sjaguar13 Posted May 28, 2004 Report Share Posted May 28, 2004 2 questions. First, how would I tell the difference between chrome and nickle hardware? I was listing some old parts on eBay and this guy doesn't want chrome. How do I know what I got? Second, I bought a quilted maple guitar body. It looks like what I consider flamed maple. What's the difference? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeavnerGuitarWorks Posted May 28, 2004 Report Share Posted May 28, 2004 Chrome hardware has a yellowish tint to it and nickel hardware has a bluish tint. I personally prefer nickel. Flame maple has somewhat straight lines across the grain. Quilted maple looks like clouds or water or bubbles or something to that affect. Most PRS's have flame maple caps. Quilted Maple Flame Maple Hope that helped! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjaguar13 Posted May 28, 2004 Author Report Share Posted May 28, 2004 The body I bought is indeed quilted. Thanks. I still can't tell the difference between chrome and nickel. I can't really see any tint. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toddler68 Posted May 28, 2004 Report Share Posted May 28, 2004 sjaguar13, If you go to Stew-Mac, check out the Tone Pros. bridge page. It has pics of their TuneOmatics in chrome and nickel side by side. That may help you make a comparison. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diehardcrew Posted May 28, 2004 Report Share Posted May 28, 2004 Also if you have a microphone stand, they're often chrome plated and perhaps you can compare to that. Chrome reflects cool colors and nickel reflects warm colors, otherwise they're almost identical. Unplated/protected nickel will turn kind of antique yellowish as it tarnishes over time, whereas chrome will not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregP Posted May 28, 2004 Report Share Posted May 28, 2004 Chrome hardware has a yellowish tint to it and nickel hardware has a bluish tint. I personally prefer nickel. My experience is that it's the other way around. Of course, what the heck do I know? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darren wilson Posted May 28, 2004 Report Share Posted May 28, 2004 My experience is that it's the other way around. Of course, what the heck do I know? Take a nickel out of your pocket. Hold it next to a chrome-plated mic stand. Which looks more yellow? Of course, you could also be blue/yellow colour blind. Or i could be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregP Posted May 28, 2004 Report Share Posted May 28, 2004 I hate to break it to you, Darren, but nickels aren't made of nickel. I did you a step better, though-- I took my chrome guitar slide and my nickel hardware (TOM and tuners) outside into some natural light. The nickel was definitely the one that was yellower, while the chrome was bluish. Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjaguar13 Posted May 28, 2004 Author Report Share Posted May 28, 2004 I think I got it. My Fender Strat bridge is nickel. My tune-o-matic bridge is nickel, an my generic tele bridge is chrome. It's hard to tell on the TOM and Fender because they are older and not as shiney. The generic tele bridge is new and looks a little blue (hopefully that's not just a reflection from the sky). The TOM and Fender look like each other, or aren't really blue. They match more closely to the nickel bridge at StewMac. Ironically, I own 24 mic stands....all of them are black. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeavnerGuitarWorks Posted June 3, 2004 Report Share Posted June 3, 2004 I hate to break it to you, Darren, but nickels aren't made of nickel. Greg... Nickels are made from a nickel alloy and definitly have a blue tint to them. I did you a step better, though-- I took my chrome guitar slide and my nickel hardware (TOM and tuners) outside into some natural light. The nickel was definitely the one that was yellower, while the chrome was bluish. Obviously you have chrome hardware and a nickel slide then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skibum5545 Posted June 3, 2004 Report Share Posted June 3, 2004 nickel is the yellower one. Look at any two Tune o matics from any website side by side and nickel is yellower. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frank falbo Posted June 3, 2004 Report Share Posted June 3, 2004 Yeah, sorry Hevn... Chrome favors blueish "cold" colors while Nickel favors the warmer earth tones. I like to think if Nickel as favoring a pinkish hue, but I'll accept yellow, orange, or amber, whatever. And for sjaguar13, be careful you don't confuse stainless steel with nickel. The Fender saddles could be stainless and the baseplate chromed. And don't judge the look of any alloy by looking at a "nickel" coin, unless it's wooden. Then you should not accept it as currency at all. Old nickel with also get a little cloudy and blotchy if not buffed out, while all the fingerprints and markings on chrome usually wipe right off. As a sidenote, what you're really looking for in the "coloration" of the metals is how they treat colors that are reflected into them. For example, the chrome doesn't look blueish necessarily when staring at it, but when you put a colored item in it's reflection, it will cast that item with a blueish tint, and nickel with a pinkish tint. Try it with a photograph of a person. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregP Posted June 3, 2004 Report Share Posted June 3, 2004 I guess instead of being diplomatic, I should have just said with a know-it-all and yet firm tone that nickel hardware is more yellowish and chrome hardware is more bluish. It is. You can see it in person, you can see it in photographs. It's not really a point of debate when it's a fact. Just so that there's some visual evidence for the debate, although it's a fairly pointless one: The one in the middle is nickel, the other one (the first, or the one to the left, whatever you want to call it) is chrome. Heavner-- only 25% of a nickel is nickel alloy. That means that the nickel content is some percentage of 25%. Your argument doesn't 'follow'. Furthermore, I actually looked at pictures and then checked in a real-world visual test once my perspective was challenged, instead of making further assumptions. Trust me, since I had already gone through the issue of deciding between chrome and nickel, I know which metal is which for my hardware. I don't even think you can GET a nickel slide without hunting one down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeavnerGuitarWorks Posted June 3, 2004 Report Share Posted June 3, 2004 The one in the middle is nickel, the other one (the first, or the one to the left, whatever you want to call it) is chrome. Heavner-- only 25% of a nickel is nickel alloy. That means that the nickel content is some percentage of 25%. Your argument doesn't 'follow'. Furthermore, I actually looked at pictures and then checked in a real-world visual test once my perspective was challenged, instead of making further assumptions. Trust me, since I had already gone through the issue of deciding between chrome and nickel, I know which metal is which for my hardware. I don't even think you can GET a nickel slide without hunting one down. The statement about the nickel was to prove that nickels are made from nickel, even if only slightly. I didn't bring the nickel into the conversation.... Just provin' a point. Furthermore... the comment I made referring to your "chrome" hardware and the "nickel" slide was a joke. Look at the smiley face! I have never seen a nickel slide in my 17 years of playing guitar. Of course, I've never looked for one either. As for the original arguement.... I guess I am colorblind and always have been, cause I swear the one in the middle looks more blueish to me. I guess I need to wipe the sawdust out of my eyes and go have them checked. Have I been staining my Bluebursts yellow all this time? That's also how we were told to distinguish between the two when I worked at the Gibson factory. So... to make a long story short.... there are a butt load of Les Pauls floating around with chrome hardware and ES135s with nickel. Sorry for the confusion, but I will stick with what I see with my own two eyes. As for my advice... Listen to the majority... Ignore the minority! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diehardcrew Posted June 3, 2004 Report Share Posted June 3, 2004 Okay, sorry I just edited this because I somehow missed the last post. But what I was saying was.... IT IS WELL KNOWN THAT CHROME IS BLUISH, COLDER AND NICKEL IS YELLOWISH WARMER. PERIOD THAT'S IT. Check ANY AND I MEAN ANY place online that sells metal hardware, antique shower kits, or anything and they will tell you flat out that's how it is. Here are some examples found all across the Internet.... If you still don't agree with us when you're done reading them all, then think about this- the entire world disagrees with you, wouldn't logic at least tell you that chances are the world must be right? Also, show me 1, just 1 example of a professional website saying the opposite. I can show you 5 gazillion in support of mine. Hmmmmmm makes you think. http://www.rejuvenation.com/faqnumberid395...aq/faqshow.html http://www.moen.com/Consumer/press/Article.cfm?ArticleId=607 http://www.renovatorsplace.com/dsp_article..._id=31&catid=18 http://www.rejuvenation.com/help/finishes.html (even has pictures which make it very obvious) http://www.kitchenknobs.com/avante/tf-finish.htm http://www.vintagetub.com/asp/faq.asp#W http://clawfootsupply.com/forums/Clawfoot_...m/posts/43.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregP Posted June 3, 2004 Report Share Posted June 3, 2004 Furthermore... the comment I made referring to your "chrome" hardware and the "nickel" slide was a joke. Look at the smiley face! I have never seen a nickel slide in my 17 years of playing guitar. Of course, I've never looked for one either. Sorry about any pissy tone I was taking. It should have been obvious that it was a joke. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted June 3, 2004 Report Share Posted June 3, 2004 yeah i like flame and nickel best. the way i tell is that chrome is much more reflective like a mirror. a little is okay but too much (like on a motorcycle or something) looks not good. nickel has like a duller shine, which i think is very nice..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skibum5545 Posted June 3, 2004 Report Share Posted June 3, 2004 Or you could always just go with satin chrome.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devon Headen Posted June 3, 2004 Report Share Posted June 3, 2004 I really do like the look of the brushed chrome (is that what it's called?). Really depends on the instrument, but on some guitars, I think hardware that's too shiny just doesn't compliment well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregP Posted June 3, 2004 Report Share Posted June 3, 2004 I'm not sure about brushed chrome, but I like the way brushed aluminum looks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted June 3, 2004 Report Share Posted June 3, 2004 I'm not sure about brushed chrome, but I like the way brushed aluminum looks! funny you should say that...i am installing brushed aluminum rails at work all this week... actually they are not brushed yet,i will be doing that tomorrow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devon Headen Posted June 3, 2004 Report Share Posted June 3, 2004 I'm not sure about brushed chrome, but I like the way brushed aluminum looks! I've been up to long...that's what I meant. I knew I was oof . How exactly do you go about brushing aluminum? I do quite a bit of work with aluminum, and that's something I'd like to be able to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted June 3, 2004 Report Share Posted June 3, 2004 I'm not sure about brushed chrome, but I like the way brushed aluminum looks! I've been up to long...that's what I meant. I knew I was oof . How exactly do you go about brushing aluminum? I do quite a bit of work with aluminum, and that's something I'd like to be able to do. there are these special abrasive pads(i will get the # off of them tomorrow),and you simply rub them in a straight line from one end to the other...i am supposed to be shown the proper tecnique tommorrow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devon Headen Posted June 5, 2004 Report Share Posted June 5, 2004 Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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