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I’ve emailed Cris Mirabella some. Maybe he’s too busy, but he takes absolutely forever to get back to me and I haven’t heard back from him in over a month.
I’m guessing that someone here may be able to do it, or will at least know someone who can.
Any suggestions?
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01-20-2018 11:26 AM
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Try sending Bryant Trenier an email.
Sent from my GT-N5110 using Tapatalk
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Pickguardian | Quality Handmade Custom Pickguards
I am going to give this guy a try for a couple of easy plastic pickguards. I think that he also does more complex wood/binding types as well. Might be worth looking into for the OP.
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Possibly Maegen Wells
MWG Home — Maegen Wells Guitars & Mandolins
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Call Cris Mirabella.
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I can do just sent me a PM. I hope you have the old one but can figure something out.
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Yes, CALL him. He is busy indeed. But you will forget him not emailing you back soon after you speak to him. Terrific guy. Steve DeMarino (Ron DeMarinos son) might also help too. These are D’Angelico EXPERTS and you want the lineage both of these guys bring.
Originally Posted by Stringswinger
Joe D
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As Joe noted - Chris would be a great choice. But I’ve been in Bryant’s shop long enough to see plenty of templates for these old DA pickguards - its his passion. My Broadway was fitted with a Style B type pickguard. Not sure if this is what your looking for but here’s a pic of the guitar. Originally Posted by ThatRhythmMan
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That guard looks great. Often we see Style B's with replaced guards that are either Excel guards or New Yorker guards. Old guards gas out and owners want to "upgrade" their guitars when having a new guard made. The new D'Angelico company puts an Excel guard on their Asian made Style B. Originally Posted by QAman
As Joe noted - Chris would be a great choice. But I’ve been in Bryant’s shop long enough to see plenty of templates for these old DA pickguards - its his passion. My Broadway was fitted with a Style B type pickguard. Not sure if this is what your looking for but here’s a pic of the guitar.
Cris Mirabela does it right as well:
Makes a nice picture.... A 1940 D'Angelico style B, a 70's D'Aquisto and a 1984 D'Aquisto.. Even nic - mirabellaguitars
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Here are a few pics from Rudy Pennsa Archtop book. This is a style B # 1462. It has the extra step my Trenier lacks , but that can easily be accommodated by Bryant I’m sure.
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Go with QAMans suggestion. He knows the deal. Stevie I didn’t think of Bryant because I thought he is in Europe now. Btw, that Broadway is an absolutely PERFECT guitar. I know you love it, and I can see why. Originally Posted by QAman
As Joe noted - Chris would be a great choice. But I’ve been in Bryant’s shop long enough to see plenty of templates for these old DA pickguards - its his passion. My Broadway was fitted with a Style B type pickguard. Not sure if this is what your looking for but here’s a pic of the guitar.
JD
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Joe,
Bryant is in France - but shipping a pickguard is pretty easy. Chris is certainly a first choice for reasons you noted, but he’s very busy and Bryant would be a good alternate choice for sure.
My Broadway is one of a few Canons in my collection - right up there with my 35’ DA snakehead.
Bryant never likes to copy exact , so thus the reason for leaving out the step in the pickguard. We both wanted this Broadway to have some DA appointments - but understated in a way that best suits the model . One day you have to play this one ...- but bring diapers.
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Steve, Originally Posted by QAman
Are you sure the step is proper for a Style B? Look at the Cris Mirabella photo in the link I supplied above. My Style B came with a Gibson style guard that had the D'Angelico support strip behind it (likely unoriginal). It was gassing out and I replaced it with an Allparts Gibson guard (until I figure out who to hire to make a top notch correct guard).
I am now curious if the step is proper for a Style B.
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D'angelico's are all over the book on what is proper. Some Style A and B's have simply ones and others have more elaborate steps. Remember many of these guitars were brought back to D'angelico and he would do repair or even do upgrades. This was common with Bill Barker. He change his tailpiece and pickguard later and sometimes players would ask for the newer style.
My old 37 NY was the original guard with all the bells and whistles it is completely free of any gassing. That happens and then some just come apart and actually need to get off the guitar or it will ruin the finish over time. My 49 has a replacement guard I made for it but the tracing is based on another New Yorker the original guard long gone before I got the guitar 32 years ago. There is a picture of this in a thread I did about a year ago.
I have two elaborate cutaway new Yorker guards I started a number of years ago with the two steps and I believe 9 layers of binding. The problem is these guards were for a cutaway 19 inch New Yorker. I owned a 19 inch cutaway for many years finally parted with it about 12 years ago. When I make them I tend to make them in a batches just to have around as it making one then you might as well make 2.
In not so sure the a replica guard has to be exact as such. Unless you have the old one to trace and use then it gets to be pulling hairs over really nothing. In the end you really want a period correct pickguard that would have been on the D'angelico. The harder part is getting the correct color of plastic that is thick enough. I can have seen and can get tortoise color material to make the pickguards but back then guitars generally have much thicker pickguards. That material is hard to come by but I have a few good pieces. Cost go up with fancier material and more layers of binding.
Then next problem is the longer guards that are on non-cutaways take more material and they cost more just in the material.....the good stuff is not cheap. I have done a few for players that are simply black because I have a nice thick black material that works great, not has expensive. It buffs out nice and will not warp. Then once the guard is made fitting to the guitar can be a whole other adventure depending on the set up. Non cut without pickups are the easiest but add a pickup that is already on and it takes much longer to get the set up.
The best way to make a replica if you do not have the original is to get someone to trace one for you from their D'angelico. Frankly I have even done one using a current tracing from a vestige copy and then make an adjustment for size on a copy machine. I sold one once to a fellow who wanted to use it on this Bacon and Day because he wanted a big pickguard and it happen to fit pretty easy. Find the original type material and pattern is not going to happen, and as mention the original material is dangerous stuff that is why they use ABS plastic now. Maybe guys in the New York City area have better beat on this than out here in the cornfields of Midwest.
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Marco ,
No I’m not completely sure if any new style B ‘s had a step in pick guard . Most have been replaced with some variations in style - and I’m leaning towards your thoughts on this.
So.......my curiosity to be correct led me to my library and I provide a pic of page 38 from “Acquired of the Angels” - which contains 1935 promotional brochure from Johns shop- showing a basic Gibson style pickguard on style B.
Was this style pickguard used on all Style B ‘s leading into the early 40’s -not sure.
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This style B pic was taken from first edition “ Acquired of the Angels” signed by my good friend - Jim D’Aquisto
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More info about instrument progression into the 40’s
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If we had a "love" button in addition to our "like" button, I sure would have hit the "love" button on that post. You were friends with one of the grand masters of all time when it comes to making guitars. Very cool. Originally Posted by QAman
This style B pic was taken from first edition “ Acquired of the Angels” signed by my good friend - Jim D’Aquisto
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"Price: $200.00."
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I have a Mirabella repro pick guard on my 51' Gibson Super 300 it is beautifully made easily worth the cost .
Will
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I have a 2012 Mirabella catalog and he lists $350 for a non step style B guard - and immediately would like to add that I have seen 4 Mirabella guards and they were all impeccable superb quality. So if your Style B is an expensive guitar and you only want the best-of-the-best , then ask Mirabella for sure. You get what you pay for.
i make guards myself, and have an original non stepped Dangelico guard to work from. I am not Mirabella but ask significantly less; and if you dont like the result you can return to get your money back.
Heres a Dangelico I recently did
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You probably could order one from the current D'Angelico company. It would already be made, ready to install and has a Style B logo on it. I have one of their Style B reproductions and the pickguard looks nice.
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I used to own a 1939 Style B. The previous owner had a replacement pickguard made for it. I know it was made by Ron DeMarino because Ron engraved his name, etc. on the back of the guard. I don’t know how they decided on the shape, but they went with no step, like QAman’s Trenier. I thought it looked perfect on the guitar (see picture). I no longer have the guitar, but I have a tracing of the guard if you’re interested in it. Originally Posted by Max405
Keith
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Thanks, guys. I knew I would be able to find some great advice here. I’ll have to try calling Cris Mirabella and contacting Bryant Trenier. Originally Posted by floatingpickup
I used to own a 1939 Style B. The previous owner had a replacement pickguard made for it. I know it was made by Ron DeMarino because Ron engraved his name, etc. on the back of the guard. I don’t know how they decided on the shape, but they went with no step, like QAman’s Trenier. I thought it looked perfect on the guitar (see picture). I no longer have the guitar, but I have a tracing of the guard if you’re interested in it.
Keith
Although, Keith, if you’d be willing to share that tracing, I’m quite sure that my usual luthier could make a superb copy of the one made by Ron DeMarino. I’ll PM you tomorrow.
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I would bet that the Style B's of the 30's had the Guard pictured in the 1935 ad. That is the same guard that I have on my 1937 Style A. I would also bet that some time in the 40's (probably when D'Angelico changed the headstock logo) the guard changed on the Style B. My Style B was made in 1948. It was the last Style B ever made, in fact 1946 was the last year that D'Angelico made Style A's or Style B's with the exception of my guitar. I was told by the widow of the second owner that the original owner was a family friend of John D'Angelico. The woods, binding and tailpiece on my guitar are all Excel quality and type (by the time my guitar was made, John D'Angelico was only making Excels and New Yorkers). I do not think the guard that came with my guitar is original. I need a proper guard for that guitar. I need to decide if I want a step on the Guard or not.
What would you guys do?
As much as I respect the work of Mirabella or Trenier, I am inclined to have either Deacon Mark or Frank make mine. They are fellow D'Angelico owners and they are my friends on this forum.
Here is the Style B at present. The Gibson type guard works, but a more DA guard would , IMO, be an improvement:Last edited by Stringswinger; 01-21-2018 at 01:18 AM.
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