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I got one of our Gold Foils returned to us that was't working. According to the customer it was installed and the output was weak. After a few email exchanges I get that it was aged before he installed it. Well I got the pickup back and it looks like it was recovered from a shipwreck at the bottom of the ocean! There is heavy rust and corrosion inside and out of the pickup and the bubble wrap around it was disintegrated. The frame stuck to the foam when I took it out of the box. It was more than likely aged with muriatic acid.
Long story short, I am seeing more and more customers aging pickups themselves and thinking it's like any other hardware part on the guitar. It sucks because I know they have good intentions, and most of the time it can be done carefully without hurting the pickup. But they don't understand with pickups (or electronics in general) with muriatic acid or etching solutions, you have to neutralize each individual part before building the pickup or the acid will continue to attack the metal and eventually the coil and leads.
Anyway I thought some of you might find this amusing and maybe helpful, although I do feel sympathy for the customer and hate that it will cost him. Lesson learned I guess. The pickup looks old for sure, just aged a little too much and needs a rewind already.
Long story short, I am seeing more and more customers aging pickups themselves and thinking it's like any other hardware part on the guitar. It sucks because I know they have good intentions, and most of the time it can be done carefully without hurting the pickup. But they don't understand with pickups (or electronics in general) with muriatic acid or etching solutions, you have to neutralize each individual part before building the pickup or the acid will continue to attack the metal and eventually the coil and leads.
Anyway I thought some of you might find this amusing and maybe helpful, although I do feel sympathy for the customer and hate that it will cost him. Lesson learned I guess. The pickup looks old for sure, just aged a little too much and needs a rewind already.
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