When Gold Goes Green: Why Les Paul Goldtops Change Color (and Whether Yours Will)

Short answer: the gold on a classic Les Paul goldtop isn't gold. It's fine metallic powder (usually described as bronze, a copper alloy) mixed into lacquer. Copper oxidizes, so once the clear coat over it wears through, cracks or gets soaked in sweat for years, the metal underneath starts turning green. On a '50s goldtop that's normal aging. On a modern one it's less common, but I wouldn't promise it can't happen. Gibson doesn't publish what's in its gold paint today, and that's where the arguing starts.

What the "gold" on a goldtop is made of

When the Les Paul came out in 1952, Les Paul himself reportedly asked for a gold finish so the guitar would look as expensive as possible. (How much of the guitar's design was his idea is still argued about. Ted McCarty said the design was done before Paul signed on. The gold finish is the part most accounts credit to him.)

Gibson got that look by mixing metallic powder into nitrocellulose lacquer and spraying it over the carved maple top, then putting clear coats on top. Sources disagree about the exact metal. Most call it bronze powder, and at least one vintage dealer describes it as brass filings. Bronze and brass are both copper alloys, though, and the copper is what matters here. That's also why a worn vintage gold finish can feel slightly gritty or pitted on the edges. Those are metal particles sitting in the lacquer, not a smooth dye.

Why that metal turns green

Old copper pipes, roof flashing and the Statue of Liberty go green for the same reason. Copper reacts with air and moisture and forms a green surface layer. On a goldtop, the clear coats are all that keeps the metal particles away from air, skin and sweat. Once that seal is broken, the color starts to change.

That's why greening on a vintage goldtop isn't spread evenly across the top. It follows the guitar's history:

• Where your forearm rests. This is the classic spot. Years of skin contact wear down the clear and add sweat and oils. A Gibson Custom '57 owner on Gibson's own forum posted about green showing up in exactly that spot, and the reply he got was the copper explanation.
• Edges and high-wear areas. Edges, the treble horn and anywhere the clear has thinned out.
• Inside the check lines. On heavily checked vintage guitars, green often follows the cracks, because each crack is a little channel to the gold layer. Some dealers also note green that has settled into the prep coats underneath.

Will a modern goldtop turn green?

Honestly, it depends on the guitar, and nobody outside Gibson's finish department can tell you for sure. Here's where players have landed:

• The "mica" camp. A common claim, repeated by retailers and on owner forums, is that Gibson moved from bronze powder to gold mica pigment on many guitars. Mica is a mineral flake that doesn't oxidize the way copper does, so a mica gold finish should stay gold. Some players also say mica looks a bit flatter and less "gold" than the old stuff.
• The "it still happens" camp. Owners of Custom Shop historic goldtops, including VOS '57 reissues, have posted photos and threads about green appearing in the forearm area after some years of playing. So at least some recent Custom Shop guitars clearly use a finish that can oxidize.

Gibson doesn't publish its finish recipes, and it may well have used different formulas by era, factory and product line. So I'd treat any claim that "all modern Gibsons use X" with suspicion. My working rule: a Custom Shop historic goldtop can green over time if it's played hard. A standard production goldtop probably won't, but I wouldn't promise it either way.

For what it's worth, my own bench notes back that up. I went through my write-ups on recent goldtops: a 2016 Les Paul Standard T, a 2019 and a 2020 Standard '50s, and the R7 shown above. None of them mention green. What did show up was ordinary nitro behavior. The 2016 had light finish checking on the front body wings, and the R7 had a small finish stress line near a pickup ring screw. Those cracks matter on a goldtop for the reason in the diagram: they're where green would start if it was ever going to.

Is a green goldtop a problem when you're buying?

Usually not. On a vintage or older Custom Shop goldtop, natural greening is accepted as normal aging, and many collectors like it. It shows the finish is original and the guitar got played. What deserves a closer look is anything that doesn't match how the guitar wore:

• Green with no wear to explain it. Natural green sits where arms, hands and cracks have been. Green spread evenly over a perfect clear coat is odd, and worth asking about.
• Gold that's too bright next to worn areas. Gold is hard to touch up so it matches, and an overspray or patch often looks brighter or smoother than the finish around it. A UV light helps here, as it does with any nitro finish. Our guide on how to spot a refinished guitar covers what to look for.
• "Aged" green that's been painted on. Refinish suppliers sell pre-aged goldtop tints, and relic work can include fake greening. That's fine when it's disclosed as a relic or refinish. It's a problem when someone presents it as old.
• Roughness or pitting on edges and the neck. Old gold finishes can get gritty where they've worn. That's normal on a vintage piece, but it should match the rest of the wear.

Should you try to clean the green off?

No. The green isn't dirt sitting on top of the finish. It's the pigment itself, changed chemically. You can't wipe it away, and polishing or rubbing compound only removes more of the remaining gold and clear. Refinishing a vintage goldtop to get rid of it would cost far more in value than the green ever does. If the original finish matters to you, leave it alone.

If you own a goldtop and want to slow greening, the boring advice works best. Wipe the guitar down after you play, especially where your arm rests. Keep it in its case when you're not playing it, and keep it out of damp rooms. Our piece on cleaning a guitar without ruining the finish covers which products are safe on nitro.

My take

Green on a goldtop doesn't mean the guitar is damaged. It means the finish is doing what copper does. On a '50s or older Custom Shop guitar, I'd see honest greening in the right places as a small plus, because it's hard to fake well and it tells you the finish is original. On a modern production goldtop, I wouldn't expect it, and I'd ask questions if I saw a lot of it. Either way, judge the finish by whether its wear makes sense, not by its color.

If you're shopping for one, the 2011 Joe Bonamassa Les Paul Studio goldtop is in stock now, and you can browse everything else in our in-stock guitars. If you have a goldtop, greened or not, that you're thinking of selling, our Cash Offer page will get you a number fast.

FAQ

Does greening lower a goldtop's value?

Not on a vintage guitar where it's natural. Collectors treat it as normal aging of an original finish. What lowers value is a refinish or touch-up done to hide it.

Can a modern Gibson goldtop turn green?

Some can. Owners have reported greening on Custom Shop historic goldtops in the forearm area. Many production goldtops are said to use mica-based gold that doesn't oxidize, but Gibson doesn't publish its formulas, so there's no guarantee either way.

Can you polish the green off a goldtop?

No. The green is oxidized metal inside the finish. Polishing only removes more of the original gold and clear.

Why are some goldtops darker or more brassy than others?

The pigment, the clear coats and how much the clear has ambered with age all change the shade. Sometimes the guitar was simply built with a deliberately darker or different gold. Two goldtops a few years apart can look quite different side by side.