Hardware Choice: Chrome or Black?

[mikewalker]

I have a neck and body on the way (pictured) and need to order some hardware quick. Right now I am torn between all black and all chrome! Please help me decide

CHROME

BLACK

Pickup will be a Duncan SPB-3 but I might black out the pole pieces...

Apologies for the extremely crude sketches, but I don't have good flat-on pics of either the neck or body. Maybe just squint a little

 

[KohanMike]

I think both look good, but to me, black looks a notch better. I've covered pickup poles with solid black and chrome covers as needed.

 

[Aidil]

I normally would have chosen black, but I chose chrome from the two pics. I imagined satin silver hardware would also be nice.

 

[HalfManHalfBass]

Both are nice but chrome will last longer.

Black always seems a good idea when I build with it, but then starts wearing off (especially when changing strings) and looks tatty.

 

[hypercarrots]

cosmo black
black chrome
ruthenium
unobtanium
adamantium
vibranium

 

[TrustRod]

Black bridge, chrome tuners

 

[Wisebass]

Hi Mike

Right now I am torn between all black and all chrome! Please help me decide

When you can' t decide...

Black bridge, chrome tuners

bingo!!!!!

Get both + a black tone and a chrome volume knob!!!

Not kidding, I think that would look cool!!!


greetings

Wise(b)ass

 

[BoomBoomOGTL]

cosmo black
black chrome

^ This. The best of both worlds. Not as easy to find but this finish is out there in the market. Looks awesome.

 

[Bob_Ross]

Slight thread drift: has anyone successfully had a bass bridge or tuning machines anodized?

Some the colored ano aluminum bicycle parts I've seen are gorgeous, if you could do that with bass hardware the world's your oyster.

 

[Malak the Mad]

cosmo black
black chrome

cosmo black
black chrome

^ This. The best of both worlds. Not as easy to find but this finish is out there in the market. Looks awesome.

I agree, too. Smoked Chrome…aka Cosmo Black, aka Black Nickel…will not distract from the swirly blue pattern, but still shines in an understated way. Also, a lot of, but not all, full-on black finishes on metal are of a matte variety. Against such a wild backdrop, a dull finish will distract the eyes almost as much as super-shiny chrome.

Gotoh makes a variety of hardware in Cosmo Black. If you can't find any "north of the line", you can always order directly from them.

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[hypercarrots]

schaller's ruthenium is similar to cosmo black. little known fact...

 

[mikewalker]

Slight thread drift: has anyone successfully had a bass bridge or tuning machines anodized?

Some the colored ano aluminum bicycle parts I've seen are gorgeous, if you could do that with bass hardware the world's your oyster.

Sperzel still offers their aluminum machine heads in different colors of anodizing...

 

[Bodeanly]

I love chrome. It's the only reason I play Jags. I don't even know what all the switches and doodads do. But they sure are shiny!

 

[Warhawk]

Slight thread drift: has anyone successfully had a bass bridge or tuning machines anodized?

Some the colored ano aluminum bicycle parts I've seen are gorgeous, if you could do that with bass hardware the world's your oyster.

I'm pretty sure that process won't work on steel parts.

 

[Wisebass]

Sperzel still offers their aluminum machine heads in different colors of anodizing...

Orange? With a little green on top?


Wise

 

[mikewalker]

Thanks for all the ideas
And I forgot about Ruthenium! It is somewhat expensive - as hypercarrots alludes above, right up there with unobtainium

I actually have a Schaller Ruthenium-finished bridge and matching straplock set waiting on my bench for the 'hollowLembic' guitar project I started two or three years ago... If Schaller made some "Fender-appropriate" machines in that finish I could pair them with a Schaller2000 bridge (which is a pretty nice bridge, and definitely available in that finish). But then the hunt would be on for matching knobs...

 

[ejaggers]

I like chrome 99% of the time, but in this case the black PUP covers throws it off, I don't know why.
So I vote black, it just seems to flow better with the swirl.

057912

 

[Element Zero]

I don't like chrome hardware for the most part. However, with the color of the body, I NO DOUBT would choose chrome. It just looks "right".

 

[wintremute]

I surprised myself. I thought I'd vote black, as that's what I usually prefer. In this case, though, I think the chrome looks better.

 

[micguy]

I go with black on my lighter colored basses, and chrome on the darker ones. I have one bass where I couldn't decide, so I went with black and chrome everywhere. I took the tuners apart, spun the posts in my drill press, and sanded the black off the outsides. The bridge was just a different set of saddles.