I hope you'll forgive a six-month delay in repllying - I wasn't aware of your post until tonight.

That reference to "24 carat gold" is [u]BS[/u]. It should say something about 'plated with real gold'.

Gold, in it's pure (24 carat) form, is a very soft metal which would be totaly unsuitable for guitar hardware. Plating with real gold may be better from an aesthetic viewpoint, but don't believe for a minute that the hardware on any guitar is '24 carat gold'!