Service Department:
Guitar Steels

Shubb-Pearse and Robert Randolph Steels

As of Jan.1, 2012 all of our guitar steels are made of solid stainless steel. So for these newer bars, there are no plating issues... because of course, there is no plating. Also, being made of stainless steel, they are very hard, so they should not be prone to nicking or scratching unless abused. So for this present generation of SP and RR steels, there is really nothing required in the way of service or support.

For older SP and RR steels (prior to 2012)

These pre-2012 bars are made of brass and chrome plated. They are guaranteed against bad plating,* but not against normal wear or damage. If you drop one on a concrete or tile floor, it will get a ding. If you put it into a case compartment, or in your pocket, along with other stuff, it will get scratched or dinged.

Chrome is a hard surface, but it won't last forever; eventually it will begin to wear. This is normal and expected, after years of constant abrasion. We can't guarantee against wear; in fact, we can practically guarantee that the chrome will wear down eventually. But that doesn't necessarily mean that the bar is unusable. If the plating wears down smoothly and evenly, you might not notice any difference in the sound or feel of the bar, and continue to use it long after the brass begins to peek through.

* Bad Plating.
Very rarely, plating doesn't take properly to a surface. Plating professionals don't always know why. There are many variables. We inspect carefully for this, and can almost always visually spot bad plating and reject it. But we can't apply an abrasion test without damaging good bars, so it is possible that — very rarely — a bar could go out of our shop with bad plating. Bad plating will show up right away. It will peel and come off as either flakes or sparkly dust after using it for just a short while. Minutes, not weeks. And it's not subtle. Bad plating isn't something you'd think you might have, you'd know it.

If you've gotten a Shubb-Pearse or Robert Randolph steel with bad plating, we will replace it with a new, stainless steel bar. Please download and print our repair request form.

Trade-in policy

When we upgraded our bars to stainless steel at the beginning of 2012, many of our pre-2012 chrome plated bars remained on dealers' shelves. If you purchased one of these after Jan. 1, 2012, and if you would prefer to have the new stainless steel bar instead, we will swap it out for just the cost of postage. Contact us to let us know.

GS guitar steels

The metal on a GS is stainless steel. It's very hard, but it is possible to ding if you drop it or otherwise abuse it. And the wood can chip or break if it is dropped, or carried loose in a case compartment or pocket with other stuff. They're not guaranteed against this sort of wear or damage.

If the metal part should ever separate from the wooden part, we'll fix it for you. So far, we've never had this happen to one, but if it ever does, we'll fix it. repair request form.

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