have a $1.96 2" c-clamp clamped to the headstock for the fatfinger effect w/o the $30 fatfinger :-)

~A

davester1234 · #5 07-29-2002, 01:00 AM

goddam. Why do such expensive guitars have stupid problems like wear!
Its an upwards of 2000 bucks for this thing, and the bloody bridge fades!
Couldn't they use a different material that looks the same, but won't fade in a few months?

If you have a fading problem on your 7vwh, please post and mention it. I want to see just how frequent this problem is.....I know its inevitable over time, but how fast is this suppossed to happen? Any posts would be appreciated.

Rich · #6 07-29-2002, 01:10 AM

Dude, it's gold plate, gold is one of the softest of all metals, and yes, it wears and wears fast. ALL gold plate wears. If you want the look, only gold plate will give it. They make a powder coat gold called pearl gold that's found on J Customs, but, it looks nothing like gold plate.

**jemsite** · #7 07-29-2002, 01:27 AM

i bought 3 used VWHs over time that all had pristine gold plating when i got rid of them. A friend here bought a new VWH one in '96 and the plating is fine. some people have acidic hands and fail to wipe the guitar clean after each play. Some others rest their hand on the bridge excessively and wear the plating down. Some climates cause more corrosion.

Lets worry about more important things... glen

davester1234 · #8 07-29-2002, 10:06 AM

This is very important to me man! truth is, i've never even been privileged enough to see a jem 7vwh with gold wear, so I have no idea how cool, or bad the guitar might look with it.
Right now, I'm trying like crazy to scramble the money together to pick one up from rich, and this just keeps torturing me!
I guess if you guys dont see it as being an issue, I shouldn't either.

foureyezonme · #9 07-29-2002, 11:41 AM

If you really think it matters, disassemble the trem when you buy it and spray it with clear coat, being carefull to avoid all the running/working surfaces (i.e. screw threads and knife edges).

However, if I see a guitar with loads of wear on (fretboard, trem, whatever), I tend to think that the player is a badass...

That's why I buy used guitars.

wireman24 · #10 07-29-2002, 10:04 PM

I say who cares if it wares off. Sure it looks cool when it's all new looking but when it starts to show wear i think it just shows how much you love the guitar and because everybody has there own way of playing each guitar will be wore just slightly different making it all the more YOUR guitar. Just think of it this way if any of us could own Steve vai's EVO we would love to see all the wear and tear he has put into it at least I know I would. In my opinion EVO just seems even more special now then when it looked brand new. Well I guess thats enough rambeling from me I think it all just boils down to. Play it enjoy it and don't worry about the little things.

Al M · #11 07-30-2002, 07:29 AM

Im sure its the acid sweat problem! i have very acid sweat but as far as i know i have an unusual style in that i dont rest my palm on the bridge but, the strings infromt of the bridge instead. i end up picking right near the neck

foureyezonme · #12 07-30-2002, 07:33 AM

If you are REALLY rich, what you could do is apply titanium nitride to the trem...

Titanium nitride is a very nice gold colour, but also has the advantage of being around twice as hard as hardened steel. My idea would be to disassemble the trem, removing all the plastic parts and pack it off to a friendly university and have them nitride it in the name of testing the wear on TiN hardened steel knife edges...

Nick

elfstones · #13 07-31-2002, 01:32 PM

>> Titanium nitride is a very nice gold colour, but also has the advantage >> of being around twice as hard as hardened steel

Isn't it the very fact that Ibanez uses a softer metal on their lo-pro edge than other trem manufactures that gives the LPE it's great characteristics?

Vai the god of Sound · #14 07-31-2002, 01:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by elfstones

Isn't it the very fact that Ibanez uses a softer metal on their lo-pro edge than other trem manufactures that gives the LPE it's great characteristics?

I hope it's not lead

Knightmeir · #15 07-31-2002, 03:18 PM

With my luck, I've got the ONE experimental one that IS made out of lead... If I'm correct, gold and lead are only one proton apart on the periodic table of elements... Ibanez is probably waiting for a call from me saying I've got tumors all over my right hand.