78 Guitars With Gold Hardware – Acoustic & Electric

Last Updated on April 28, 2023 by Teemu Suomala

Gold-plating on guitars hardware, especially on black guitar…It just looks stunning. Just beautiful. Takes my breath away. Every time. And you seem to have a similar taste…

This article is just what you need if you are planning on buying or just dreaming about guitars with gold-plated hardware. I gathered together the cream-of-the-crop guitars with gold hardware. Both acoustic and electric, plus I reveal my 3 favorites. If you have any questions, check the FAQ section of this article or leave a comment.

Let’s get started!

Note!: Guitars almost never have a solid gold hardware. That would make them super expensive. Most guitars have either gold-colored plating or real gold-plating on them. Same thing applies to guitars featured in this article. You find guitars with gold-colored hardware or gold-plated hardware. I use the term “gold hardware” to refer the both gold colored and gold plated hardware in this article.

Author: Teemu Suomala

More About Teemu▼

I first grabbed the guitar in 2009. I started this website in January 2020 because I couldn’t do window installation anymore due to my health problems. I love guitars and have played dozens and dozens of different guitars through different amps and pedals over the years, and also, building a website interested me, so I decided to just go for it! I got lucky and managed to get awesome people to help me with my website.

I also got lucky because I have you visiting my website right now. Thank you. I do all this for you guys. If you have any recommendations, tips, or feedback, just leave a comment, I would love to chat with you. I have also been fortunate to produce content for several large guitar websites, such as Songsterr, Musicnotes, GuitarGuitar, and Ultimate Guitar.

I spend my spare time exercising and hanging out with my wife and crazy dog (I guess that went the right way…).

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21 Acoustic Guitars With Gold Hardware

If you are not ready to shell out close to $1k and prefer a Jumbo shape, but need something a bit smaller with a cutaway, Epiphone J-200 EC Studio Parlor is one of the best options. It’s got a real bone nut & saddle, comfortable Rounded Slim Taper C neck shape, Solid Spruce top, and versatile all-around tones.

Price Range Icon Meanings:

$= $275-599

$$= $600-899

$$$= $900-1199

$$$$= $1200-1799

$$$$$= $1800

*Consider all links in this post to be affiliate links. If you purchase, at no additional cost to you, we may earn a small commission. It helps us to keep the lights on, thanks! 🙂

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57 Electric Guitars With Gold Hardware

Real bone nut, gold hardware (not solid gold of course), C neck shape, and Fender Designed Alnico Jazzmaster Single-coils…sounds pretty good right? Squier 40th Anniversary Gold Edition Jazzmaster is a stunning guitar with versatile single-coil tones, fun playability, and high value.

Price Range Icon Meanings:

$= $149-399

$$= $400-699

$$$= $700-1099

$$$$= $1100-1699

$$$$$= $1700

6 Best Guitars With Gold Hardware – My Favorites

Best Budget Acoustic Guitar – Takamine GN51CE-NAT

What I like

• Spruce top paired with walnut back & sides provides articulate and crips tones with tight low end
• Stunning Gold Die-Cast tuners
• Smooth playability
• Split saddle-design can provide better intonation
• Great build quality and high value

What I don’t like

• Synthetic bone nut & saddle

Who is it for?

If you are after a great quality budget acoustic guitar with smooth playability, gold tuners, and articulate sound, Takamine GN51CE-NAT is a top-notch choice. Its got a Synthetic bone nut & saddle, which is a bummer, but otherwise it’s as good as budget acoustic guitar gets.

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Best Overall Acoustic Guitar – Yamaha LL-TA TransAcoustic Dreadnought

What I like

• Onboard reverb and chorus unlock endless tone options
• Solid ARE treated Spruce top an solid Rosewood back & sides
• Great all-around full dreadnought sound without effects
• Comfortable to play
• Usually comes with a gig bag

What I don’t like

• Urea saddle & nut feel cheap for this price
• Playability is great, but not outstanding

Check our picks for the best acoustic guitars under $1000 and the best acoustic guitars under $500.

Who is it for?

If you are after a versatile acoustic guitar with comfortable playability and all solid wood body, Yamaha LL-TA TransAcoustic is a great choice. And the best thing? Onboard reverb and chorus. This separates this Yamaha from the rest. These effects make it a truly outstanding instrument with endless tonal possibilities.

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Best Premium Acoustic Guitar – Gibson Acoustic Songwriter Standard

What I like

• Solid Sitka Spruce top paired with solid Rosewood back & sides provide crisp & balanced sound with great projection
• Tusq saddle and nut give a solid intonation
• Round neck shape feels comfortable
• Grover Rotomatic tuners hold the tune well
• High-quality Fishman Prefix Plus-T Preamp with Under Saddle Pickup
• Usually comes with a hardshell case
• Cutaway adds versatility to playing

What I don’t like

• Cutaway can decrease the fullness of the sound a bit (non-cutaway Songwriter’s available too)

Who is it for?

If you are after a premium-level acoustic guitar with all the premium qualities (Tusq nut, Grover tuners, etc.) and rock-solid tones, Gibson Acoustic Songwriter Standard is one of the best choices. It usually comes with a hardshell case, it’s fun & smooth to play, and yes, it has stunning gold hardware.

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Best Budget Electric Guitar – Ibanez GIO GRG220PA 

What I like

• Flat 15.7″ fretboard is effortless to rip through
• Classic Elite humbuckers offer the best budget Ibanez tones to me
• GRG neck is slim & smooth to shred
• Offers excellent value for the money
• Gold hardware looks awesome

What I don’t like

• Stock hardware might not please everyone (for this price it pleases me)

Who is it for?

If you are after a budget electric guitar that offers versatile tones and easy playability, Ibanez GIO GRG220PA is an excellent choice. Classic Elite Humbuckers were an instant crush for me, and I love the familiar & smooth Ibanez playability. It’s a cheap electric guitar, so everything might not be perfect every time, but for the price, it’s an excellent axe.

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Best Overall Electric Guitar – Ibanez RG420HPFM

What I like

• DiMarzio humbuckers offer really crunchy & fat distortion but are also surprisingly versatile
• Thin Wizard III neck is slim, smooth, and fast as a neck gets (great shape for small hands)
• Offers really high value for the money
• Coil-split adds versatility
• Great all-around quality
• Slim body

What I don’t like

• Tusq, Graphite, or even a real Bone nut would make this guitar even better (increases sustain and overall tone)

Who is it for?

Ibanez RG420HPFM (and RG series overall) is one of my favorite guitars right now. It offers really smooth playability because of its Wizard III neck (my small hands love it). It’s equipped with great-sounding DiMarzio humbuckers (with a coil-split). And overall it offers a great bang for the buck (it could cost a lot more).

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Best Premium Electric Guitar – Ibanez RG5170B

What I like

• Fishman Fluence pickups and the fact that you can change pickup voicing adds a ton of versatility to your arsenal
• Super Wizard HP neck feels extremely slim and fast playing
• Great quality and smooth to use Ibanez Lo-Pro Edge Locking Tremolo
• Premium-level Gotoh tuners hold the pitch
• Usually comes with a hardshell case
• Could cost a lot more

What I don’t like

• Still out of budget for many players

Who is it for?

If you are after a premium level but reasonably price electric guitar with all the premium features (Gotoh tuners, Fishman Fluence pickups, etc.), extremely slim & smooth playing neck, and versatile tones, Ibanez RG5170B is a top choice. It could cost lot more, it usually comes with a hardshell case, and golden hardware looks stunning.

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FAQ

Does Gold Hardware Wear Off Easier?

Some cheap guitars can have a gold-colored hardware, some guitars have a thin gold plating, and some guitars hardware can even have solid gold in them (rare).

Solid gold is a soft heavy metal, so it’s more brone to dings and dents.

Gold plating is usually really thin, and there are different kinds of gold plating chemistries available. And in general, gold plating does wear off easier than other platings. The reason being that gold is soft and expensive, and only really thin layer of it is used as a plating.

If yo get a cheap guitar with gold-colored hardware… well, let just say that I wouldn’t expect exceptionally great hardware plating quality from cheap guitars. They will wear off at some point.

Personlly, I don’t mind a little wear and tear. I treat my guitars good, but I do play them, and if this causes wearing, it’s no problem for me. Just playt the guitar my friend!

Is Gold Harwader Harder to Take Care Of?

Gold plating does wear off more easily than most other hardware platings and because of this it can be a bit harder to take care off. One of the worst things is to left the dirt, grease, and dust just sit on it. All this just speeds tarnishing and wearing off process.

Here’s what is recommended to do if you want to keep your gold plated hardware in as good as possible condition!

• Wipe the hardware with a clean and dry cloth a couple of times a week and after every playing session.

This will keep the hardware clean as possible and will minimize tarnishing and wearing off. This doesn’t guarantee that your gold or gold plated hardware will stay like new for decades, but it helps to keep it in the best condition possible.

Can You Age/Relic Gold Hardware?

Note! Do aging at your own risk and use chemicals with caution. Don’t drink them, don’t soak your hand to them, keep the kids and pets aways from them and don’t apply too much to the hardware.

Yes you can. Applying wet Ferric chloride on hardware is one way to do so. Ferric chloride is corrosive for gold and will cause it to look older than it really is. It basically speeds up the tarnishing process of the gold.

These videos reveals more:

Using vinegar fumes is a one trick you can’t try too:

Conclusion on Guitars With Gold Hardware

My heart was racing when looking at these guitars…instant crush followed by another and another instant crush…haha. While I like guitars with all different hardware colors, gold-colored hardware just has a special place in my heart. And I like how it looks when it ages too!

I hope this article helped you out, and maybe you even decided to get one of the guitars featured. If you have any questions, leave a comment, I and the GND team are here for you.

Now go, my son, and Rock!

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