Posted by Lew on August 19, 2001 at 05:41:07:
In Reply to: Gold Plating a MP Rim posted by Tracy H. on August 19, 2001 at 00:04:34:
I had my entire mouthpiece gold plated and it only cost $35. That was a couple of years ago, but I don't think that the prices would have gone up too much. This was a silver plated mouthpiece that I used for a while to make sure that I really wanted to use it, and then had it plated. It has no perceptible wear. I should be $40 to $50 to have it done. I don't think that just plating the rim would cost much less because of the extra prep time involved. Dillon Music sent mine out to be done, but many of the shops listed on this site should be able to help you.
I have heard from otheres that factory gold plating on some brands, particularly Dennis Wick and Conn/UMI, doesn't stand up as well. As others have mentioned, there are a number of manufacturers from whom you can buy mouthpieces with gold plated rims. Expect to pay between $150 to $250 for them though. The Doug Elliot, Terry Warburton, and Yamaha ones should stand up well.