Gold guard nonsense.... again!!!
- Soiouz
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Gold guard nonsense.... again!!!
This is the latest episode in this repro gold guard nonsense…
After playing with my JM with the gold guard installed for a couple of weeks, I noticed it was already getting wear and chips…
Chips you say? …right...
So the gold guard was just coated, or painted. This was a great disapointment at first, but much to my surprise, when the dull gold-colored paint chipped, I found real gold anodizing and correct graining underneath!… Very strange.
So I made sure all the areas of the guard were like that and I scraped off all the dull paint… An hour later, there it was, a very good, shinier, and truly gold anodized repro guard! It is also much more scratch-resistant.
Anybody here ever encountered one of these repros? I never had an answer on the provenance from the seller…
Anybody knows the point of having painted over this guard? Is this a process commonly used?..
Anyway, it looks better than ever! I’ll still be looking forward to replacing it with a 9 hole correct repro, but for now, it’s just fine.
Now, pictures!
In the process of scraping the dull stuff off:
Results:
After playing with my JM with the gold guard installed for a couple of weeks, I noticed it was already getting wear and chips…
Chips you say? …right...
So the gold guard was just coated, or painted. This was a great disapointment at first, but much to my surprise, when the dull gold-colored paint chipped, I found real gold anodizing and correct graining underneath!… Very strange.
So I made sure all the areas of the guard were like that and I scraped off all the dull paint… An hour later, there it was, a very good, shinier, and truly gold anodized repro guard! It is also much more scratch-resistant.
Anybody here ever encountered one of these repros? I never had an answer on the provenance from the seller…
Anybody knows the point of having painted over this guard? Is this a process commonly used?..
Anyway, it looks better than ever! I’ll still be looking forward to replacing it with a 9 hole correct repro, but for now, it’s just fine.
Now, pictures!
In the process of scraping the dull stuff off:
Results:
- Jazzprod
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Re: Gold guard nonsense.... again!!!
That's a great looking guitar Soiouz!
You should be glad it didn' turn the other way with the "gold" coming off to reveal only metal coloring underneath...
You should be glad it didn' turn the other way with the "gold" coming off to reveal only metal coloring underneath...
Last edited by Jazzprod on Tue Jan 30, 2007 11:22 am, edited 1 time in total.
......below the apes above the angels.....
- Soiouz
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Re: Gold guard nonsense.... again!!!
Thank you!!
It plays really well too!..
It plays really well too!..
- fullerplast
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Re: Gold guard nonsense.... again!!!
Man! What a difference! That must have been some kind of protective coating on it. Funny there was nothing to tell you that though!
It looks great, just like a real one.
I'm curious to know where they come from...
Edit: And great pics too!
It looks great, just like a real one.
I'm curious to know where they come from...
Edit: And great pics too!
Last edited by fullerplast on Tue Jan 30, 2007 11:32 am, edited 1 time in total.
Q. Are we not men?
- Soiouz
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Re: Gold guard nonsense.... again!!!
I'm sure you are right about this being a protective coat of some sort... But the quick chipping and wearing proved me it was really not protecting anything, and it just made the guard uglier everyday.... It's weird!fullerplast wrote: Man! What a difference! That must have been some kind of protective coating on it. Funny there was nothing to tell you that though!
It looks great, just like a real one.
I'm curious to know where they come from...
The only indication I had beforehand was that the back was not coated, so as soon as I received it, I noticed the back was really gold anodized... But I thought it was just the graining and some matte lacquer coating that was making the front look like that.
I would really like to know where it's from too.... The only thing I know is that it's not a one-off, because the seller said in the Ebay auction that the one I was getting was the last one he had, indicating more were made.
All I know is that it looks everything like the 13-hole Scotland ones I've seen on pictures here: graining, thickness, color, shape....
Last edited by Soiouz on Tue Jan 30, 2007 11:42 am, edited 1 time in total.
- dinosaur
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Re: Gold guard nonsense.... again!!!
Amazing how all these gold guards are suddenly showing up everywhere!
I agree with everyone else - great job and great guitar!
I agree with everyone else - great job and great guitar!
- luau
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Re: Gold guard nonsense.... again!!!
And I had just about gotten the gold guard idea driven out of my mind...
That looks great. I definitely see the matte you were talking about. Wow. You've inspired me to fool with mine some more tonight.
That looks great. I definitely see the matte you were talking about. Wow. You've inspired me to fool with mine some more tonight.
Bigger in sum than parts.
- Soiouz
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Re: Gold guard nonsense.... again!!!
Is the one you have as matte as mine's before state?luau wrote: And I had just about gotten the gold guard idea driven out of my mind...
That looks great. I definitely see the matte you were talking about. Wow. You've inspired me to fool with mine some more tonight.
- luau
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Re: Gold guard nonsense.... again!!!
No, it isn't. At least I don't think it is. The front and back look the same to me so I'll poke and prod the back a little and see if anything wants to flake off. I'm happy enough with the color of mine, but the fit isn't quite there. I've got too much metal on the bass side of the neck pocket. It isn't much. Nothing a few hits with a flat file won't take care of. The whole guard is thin enough that the screws won't tighten down the roller bracket. The shoulders of the screws that make it through the guard hit the top of the bracket before it is tight. I can fix it temporarily with washers between the bracket and shield, but a thin strip of metal to lay across the whole top of the bracket would be better.
Bigger in sum than parts.
- Soiouz
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Re: Gold guard nonsense.... again!!!
Is it an Fender Japan guard or one sold by GPR recently?
The Japanese ones are very thin, exactly like what you describe.
The Japanese ones are very thin, exactly like what you describe.
- luau
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Re: Gold guard nonsense.... again!!!
GPR. Whether or not they came via Fender Japan, I do not know.
Bigger in sum than parts.
- Soiouz
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Re: Gold guard nonsense.... again!!!
Ok!luau wrote: GPR. Whether or not they came via Fender Japan, I do not know.
Well, I think GPR's are made for AVRI or vintage models? Fender Japan only made gold guards for CIJ / MIJ JMs.
- luau
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Re: Gold guard nonsense.... again!!!
Oh yeah. Duh. They supposedly fit US models so no Fender Japan.
Bigger in sum than parts.
- luau
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Re: Gold guard nonsense.... again!!!
There is nothing on mine to scrape off. It took some filing and some washers on both the roller bracket and the circuit switch, but it went on. I'm having trouble making up my mind about it.
1, 2.
1, 2.
Bigger in sum than parts.
- Soiouz
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Re: Gold guard nonsense.... again!!!
I think it looks very good!
It is definitely thinner than mine, though, and you might not like that... Personaly, I did not like the Fender Japan gold guard because of that.. The one I got now feels really solid.
But again.. I think it looks very good!
It is definitely thinner than mine, though, and you might not like that... Personaly, I did not like the Fender Japan gold guard because of that.. The one I got now feels really solid.
But again.. I think it looks very good!