Gold Plating

[Tulanetubaboy]

Would anyone like to share their experience with a gold plated mouthpiece VS. their experience with a silver plated mouthpiece? What are the pros and cons of gold plating? Is it worth it?

[SousaSaver]

+ = Gold plating doesn't tarnish like silver plating does
+ = Gold plating is good for the occasional person who has a silver allergy (no joke)
- = Gold plating is expensive

For what it's worth...

[Dan Schultz]

I like the feel of gold plating. It seems slicker than other finishes.

[bort]

I like the feel of gold plating. It seems slicker than other finishes.

And I'm just the opposite -- I think it's too slippery!

[Mike Finn]

all of the above... and it looks cool!

[bort]

Mike, do you ever make a GP base with a silver rim? Not in the market right now, but think that'd look pretty cool.

[MartyNeilan]

Gold plated mouthpieces -
Treat them GENTLY!
Do NOT store them standing up on the rim. (Mike's display excepted, as it looks like they are on soft carpet.)
Do not use dry cloths / paper towels on the rim.
Have a mouthpiece pouch with a soft interior
If you baby them, the plating should last for years.
If you don't, the contact part of the rim will wear off in weeks-months.

[Mike Finn]

Mike, do you ever make a GP base with a silver rim? Not in the market right now, but think that'd look pretty cool.

I can offer any combination of bright/satin silver gold. I just sent one to Hong Kong with bright silver shank, satin gold cup, and bright silver rim. That was one slick looking mouthpiece! Warning: wait time on custom finishes (or shank mods, etc.) can be a month or two, I have very little control of some parts of that process.

[Mike Finn]

Gold plated mouthpieces -
Treat them GENTLY!
Do NOT store them standing up on the rim. (Mike's display excepted, as it looks like they are on soft carpet.)
Do not use dry cloths / paper towels on the rim.
Have a mouthpiece pouch with a soft interior
If you baby them, the plating should last for years.
If you don't, the contact part of the rim will wear off in weeks-months.

Yes, take good care of your gold and it will take good care of you. Also, the prep and plating (obviously) are of utmost importance. I've heard stories of some mouthpieces being gold plated over bare brass. Needless to say, this wore off very quickly and left a lot of dissatisfied customers. All my mouthpieces (with the exception of a few I tried to plate myself, and those are long gone) are color buffed to a mirror finish inside and out, and silver plated (over a copper strike) first, then the gold (24K) is plated over the silver. This makes for a very deep, lustrous and long lasting finish. I've tried a handful of platers over the years, and Anderson outshines them all by a long shot.

[skeath]

I have always thought that gold-plated mouthpieces held their warmth during those 16 measure rests better than silver.

SK

[Tulanetubaboy]

So it holds in moisture better than silver and has to be treated delicately because the gold plating can wear off. How do you clean it if you want to polish it up though? Any other tips to taking care of a gold mouthpiece? I actually just got a Grimegutter mouthpiece pouch off Ebay so I think I'm good with the soft pouch. And Mike, those mouthpieces are ridiculous!

[Rick Denney]

I like the feel of gold plating. It seems slicker than other finishes.

Me, too. Stainless steel seems to feel similar to gold plating.

Rick "for whom this is a secondary consideration, however" Denney

[GC]

@Mike: Do you use 24 karat gold or a harder alloy?

[Uncle Buck]

I've got no experience with gold plated mouthpieces, so I've got no expertise to comment on this thread. But, the thread has reminded me of a quote I'm about 98% sure originated from Jacobs, something about making sure you pick a mouthpiece based on sound instead of based on comfort.

Not implying that any of the posters here have done any less than their due diligence on sound, but it's excellent advice to the younger player who is just starting to try different mouthpieces. From personal experience, I know it's often tempting to just pick the most comfortable rim. For most of my college years, I liked the comfort of my mouthpiece, so I never even considered looking at anything else.