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I have a Gibson Howard Roberts that no longer has a pickguard. The original one is long gone. An ebony replacement, which was not the same design as the original, has been accidental killed in a buffing mishap. The luthier is going to build me a new one. He would like a tracing of an original sized pickguard if at all possible.
I know this is a long shot. But the tracing doesn't have to be elegant. It can be faxed or attached to an email.
I appreciate any help. Thanks.
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03-28-2018 08:42 PM
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If you mean a Howard Robert's fusion, I can trace mine for you. If you mean the archtop, I can't help
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Gary, that's very kind. Mine is the round holed archtop unfortunately.
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Mine is a Gibson.
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I deleted it MG, didn't see that
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Sorry, Marty, my 1966 Epiphone HR Custom is in storage. I am not sure if the pickguard is correct for your Gibson HR Artist.
Did you try fox-guitars.com | ?
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This HR is the one I received a couple of months ago. The pickguard arrived cracked, which happened during shipping.
The seller was not experienced in non-local sales. He offered to take it back. We got FedEx to pay for a pickguard replacement since they packed and shipped the guitar, and clearly the damage occurred in their hands. There were also signs of mishandling on the box. The process took about six weeks. I had to get repair quotes also.
Two luthiers looked at the HR. Pete Moreno is one. He owned one just like it long ago and remembered it well since there were few Artist models made in natural. What looked like a small crack on the top he said is normal checking with darkening of the maple underneath the check from exposure to the elements. With magnification, there was no doubt. There were other such small, linear checks that were less apparent.
The second luthier is doing the work. He was bracing the cracked ebony pickguard and buffing out the guitar. This guy is a perfectionist and is highly skilled. He suggested spraying the pickguard with clear and buffing it out to make it look more elegant. To do this, he gave to his friend at Heritage. The pickguard didn't take up the lacquer in a spot (fish-eyed) despite cleaning the wood. So plan B was to just buff out the ebony without lacquer. The buff wheel shot the pickguard across the room and destroyed it.
My luthier wants to make a new pickguard for me and asked if I'd want it in the exact configuration of the original. If so, he thought I might be able to get a tracing.
The guitar was built in 1978. It plays beautifully and the wood is gorgeous. It's definitely worth the trouble.
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Hi Marty,
I sent you a PM earlier this morning regarding this.
Greg
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MG,
Have you thought about taking a few of the shots on the internet, scaling them up, and taking the best one for your tracing? That should get you something pretty close to work with, no?
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This is the idea...kinda rough. I judged it from the size of the humbucker. The pickguard came out 5.25" at its length.
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Okay, I'll be more explicit: I have a 1:1 tracing taken by a graphic designer on professional equipment.
PM sent.
Thanks,
Greg
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I fold.
GT
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Will you be my friend?
Originally Posted by life_with_a_song
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Here s a detriorated one, seen from the back. I have taken the old bindings off, to graft them onto a new repro guard
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Thanks!
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Originally Posted by Greentone
This is the idea...kinda rough. I judged it from the size of the humbucker. The pickguard came out 5.25" at its length.
Originally Posted by life_with_a_song
the best series of posts on JGF, since I’ve been here. Originally Posted by Greentone
That was great stuff.
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You've got to know when to hold 'em
Know when to fold 'em
Know when to walk away
And know when to run
You never count your money
When you're sittin' at the table
There'll be time enough for countin'
When the dealin's done
Every gambler knows
That the secret to survivin'
Is knowin' what to throw away
And knowin' what to keep
'Cause every hand's a winner
And every hand's a loser
And the best that you can hope for is to die
in your sleep
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Marty, it sounds like you've got some great leads on getting the measurements for a template.
Pickguard Planet/Chandler Pickguards is another option: https://www.pickguardplanet.com/gibson-es-jazz-guitars/
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Sure! Originally Posted by Woody Sound
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The avatar says it all...
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The buffing wheel shot the pickguard right across the room and destroyed it? HA! HA! Love ya, Marty; you have the craziest stories of not leaving well enough alone. I mean that in a congenial way. You are that friend who gets himself into funny little scraps time and again...and lives to tell the tale.
Hope you get that pickguard off the 1:1 tracing life with a song so graciously offered. A tree died for that ebony pickguard; don't waste the wood. Turn it into...something. Could be used as filler or inlay or hot-hide glued in a stack and carved into a laminated saddle.
The HR Artist is like the ES-775: Gibson unicorns. Would love to see the new pickguard.
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JW: This time it wasn't me who couldn't leave well enough alone. The luthier took on the repair of the pickguard as a voluntary project. He doesn't generally do repairs any more. He builds mostly high end flattops now.
I showed him the HR to get a quote for FedEx. He volunteered to do the repair. Then he asked if it would be okay to buff the whole instrument out. I told him to do with the HR exactly what he'd do if it were his guitar. I trust him completely.
The pickguard accident was not in his hands. That happened at Heritage actually when he had a friend try to shoot it with lacquer, which was a tiny task when you work in the spray area there.
My luthier will cannibalize the pickguard for inlays and other things.
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"The buffing wheel shot the pickguard right across the room and destroyed it?"
reminds me of the story Jimmy D'Aquisto told of John D'Angelico telling him to buff a guitar he had made, but to be careful because it had one of the old rope straps w/tassel on the end. D'Aquisto didn't listen and the wheel caught the tassel and threw the guitar across the room smashing it against a wall. the old man screamed at him that he'd take the $ out of his pay, but never did.
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MG, I am impressed bud.. I could NEVER, EVER be able to say that about myself. Originally Posted by Marty Grass
We are tinkerers.. That's what we do.
I have much to learn, master.
JD
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