2 questions: Gold hardware and oiled necks

[Cloud Strife]

He guys, i have a few questions.

I've always had guitars with black or silver hardware, but now i wanna go gold :P .

My questions are:

- If you're playing a Gold OFR very regularly with your hands sweating (from time to time) and stuff.. Will the gold 'colour' get worn out fast or will it last for a good period of time?

- What exactly is an oiled neck? Care to tell me something about the production process?

Thanks in advance.

Have a nice christmas everyone!

Greetz,

Shakeel

[PallarAndersVisa]

Re: 2 questions: Gold hardware and oiled necks

i dont think real gold floyd rose's lose their gold color, it might just get dirty, maybe dull, but it will never "wipe off" like some cheap trems i think. ive seen pics of very old, very played gold floyds and they still look gold, just old and dull

[diablomozart]

Re: 2 questions: Gold hardware and oiled necks

depends on the ph level in your sweat...i have had floyds that i literally corroded the gold finish off with my sweat...it took years to do but it can happen...d.m.

[RR05xx]

Re: 2 questions: Gold hardware and oiled necks

I have a PAF gold kalher on an 83 Charvel with an oiled neck. The kalher has held up pretty good overall, has 95% of the finish to my eye. Not bad for over 20 years old and having been well played.

The oiled neck just gives a real cool broken in feel. For me, it is the only type of guitar that I play. Old chavies capture this to a T, but it is possible to work the feel into a new neck as well (I have pretty much perfected a process of getting the worn feeling into a new neck in a relatively short period of time).

Care is simply applying some oil every now and again to both the board and the back of the neck to taste (lemon oil for regular care or boiled linseed oil if you want a little heavier or to add color - some people really like a darker looking oiled neck, if you want more of a finish, some people use tongue oil, but I think that is over kill).

[jong]

Re: 2 questions: Gold hardware and oiled necks

Tung oil or Danish oil... Both available at Home Depot. You need to re-apply occasionally since the oil will eventually dry out. The neck is not sealed. If you're not aware, neck manufacturers like Warmoth will not warrantee an unfinished neck, and oil is considered 'unfinished'. But like RR05, I like 'em.

[xenophobe]

Re: 2 questions: Gold hardware and oiled necks

Linseed oil is overkill, IMO. That's used for finishing military rifle stocks, and is slightly tacky/sticky.

Yes, oil finish is not a hardcoat or clearcoat... it absorbs moisture and needs to be reapplied every comple of years, or perhaps every 4-6 months if you play the neck daily.

As for the gold hardware, I'm not sure about the Floyds, but the tuners are lightly plated, and after a year or two of regular use will start to rub off on the edges... gold TOMs wear really fast. My SL2GX showed palm wear after a few weeks of regular playing.

[Cloud Strife]

Re: 2 questions: Gold hardware and oiled necks

Thanks for the input guys!

Seems like the gold hardware of an OFR won't wear out THAT easy huh.

Is there a difference in sound between gold, black or chrome OFR's?

About the oiled neck:
I never had an oiled neck, but I will soon. So if i have an oiled neck i have to apply oil to the back of the neck every now and then. How is this done? Just put some oil on a piece of cotton and rub it to the back of the neck? What oil would be the best of use?

What are the advantages and disadvantages of an oiled neck?

Thanks in advance! [img]/images/graemlins/toast.gif[/img]

[neilli]

Re: 2 questions: Gold hardware and oiled necks

The other consideration with a floyd is that the wear will tend to be mainly on the saddles and tuners which you can replace easily enough if that bothers you....

[jong]

Re: 2 questions: Gold hardware and oiled necks

Yup, just wipe it on with a cloth. The first application will take more oil, but you don't want it to actually be wet. Wipe on/Wipe off, Danielson. If you're in a dry climate, probably one light application every 4 to 6 months would suffice, less if you're in a more moist climate. I don't think there are any definite rules, just do an application when you notice its getting dry.

Type of oil/advantages/disadvantages were covered in previous posts. [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[Cloud Strife]

Re: 2 questions: Gold hardware and oiled necks

Neilli yeah that would be a good solution. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

Jong
Thanks!
Yeah i know some of it is covered in the previous posts. But i was wondering what result an oiled neck has tone wise comparing to a finished neck. What oil do they use at the custom shop? i.e. what is the most common used oil to take care of an oiled neck.

Thanks again.

[jong]

Re: 2 questions: Gold hardware and oiled necks

Tonewise? Well I've only done it to two necks, and didn't notice much of a difference on either. I think the major advantage is feel, and its an easy finish to apply. Tone difference (if noticed) may or may not be to your liking.

I have no idea what the custom shop uses. Like I mentioned before, the most common oils I see listed are Tung, Danish, and Lemon oil. I've only used Tung and Danish. Danish was a little darker. But my guess is Lemon tastes better.

[Cloud Strife]

Re: 2 questions: Gold hardware and oiled necks

Thanks again jong.

Yeah Lemon tastes and smells better. [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

What do you use for cleaning the neck(after it's oiled)? Just wipe the dirt of with a cloth? I've heard stories of oiled necks getting green and stuff. [img]/images/graemlins/crazy.gif[/img] Is oiling enough or should i take other actions to keep an oiled neck in supercondition. [img]/images/graemlins/cool.gif[/img]

[dg]

Re: 2 questions: Gold hardware and oiled necks

Sully's sticky from the tech section is great:

http://www.jcfonline.com/ubbthreads/...&page=0#242280

[Shawn Lutz]

Re: 2 questions: Gold hardware and oiled necks

I use tung oil and boiled linseed oil on all of my undinished necks. I use lemon oil for more of a cleaber than an oil.

yes gold floyds will have some discoloration over time but really baded ont e acidity level in you sweat.

as far as tone goes I can't say. I never swapped them out from a chrome or black one to a gold one on the same guitar but I can tell you I have 7 gold OFR's and the tone of these guitars doesn't suckl [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[Cloud Strife]

Re: 2 questions: Gold hardware and oiled necks

Thanks guys.

dg yeah i saw the tutorial but that one is more about the fretboard not the back of the neck right?

Shawn so you apply tung oil first and after that you're applying the linseed oil? Or are you just using each one of them occasionally but not at the same time?