The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #1

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    Hi team, this is my first post!

    I just acquired a Guild A-150 Savoy. It's my first solid top jazz box.

    I have an old Dearmond X155 with a ply top and 2 humbuckers set into the top.

    Now the A150 had some buzzing when played acoustically and 2 of those little silicon half dome feet that come with pedals (one under the treble side of the floating pickup and one between the volume pot and the guitar top) as well as some bluetak between the pickup and the pickguard killed all audible buzz/rattle.

    The guitar doesn't sustain a whole lot (compared to the X155) so my question is, would that small amount of padding against the top (probably only 10mm2 of silicon/rubber) have a dampening effect on sustain or is that just the trade-off with solid top archtops?

    Sustain for resonance? Also keen to hear of others' experience with those two models.

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  3. #2

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    When you pluck a string, you impart a certain amount of energy, which is dissipated through the string(s). How long that takes (sustain) depends on the guitar. The faster it's dissipated, the louder the volume. You can get maximum acoustic volume or you can get maximum sustain, or somewhere in between, along a continuum. Hollow body guitars with carved spruce tops are optimized for volume. Solid body guitars are optimized for sustain, and other guitars are somewhere in the middle. You cannot maximum volume and maximum sustain in the same guitar, it's all a compromise. If you want more sustain, get a solid or semi-solid guitar, and accept the lack of acoustic volume, or compromise with a laminated top, which has less volume but a little more sustain. You can only put so much energy into the guitar through the strings, and so much out as volume, with considerable loss due to friction and heat. The laws of physics are not easily broken.

  4. #3
    Thanks sgosnell, that's in line with what I was thinking. Thanks for breaking it down so informatively.

  5. #4

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    the dearmond x155 is an all maple laminate body...its very forward sounding for a big arch...in addition with the in body pickups that can resonate with the top moving...hence sustain

    the guild 150 being a solid spruce top and more an acoustic archtop with the pickup and controls mounted above the body...so that the top resonates without hinderance...so theoretically placing any padding on the top will indeed reduce it's ability to resonate fully...

    if there are alternate means to alleviating the problem, like raising the pickguard slightly or bending the pickup attachment rods, it would be preferable

    luck

    cheers

  6. #5

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    The floating pickup is pretty close to the neck block--I doubt there's much vibration there to be damped. The usual answer to reversible changes is "try it and see."

    I've generally put a piece of hard felt under floaters to level the pickup and stop vibration.

    Danny W.

  7. #6

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    Try it and see is a good approach. What sounds great to one may sound meh or even worse to another. I've placed felt and hard foam between pickguards and tops with no difference in sound that I could discern. On my Wu with a Rhythm Chief pickup, I use Blu-Tack between the pickup and the top, which protects the top under the pickup from scratches, prevents rattles and buzzes, and also levels and couples the pickup to the top fairly effectively. I like that solution, while others may not. IME Blu-Tack is a very useful product for a variety of applications. But it's not the only way of solving problems. Whatever works...

  8. #7

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    Hi, was wondering what people recommend to stabilize the pickgaurd. Mine needs something under between the pickgaurd and the top it to keep it from flexing. I want to use something safe for finishes. Thanks for the help!!


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  9. #8

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    I use some hard, firm foam cut from packaging inserts holding earbuds or something similar. I have some black and some white, and I don't notice any other difference, other than the obvious fact that black is harder to see.

  10. #9

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    Felt blocks work

  11. #10

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    They do. They're just harder to work with and acquire, at least for me. I tend to take the easiest route for this sort of thing, and use what I have at hand or can easily find. Some might call it laziness, I prefer to think of it as innovation.

  12. #11

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    Quote Originally Posted by wintermoon
    Felt blocks work
    You might try an assortment of corks to find a snug fit.

  13. #12

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    Folded paper towel. Good playing . . . Marinero

  14. #13

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    op doesn't mention specific guitar he's talking about...solid spruce or lam top...but i always dislike putting damping materials on arch tops...i usually remove the pickguard altogether..(lets the bottom f hole serve its purpose better as well! hah)

    but could try adding washers to current pickguard screws...or sometimes just repositioning/adjusting bracket helps

    if not..stuff an old kiss t shirt under there!!! haha

    cheers

  15. #14

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    I don't find that a small (1/2" or less) square of foam or whatever dampens the sound at all. But my usual fix is to just remove the pickguard. They don't serve much of a purpose for me, because the strings are pretty far above the top and it takes a rather severe stroke to touch it. Some people use the pickguard for an anchor point for their right hands, but I don't, so I'm fine without it.

  16. #15

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    I've used these and they work.......they can be stacked and trimmed.......no surface marks at all....yes check the attachment brackets too..(no affiliation w/seller etc )....

    https://www.acehardware.com/departme...E&gclsrc=aw.ds

    ......Hope this helps !

  17. #16

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    I use adhesive backed felt pads used for the bottom of chair or table legs to mitigate against scratching floors. They come in sheets or round pads of various diameters and are easily thinned down /cut into shapes or stacked. Stick them to the underside of your pickguard and off you go!!! OOps ) see above post and link))

    Will

  18. #17

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    "I don't find that a small (1/2" or less) square of foam or whatever dampens the sound at all. " sgosnell


    Yes.

  19. #18

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    A problem i had with that is it transfers noise from the pickguard to the top of the guitar. I hit the pickguard with fingers etc when playing, and it was a bad idea to install that semi hard foam on an acoustically rich archtop, although it doesn't translate through the amp. Think i 'll take it out.

  20. #19

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    Flexing?. If the pickguard is too flexible, it might be too thin or even broken. You can glue something to the backside to add stiffness, like a piece of aluminium plate or replace it with a more stiff pickguard. Towels, T-shirts or foam might not remove spongyness.

  21. #20

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    I don’t know if you are all familiar with Doug’s plugs but my solution that I just came up with is to take the small quarter of a Doug’s plug that stays in the f-hole under the pickgaurd. I used bluetak, which is what teachers use to hang up posters and stuck to the bottom of the pickgaurd


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  22. #21

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    Quote Originally Posted by sgosnell
    I don't find that a small (1/2" or less) square of foam or whatever dampens the sound at all. But my usual fix is to just remove the pickguard. They don't serve much of a purpose for me, because the strings are pretty far above the top and it takes a rather severe stroke to touch it. Some people use the pickguard for an anchor point for their right hands, but I don't, so I'm fine without it.
    My Gibson Legrand had a small felt pad supporting the bottom end of the finger rest. I removed it as I felt it dampened the movement of the top enough to affect the sound.

  23. #22

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    Hi,
    Archtops often have the pickguard attached with two screws; one below the neck and the other at the bracket foot at the rim. The idea is to make the guard hover to prevent interference with the vibrating top. Sometimes a guard is stabilized by a tight routing for the pickup rings or it may rest on top of the dog ears of a P-90 etc. Sometimes the guard is just floating in mid air, totally relying on the bracket. This gives the guard a spongy feel, that one can either like or dislike and that can either be seen as an advantage or a disadvantage for players that use the guard as support for the pinky.

    By bending the bracket one could adjust the pickguard angle somewhat as well as the distance to the top. etc.
    I like some distance and some sponginess, but not too much. I'm contemplating to lower the guard a notch, and I'm thinking about putting some padding on the back of the guard that would stop the guard from flexing inwards too much. Such padding, should it come in contact with the top, must not react with the nitro finish long term. Felt would probably be ideal. I think some Gibson models, like the L-5, do have a small felt block beneath the guard, maybe mostly for protection, maybe to prevent flex, or both.

    Your thoughts?

  24. #23

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    Felt will work, cork will work, leather will work, closed-cell foam will work. I use closed-cell foam, because it's already at hand and easy to work. I try to set things up so that the foam block is not quite touching the top, but will if pressure is exerted on the pickguard. It's certainly possible to purchase felt pads if so inclined, but the foam block works well enough for me. I've seen no evidence of any interaction with the finish, after considerable time.

  25. #24

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    I use a piece of wine cork as the standoff for my pickguard on my arch top. It's set to be a millimeter or so above the top, just there to stop the pickguard from getting flexed to far downward.

  26. #25

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    Thanks fellows,
    Cork is attractive! Excellent choice, gentlemen.
    I'll pop a Chateau Margaux vintage 59 tonight. Old growth tone cork