Jescar Premium Guitar Polish

26. June 2013 · Comments Off on Jescar Premium Guitar Polish · Categories: New products

Jescar Premium Guitar PolishWe are now offer Jescar Premium Guitar Polish at Philadelphia Luthier Tools & Supplies.  This is the best guitar polish I have ever used!  It works so well that I wanted to offer it our customers.  I really like the way it leaves all of my guitars looking and feeling great without the use of waxes or silicone.  The great smell doesn’t hurt either.

Why Jescar?  Most of you know Jescar for their fretwire.  They are one the largest supplier of fretwire to the US music industry.  What some of you probably don’t know is that Jescar is also the parent company of MenzernaUSA, the largest supplier of buffing and polishing compounds in the music industry for high-gloss finishing.  If your guitar, bass, or piano has a high-gloss factory finish chances are they provided the manufacturer or luthier with the polishing compounds for their finishing process.

Jescar’s premium guitar polish comes in a convenient 4 oz spray bottle and includes a free microfiber cloth.  Small enough to be stored easily in your guitar case.  As much as I like the polish, I would also like to mention how nice the blue spray bottle is.  Probably sounds little weird to talk about the spray bottle but it sprays the polish so fine and perfect that a little goes a long way.  Only a few spritz is enough to clean and polish the whole front of a guitar!

Jescar premium guitar polish will keep your instrument clean and glossy, however it is not designed to remove surface scratches.  You will find Jescar polish available here.   If you have any questions, you can send us an email at support.

Differences between Nickel and Chrome plating for Guitar Hardware

17. June 2013 · Comments Off on Differences between Nickel and Chrome plating for Guitar Hardware · Categories: General · Tags: , , , ,

One common question facing many guitar players looking to replace or upgrade their hardware is…Nickel or Chrome?.  Many think there isn’t much difference between the two or that they look the same.  It is sometimes hard to tell them apart unless you have them next to each other.

Nickel and Chrome tailpieces

Nickel(left) and Chrome(right) tailpiece.

Nickel plating was used on a lot of vintage instruments.  It has a slightly yellowish tint and warm look when compared to chrome with its blueish tint and cooler look.   Nickel plating is corrosion resistant but tarnishes easily.   Nickel isn’t as hard as chrome and will age nicely with normal use.  Usually the metal is copper plated before the nickel is applied.  The copper is easier to polish then the bare metal and will give the nickel a smoother finish.

Nickel tailpiece, Chrome TOM, Chrome tailpece, Nickel ABR-1

From left to right: Nickel tailpiece, Chrome TOM bridge, Chrome tailpiece, Nickel ABR-1 bridge

Chrome(chromium) is used on many guitars today for its ability to stay looking new longer.  The benefits of chrome are that it is very durable, corrosion resistant, and won’t tarnish.   Something that is seen often is the term “triple chrome plating” or “show chrome”.   Both of these terms mean that the item is first plated with copper, then nickel, and last chrome.  Copper is used for its ease of leveling and polishing.  Nickel is used because it is needed for good chrome adhesion.  If the copper plating is omitted then more polishing is required of the bare metal to give the smooth liquid appearance commonly seen on chrome products.

Nickel and Chrome Pickup covers

Nickel(left) and Chrome(right) pickup covers.

You should not mix chrome and nickel hardware on the same guitar unless they are a distance apart.  Tailpieces, bridges and pickups should all be the same finish because of their size and close proximity to each other.  A chrome bridge and nickel tuning machine might not be as noticeable  Small screws don’t always make that much difference.  Some will find that small zinc plated screws from the hardware store are a good substitute for either nickel or chrome screws.  Everyone will have a different opinion about what is acceptable.  

Nickel Chrome and Zinc screws

Nickel(top), Chrome(right) and Zinc(bottom left) screws.

It can be frustrating when you receive your new part only to find that it doesn’t match your existing hardware.  I sometimes find myself grabbing a known nickel or chrome part to compare the finish.  Looking at the pictures above, you can see how easy it is to tell the difference when they are next to each other.

We hope the information and pictures provided here will help you pick the correct parts for your next project.  If you have any questions please contact us at support.