| Author |
 Topic  |
|
|
RWD
`Olu`olu
USA
850 Posts |
 Posted - 01/24/2008 : 04:32:56 AM
|
Just a little ranting here to express an opinion.
I wonder sometimes why guitar manufacturers insist on plastering thier guitars tops with plastic? They are very unattractive to me.
Wouldn't it be better if guitar manufacturers offer a pick guard option the way Seagull does? They put it in the case and you can stick it on if you want it.
To me, the appearance of a guitar is degraded by obscuring part of it's beautiful wood top with what I consider to be an eye sore. Maybe EMI's wood guards are an exception. Many fingerstyle guitar players don't need them but if you are buying a Taylor (yucky pick gaurd) or Martin (a little better)you are going to get one because it was decided for you. A few models omit the guard but not many.
There is no other option besides ordring a special.
Would'nt it be better if guitar makers supplied stick on guards or used clear ones? I like to look at wood way more than plastic!
IMHO most guitars would look way better.
|
Bob |
Edited by - RWD on 01/24/2008 04:38:07 AM |
|
|
Reid
Ha`aha`a
Andorra
1526 Posts |
Posted - 01/24/2008 : 06:36:32 AM
|
None of our 9 or 10 guitars have standard pickguards. About 6 have clear pickguards so you can see the wood, but they are so thin they don't affect the sound of the vibrating top. The rest have nothing, and have never been scratched, even though they have been played by friends who use thumbpicks and play fast - it is all about clean technique.
...Reid
[RK]
I lied. I should have qualified the word "guitar" with "acoustic". My steel has faint scratches on its machined aluminum guard. That is because I use finger picks as well as thumb picks and I am not expert in their use, and probably won't ever be. BUT, that pickguard is part of the overall retro design of the whole instrument and is quite interesting and nice. |
Edited by - Reid on 01/24/2008 11:33:40 AM |
 |
|
|
Mark
Ha`aha`a
USA
1628 Posts |
Posted - 01/24/2008 : 12:20:51 PM
|
Jerry Nolte, Evergreen Mountain Musical Instruments, uses wood, same as the back and sides. They look great-- a nice contrast to the top.
On a personal note-- I've scratched huge holes in so many tops over the years that I really like the look of a nice plastic pick guard. |
|
|
|
RWD
`Olu`olu
USA
850 Posts |
Posted - 01/24/2008 : 2:35:09 PM
|
quote:
Jerry Nolte, Evergreen Mountain Musical Instruments, uses wood, same as the back and sides. They look great-- a nice contrast to the top.
I like Jerrys pick guards too. I make an exception for EMI because he does such a nice job. |
Bob |
|
|
|
rendesvous1840
Ha`aha`a
USA
1055 Posts |
Posted - 01/24/2008 : 4:13:30 PM
|
My 12 string has a lot of scratches in the area between the soundhole and the pickguard. I guess the guard should have been bigger to acommodate my years of flatpicking. (Am I allowed to admit the use of a flatpick here?) It's not quite on the level of Willie Nelson's old Martin, but it doesn't add to the look of the guitar. And I suspect it's due to the predominance of flatpick styles that makers usually put the pickguards on at the factory. Plus music stores want protection from people like me who wander in and play their stuff.
Paul |
"A master banjo player isn't the person who can pick the most notes.It's the person who can touch the most hearts." Patrick Costello |
|
|
|
slackkeymike
Lokahi
440 Posts |
Posted - 02/02/2008 : 7:49:30 PM
|
Taylor has one of the most beautiful pick guard designs. And, they do not affect the sound. They are more of a "feature". Don't like 'em? Order your guitar without one. Me? I like them. I even use them for effect (without worry).
Mike |
Aloha, Mike |
|
|
|
Karl Monetti
`Olu`olu
USA
756 Posts |
Posted - 02/14/2008 : 12:02:07 PM
|
I personally like wood pick guards and put them on my Medusas. There's way more wood glued to the bottom (inside) of the top than the area of a pickguard so I doubt they make any tonal differences. Having said that, I am sure Reid or some other pro will shoot that theory full of holes :}
It is also a great way for a builder to get rid of small scraps of beautiful left over wood scraps. Up until now I have used koa scraps (an oxymoron if I ever heard one) left over from the backs. The next set I am building will have birds-eye maple pick guards from an aborted attempt at a gunstock project back in 1965.
I like the contrasting look, and they feel good to the touch. |
Karl
Frozen North |
|
|
|
javeiro
Lokahi
USA
459 Posts |
Posted - 02/14/2008 : 1:13:52 PM
|
| Put me down with the guys who like the design of the Taylor pick guards, though if given the choice, I happen to prefer guitars without them. I currently own six guitars, 3 each with and without guards. Two are Taylors and one has a guard and the other doesn't. That said, I must admit that I didn't even think about pick guards when I bought any of them. As a long time woodworker, I love the look of just about any nicely grained species but probably love Koa the best of all. My Koa Taylor GS does not have a pickguard but even if it did, I still would have bought it. |
Aloha,
John A. |
|
|
|
slackkeymike
Lokahi
440 Posts |
Posted - 02/14/2008 : 5:15:12 PM
|
Don't get me wrong, I LOVE taylor guitars. Own one (810) and am buying an 815CE. But they hardly "need" a guard. Its mostly about looks. When you use a crosslinked (UV cured) fiberglass (acrylic) finish, you have a built in pick gaurd. Maybe one day they will figure out how to "color" one in.
Mike |
Aloha, Mike |
|
|
|
Trev
Lokahi
United Kingdom
265 Posts |
Posted - 02/14/2008 : 11:58:00 PM
|
| My Larrivee has a guard which is thin clear plastic. It's as close to invisible as I've ever seen, but seems to do a great job. |
|
|
|
RWD
`Olu`olu
USA
850 Posts |
Posted - 02/15/2008 : 03:21:22 AM
|
I have a hand made guitar that has a thin clear guard like the Larivee. Unless the guitar is held at an angle to glare, it is pretty hard to notice.
If I used a pick or planted my fingers I would absolutely want a pick guard but I would want it to be clear if I had a choice. |
Bob |
|
|
| |
Topic |
|
Topic Locked
