I've seen and touched a post 1987 Gibson TBird with gold hardware, a white one. Probably not a custom shop model, but it didn't look aftermarket either. If they can turn guitar hardware gold (and regularly do that), it won't be an issue for them to chuck some bass hardware into the chemical bath as well. My Custom Shop Explorer has gold hardware as does my Custom Shop acoustic fretless Super 400 bass. And the EB-750 as well as the rootbeer LP Doublecut feature gold hardware too. Come to think of it, so did the handful of triple minibucker pupped TBirds they put out in the early nineties if my memory doesn't fool me.