How To Clean Gold Hardware On Guitar

I suspect that all gold hardware will eventually succumb to finger oils and acids but are some brands better than others?
I'm looking to do a vintage-correct Mary Kay Strat and would really hate the usual grimey/green/dullness of the usual gold stuff I've encountered.
Hard tail bridge and tuners mainly.

Milspec Poster Extraordinaire Silver Supporter
I think all gloss gold tarnishes. I have a Epiphone sj200 that has held up well over the last 8 years but I haven't played it much and when I do I tend to wipe the tuners over with a rag.
You could apply some clear coat over the gold plated hardware, but it's tricky and the finish will last just a little longer.
What really works is ask for a company that works with gold plating to apply a really thick layer over the parts.
Since gold doesn't really tarnish, what is mostly happening is the flaking off of an incredibly thin layer of plating and subsequent tarnishing of the other metals. Polishing it up just hastens the loss of plating. To be honest, I love the look of silver showing through the remaining gold, so I don't see the loss of smooth, clean plating as a problem. That's lucky for me, because I know of no remedy other than the additional plating Finck mentions.

What @jrblue said. The gold plating is only 3 or 4 microns thick, so it wears quickly. You learn to enjoy it.
Yes, gold doesn't tarnish. The problem is that the electrolictic method normally used to apply the gold plating leaves a very porous surface (microscopically speaking), then the contaminants have a path to go under the gold. Since the gold coat is almost transparent (due to its thickness), the part becames dull quickly.
There are technologies to do a better job, obviously they are more expensive.

Maybe apply some WD40 over a new gold plated part helps...
Solid gold won't tarnish, but it may be too heavy, way too expensive, and too soft for tuners and bridge assembly. I'd stick with the disadvantages of gold plated hardware.
As it wears, you get a nice patina.
Patina and wear through is one thing but I have seen gold plating turn green on older guitars. That just looks plain ugly and unhygienic.
sothoth Tele-Holic Platinum Supporter

My smart a**ed answer is to just avoid gold hardware (never liked it myself).
But to be slightly more constructive than my baser instincts, I think you'll find that you need a much higher quality surface put on the parts than guitar parts manufacturers make.

I know there are places that do this for auto parts. You might ask a machine shop or chrome shop about gold chrome, as well.

https://www.goldplating.com/pages/plating-a-chrome-automotive-emblem-with-24k-gold

there is also gold anodizing of aluminum but that's not a real "glossy" looking gold and changes color over time.

I love the look of gold hardware on a lot of guitars; I've owned half a dozen over the years. But I don't get guitars with gold hardware anymore because it always looks like crap as the years go by.
At my old company we did some gold plating on circuit boards. So one day after buying a guitar with tarnished and worn gold plating I asked the guy running the plating line if he could redo the plating. He did a great job and 4 years later when I sold the guitar, it was still looking great!

awasson and Finck like this.
Wally Telefied Ad Free Member

I have a 1966 Es-345, purchased new in June, 1967, that has gold hardware that is not tarnished. Some of it is worn away with a shiny polished look to the base metal under the gold plate....but there is no dulling, greening, etc. The secret???? I have always used Gibson polish, and I never put a horse up wet after riding it. The guitar shows use but is in what has to be considered excellent cosmetic condition.
Milspec Poster Extraordinaire Silver Supporter

Back in my Marine days, all of our gold belt buckles and trim were anodized so you didn't need to polish them. They remained bright and didn't tarnish. I know there are anodized pick guards out there so there is no doubt somebody making anodized hardware as well. It is really a simple solution to the problem, just have to find the vendor.

DFB1 and 2blue2 like this.
Dang guys, thanks. I wasn't really looking to spend big bucks having special platings done or disassembling vintage instruments.
I was just hoping to learn if some current offerings were better than others.
Hard tail Strat bridge, and tuners mainly.
Gold hardware looks janky.
I never buy guitars with it. YMMV
sothoth Tele-Holic Platinum Supporter

The issue with anodizing is that you can only use certain metals like aluminum or titanium. The only parts I see that are made anodized are knobs, pickup covers, and PGs from Antotone. Things like bridges and tuners are typically made of stronger metals than aluminum, like mild steel or stainless, and in some cases are either polished or coated with nickel or chrome to provide a specific look or to protect it from corrosion.
I think the easy answer is still "don't use gold hardware"

If you're flush with cash, you could have chromed parts stripped and re-plated a gold finish or have a machinist make you an aluminum or titanium bridge and anodized it gold. You'd probably be looking at several hundred dollars for a bridge and anodizing in small quantities is usually $70 or so. If you use aluminum you'd probably want to use thicker metal than a bridge is typically made from so you don't have issues with aluminum bending.

https://www.micralox.com/technology/what-metals-can-be-anodized/
DFB1 Tele-Holic Silver Supporter

I bet you had Corfam shoes too.
I did,but never wore them with Dress Blues.
Wally Telefied Ad Free Member

I was in the USAF, but everywhere I served there were all branches present and I knew Marines at all stations. Back then, if a Marine got caught with patent or corfam...new term for me....shoes, they were in trouble. I watched the attention that they had to pay to their polishing of leather shoes to attain that mirror-like result. Times change....