What makes the inlays change colour?

[PeterVV]

My 2007 LP Goldtop Deluxes inlays have started changing colour from silver to a goldish / greenish hue. The inside of teh case is white, but the microfibre cloth I wrap arounf the neck after wiping down is green, but has been washed dozens of times so should be colourfast by now?
Anyone else have this problem?

 

[speyfly]

I suspect that the material used for the inlays is Mother of Toilet Bowl and not Mother of Pearl. Synthetics will change color...

 

[2manyGuitars]

In my case, probably buffalo wing sauce.

 

[RRfireblade]

Plastic.

 

[PeterVV]

 

[ARandall]

Just so you know......plastic is what the original Paul's had for inlay. They too got discoloured due to age and other things. They also shrank. A lot of the plastics back in the day proved to be poor choices....it was a new-ish industry back then and not all formulations worked.

 

[chasenblues]

In my case, probably buffalo wing sauce.

Shame on you...Here,

 

[brianbzed]

oxidation......i.e. rust......

 

[musicmaniac]

I always thought it was the glue underneath them.

 

[ARandall]

oxidation......i.e. rust......

Happens straight after you play metal on it!!!

Although to be nerdishly pedantic here oxidation is merely the result of the reaction of oxygen to any molecule. Rust is the result if iron is present.

 

[rockstar232007]

Just so you know......plastic is what the original Paul's had for inlay. They too got discoloured due to age and other things. They also shrank. A lot of the plastics back in the day proved to be poor choices....it was a new-ish industry back then and not all formulations worked.

Not plastic. Cellulose Nitrate.

Two, very different materials.

 

[stealthelephant]

Aging causes the colour change

 

[fretout]

Aging causes the colour change

I was going to say this very statement!

Ageor specifically the breakdown of the material used, and the affect of outside elements like sun, sweat, humidification, and buffalo wing sauce.

 

[ARandall]

Not plastic. Cellulose Nitrate.

Two, very different materials.

It is indeed cellulose nitrate......but is a Cellulose nitrate based plastic - so not quite so different in essence.

 

[RRfireblade]

It is indeed cellulose nitrate......but is a Cellulose nitrate based plastic - so not quite so different in essence.

Basically. Just semantics. ;-)

 

[Ansen]

I guess,in your case it's more the glue which change color then the aging of the nitrocellulose inlays of a 2007 Les Paul. To be honest, i'm not shure, if Gibson uses the same materials for the inlays and glue since and when then and to which material they changed over the years. Neither my '92 Studio nor my '98 Standard DC shows any color changing over the years.

Do you have some pics of the mentioned inlays ? Here are some of my guitars for comparing..

greetz n'roll

 

[PeterVV]

Will try and get pics soon. The whole guitar has checking which is odd as it's only a 2007 model. I suspect maybe not kept in ideal conditions by the previous owner.

 

[dspelman]

Not plastic. Cellulose Nitrate.

Two, very different materials.

Ecktually, nitrocellulose is one of the first plastics.
Les Paul inlays are "pearloid" which is made of chunks of nitrocellulose that are swirled in a solvent and then allowed to settle into a "loaf." The loaf is then sliced up to produce a product that looks a bit like pearl.

Nitrocellulose breaks down, over time, into its basic component parts, which are cellulose, nitric acid and sulfuric acid. In doing so, it discolors (what color is battery acid again?), shrinks and will often distort. Same thing happens to tuner buttons and switch handles made of the same stuff. Some '50's LPs have brown, "raisin-like" tuning buttons.

You'll find nitrocellulose formed in pretty much the same way into a faux tortoise shell, and used as pickguard material on some Gibsons. These pickguards will often begin to deteriorate and, if left in the case while doing so, will corrode nearby metal parts, such as pickup covers, pickup coil wire, screws and frets as the outgassed acids attack the metals.

 

[kakao]

Ageing ande glue underneath ..