Clear Pick Guard

[nylon rock]

Need some help with this decision to go or not to go with getting one on a Custom Lowden Acoustic that I have ordered.

 

It seems every few days I flip flop on this with my e-mails to them and I have to stop this and make up my mind once and for all.

 

My soundboard top will be Alpine Spruce, very creamy white, they finish their tops with polyurethane lacquer, several coats, with a final satin look to it, and this is a nylon string guitar.

 

My question is will the clear pick guard be a regret or a godsend with time?

 

I use a pick but never hit the soundboard with it. With my current nylon sring, no pickguard, and also polyurethane, there is now a light consistent scraping where my fingernails routinely hit. Looks pretty good with age, a nice wear to the guitar, shows use.

 

Will the spruce under a clear pick guard age the same color as the rest of the guitar? Or years from now will it be a lighter shade?

 

Appreciate any feed back.

[Cldplytkmn]

i personally like clear pickguards on glossy finishes where it blends in a bit more... to my eyes at least. i kind of like the thought of 10 years down the road, having marks, scuffs, etc, i think its character. but do you want a player with alot of character, or a wall hanger in pristine condition.

[bjorn-fjord]

I'm interested in this topic as well. I am a luthier and (when making instruments that will hang in a store) I constantly struggle with whether or not to include a pickguard. If I am building a custom instrument it's not an issue because the purchaser decides.

I had recently decided to give the potential purchaser (in a store) the option of not having a guard (by offering to install one after purchase for cost of materials only). When I brought the instruments into the shop the owner insisted that I install pickguards. His feeling was that the instruments would be damaged if they were "naked". So I complied. A regular 5 mil Mylar guard on the gloss top and a special matte finished clear guard on the low-gloss.

I too rarely, if ever strike the soundboard with a pick. But on my own guitars I do have clear guards. Unless you are a hermit or one of those crazy, possessive guitar players who never lets anyone touch his guitar then I will suggest that over the course of its lifetime your guitar will be played by someone who hits the soundboard with a pick. If watching a beginner or a drunk guy bash away on your prized guitar doesn't make you nervous, then don't bother with a guard. Otherwise, I would go with a guard. I don't find that they noticeably affect the sound and they can be removed if you later decide against a guard (heat with hair-dryer, peel off guard, remove residual glue with naptha).

As earlier mentioned, if your guitar is low gloss, matte guards are available and, in my opinion, they are even less visible than a glossy guard on a gloss top. Worth mentioning is that a clear guards, matte or glossy, must be installed before any dings occur because the damage will show through as an ugly air bubble.

[JasmineTea]

bjorn,

how do you get the matt-finish pickguard off? -and- check your PM.

 

Nylon Rock,

if I played the way you do, I'd go without the pickguard. But like bjorn said, how many drunks are gonna play it, and is it going to bother you if some scratches show up?

 

btw, congratulations on the Louden. GREAT guitar.

[knockwood]

 

Originally posted by bjorn-fjord Unless you are a hermit or one of those crazy, possessive guitar players who never lets anyone touch his guitar then I will suggest that over the course of its lifetime your guitar will be played by someone who hits the soundboard with a pick. If watching a beginner or a drunk guy bash away on your prized guitar doesn't make you nervous, then don't bother with a guard.

 

 

I am a crazy, possessive hermit who never lets anyone touch his guitar. I am also a relative beginner and a drunk (thanks to my relatives). But I never bash or use a pick.

 

F**k it. Let's make this thread about me for a minute, shall we? I find that I am momentarily fascinated with myself and must indulge this nagging whim to relay the inane and wholly irrelevant wonder of my relationship with picks.

 

I have nothing against picks. But living in an apartment with paper-thin walls (I suspect they may actually BE paper), I've inadvertently evolved into a kind of two-finger-typist equivalent of a fingerpicker (oddly, I type in the correct manner). My guitar is just freakin' deafening with a flatpick. Pick guard, no pick guard... couldn't give a crap.

 

NR,

You lucky bass turd! Congratulations on your purchase.

[JasmineTea]

Originally posted by knockwood I am a crazy, possessive hermit who never lets anyone touch his guitar. I am also a relative beginner and a drunk (thanks to my relatives). But I never bash or use a pick. F**k it. Let's make this thread about me for a minute, shall we? I find that I am momentarily fascinated with myself and must indulge this nagging whim to relay the inane and wholly irrelevant wonder of my relationship with picks. I have nothing against picks. But living in an apartment with paper-thin walls (I suspect they may actually BE paper), I've inadvertently evolved into a kind of two-finger-typist equivalent of a fingerpicker (oddly, I type in the correct manner). My guitar is just freakin' deafening with a flatpick. Pick guard, no pick guard... couldn't give a crap. NR, You lucky bass turd! Congratulations on your purchase.

My appartment is one of three in an old house (built in 1860) however, the way it's built and the mods done over the years e.g. a dropped ceiling in the app. below mine, allows me to start a drunken jam at 2AM without wakeing anyone. And yes I SLAMO-JAMO my guitars at times, but hav'nt got a complaint yet.

[bjorn-fjord]

 

Originally posted by JasmineTea bjorn, how do you get the matt-finish pickguard off? -and- check your PM.

 

 

The same method will work for either clear or matte guards. Heat the guard with a hair dryer (just hot enough to soften the glue, not too hot). Get under a corner with a razor-blade (careful!) and begin to peel. Sometimes the glue separates from the pickguard and stays on the top. If this happens you can sometimes peel the glue off in a single piece or you can "roll" the glue off with your finger. Naptha works well on Nitro finishes (Martins, most hand-made guitars) to clean up the residue. Be prepared to re-buff the lacquer under the pick guard with a polishing cloth. I know this procedure sounds like it could potentially damage the finish but I have done this many times and never had a problem.

[nylon rock]

It will be a wonderful guitar.

 

Their international sales manager has been helping me through all my decisions, and the guitar has evolved from a variety of information. This will come from George Lowden's new factory, not the Avalon former company of his.

 

It has been difficult to get this guitar right because they have no pictures. So back and forth I deal with her (the I.S. Manager) in the e-mails, and have sent the down payment which should get there some time this week.

 

But I am down to the pick guard. The final detail. I've already flip flopped from having one by default, to inquiring about not having one, to settling on having one again, and now I'm thinking no again. She likes me as a customer, but that could change if I don't get my act together on this pronto.

 

Here are my choices, as I see it:

 

1) Don't get one and rely on the polyurethane to hold up against my fingernails lightly grazing over the years. The wear on the guitar will marr the surface, but poly is pretty good on wear, and as someone else on a different thread suggested, the finish on the guitar is the total surface protection, a total guard.

 

2) Get one and relax a little more about things.

 

There are cons to each side of the coin.

 

Light scratches would marr their wonderful woodwork and craftmanship. Once you have any scratches at all a clear pick guard will have bubbles from then on should you decide you want one after the fact.

 

With a pick guard, it only covers so much. You are always going to have your fingernails graze beyond the pick guard during some exuberant playing, and have light scratches just beyond it, so why bother with one. And another thing I worry about, which no one has answered, is what yellows the spruce? Is it light exposure? Is it nitrogen in the air?

 

Both of these aspects would have to be different for the surface under a clear pick guard, though maybe not light so much since some would get through. Still, I searched over at UMGF, and there were pictures of a spruce top where a black pick guard had been on a Gibson. The outline of the pick guard was plainly visible and made the guitar look kind of silly with it removed.

 

I am leaning toward Jasmine's comment of don't get one due to my style of playing. No one else will ever play it. No one I know plays a nylon string. They all play steel strings, and really do not like a nylon string; they think they are practice guitars! They could always play my current nylon string if they wanted to, which will become my $699 beater.

 

The only draw back that I can think of would be if I have to e-mail her back, having flip flopped now twice on this!!

 

It will be a honey of a guitar. I saw how much George wanted for him to personally make one for me, where he will do anything you want, and I could put down a downpayment for a house for that price. So, I went with his custom shop in his new factory.

 

Upgrades I have requested (and gotten):

 

George Lowden Personal Rosette (for his personal steel strings but being done especially for this nylon string, in VERY BLUE abalone)

 

35 Series Upgrade for all wood selection

 

Fingerboard Extension with "Lowden" Swerve

 

Fingerboard Dot MOP Inlay

 

Rodgers Tuning Machines of a pattern I selected from their online catalog, with MOP Oval Buttons

 

No pick up

 

No endhole

 

Voiced and Braced for Acoustic Use

 

Alpine Spruce Soundboard (Swiss Alps, split wood)

 

Maybe what I'll do is e-mail the I.S. Manager back and ask if they would do a custom pickguard. I could take my current nylon string, examine it for the light scratch wear I have created over 4 years, and ask if they could come up with a Clear Pick Guard that would at least cover that area. If when I examine it, it looks like it would be too elongated, then I'm not going to get one.

 

Why get any pick guard if you are going to miss it anyway, or if you are only going to scuff half of the one they provide by default.

 

Well, typing this up has helped me make up my own mind.

 

Thank you.

[bjorn-fjord]

Sounds like a killer of a guitar. Please post pics when you get it. Wood patina is mostly due to light. A clear pickguard will not noticeably impede this process. I buy Mylar in 8-1/2 X 11 sheets so they should be able to make a guard in any shape you wish. Keep in mind that the pickguards on flamenco guitars are HUGE and they do not seem to hurt the sound. The highs would be the first thing to go and flamenco guitars can practicly shatter glass with treble.

[nylon rock]

Was further searching the Internet and came across Precious Guitars, which features Lowdens. They offered a Lowden and in the detail, stated: Clear Pick Guard Included in Case.

 

Definitely the way to go. This way I can put the issue to rest and make up my mind when the instrument arrives, and I will stop my flip flopping, my decision again changed over night.

 

Guitar is expected by next May. (Good things come to those that wait?)

 

It's fun when you have something really nice in the works and headed your way!

[tamolina]

There was a self-taught but supremely talented finger-picker who used only thumb and index finger. I am thinking it was Maybelle Carter. So what is "correct"? Whatever works.

I teach the nieces and nephews on my cheap Yamaha, but if anyone even looked like they were thinking about touching my Washburn Flint Hills I would break their fingers.

[knockwood]

This evening I removed my pick guard and soldered a frying pan in its place. I've discovered that if I hold the guitar with the headstock pointed at the floor and use my ceiling fan as a pick, I get a tone I would never have imagined was possible. I lost one of my cats to this experiment but no advance is achieved without some measure of sacrifice.

[digitalsnipe]

New Lowden on its way. I can't decide if the pick guard is really an issue or you are just deleriously GASeous. I think we should put this to the polls.

 

Congratulations and get one of those felt flatpicks until you've re-entered Earth's atmosphere.

[FingerBone Bill]

Originally posted by knockwood This evening I removed my pick guard and soldered a frying pan in its place. I've discovered that if I hold the guitar with the headstock pointed at the floor and use my ceiling fan as a pick, I get a tone I would never have imagined was possible. I lost one of my cats to this experiment but no advance is achieved without some measure of sacrifice.

 

Idiot! lol

 

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I'd just add my 2c - it's easier to add a pick guard than remove it (They invariably leave a tan line). Even if you scratch the top a retro-fitted pick guard would cover that up.

[digitalsnipe]

 

Originally posted by knockwood This evening I removed my pick guard and soldered a frying pan in its place. I've discovered that if I hold the guitar with the headstock pointed at the floor and use my ceiling fan as a pick, I get a tone I would never have imagined was possible. I lost one of my cats to this experiment but no advance is achieved without some measure of sacrifice.

 

 

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Soldering cast iron to spruce. You are one talented individual - not to mention creative. I can visualize the scene you describe but am a little hazy about the feline fatality. Is that a 4 or 5 blade fan?

[Sparkytfl]

Just get two of 'em. One with, and one without.

 

Seriously I'd leave it off. I do get the fingernail marks on my classical, but that's better than having a cheap piece of plastic glued to the top.

[knockwood]

 

Originally posted by digitalsnipe ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Soldering cast iron to spruce. You are one talented individual - not to mention creative. I can visualize the scene you describe but am a little hazy about the feline fatality. Is that a 4 or 5 blade fan?

 

 

Don't be silly. Naturally, before soldering on the new pick guard I crazy-glued a brass plate over the entire treble side of the top. The fan was originally a five-blader but I tell you, avoiding that frying pan with the blades can be tricky. I'm just thankful I opted against the wok. I tried putting one of my cats atop the blades to get a fatter tone, but things went awry during a spirited rendition of "Long Train Running." I'm down to two blades now, but I've found this works quite well when I increase or decrease the tempo with the chain-switch tied to my big toe. The helmet gets a little cumbersome, but I'll get used to it.

[Khan Fused]

Since this is already off topic...did anyone see the news report a few months back of the guy who a mixer with two egg beaters to play his guitar?

 

Unfortunately he didn't offer any advice for frying eggs while playing.

[Preacher Will]

FWiW--The difference in color change that you will experience between wood under the pickguard and wood that is outside is due to UV bleaching of the exposed wood. Once you have committed to a pickguard, even a clear one, it only takes about a year for differential bleaching fo the wood to occur. Once this has happened, there is no going back to equal shading short of sanding--and in some cases that won't even do it. Frankly, on a nylon string, i'd leave it off.

[digitalsnipe]

Originally posted by knockwood Don't be silly. Naturally, before soldering on the new pick guard I crazy-glued a brass plate over the entire treble side of the top. The fan was originally a five-blader but I tell you, avoiding that frying pan with the blades can be tricky. I'm just thankful I opted against the wok. I tried putting one of my cats atop the blades to get a fatter tone, but things went awry during a spirited rendition of "Long Train Running." I'm down to two blades now, but I've found this works quite well when I increase or decrease the tempo with the chain-switch tied to my big toe. The helmet gets a little cumbersome, but I'll get used to it.

 

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[mrbluetone]

I ordered a custom guitar without a pickguard...but it shows up with a clear one on it...I was mad and just went ahead and kept it instead of trying to remove it...now after several years of gigging I am glad the builder put it on there!

[KATMAN]

I remember the guitar,but never knew it had a pickguard on there! The username is different over here!

Mike,gchord from CMF

[JasmineTea]

I'd say NITROCELLULOSE fan-blades are the future.

Thin, medium, heavey.

You could make them removeable so that not only could you change the tempo, (chain/toe) you could get different rythems by removeing one or more blades.

 

Ever try it with an exercise bike?

 

I'm going to the bar. See yinz.

[mrbluetone]

 

Originally posted by KATMAN I remember the guitar,but never knew it had a pickguard on there! The username is different over here! Mike,gchord from CMF

 

 

Hey mike..yeah if your not really close to it you won't notice it..how's those new acoustic's working for ya?

[KATMAN]

I love them! I can defintly tell the tone between laminated and solid wood.I'm playing them on Sunday,on the Yamaha classical I'm playing "Thy Word",Kathy will be singing,then I'm going to do "Healing Rain",and I'll be singing it.I'm playing the Takamine for that one. Both are pretty good guitars,I can't seem to put them down.