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New Pickguard Day!
I have a 1981 Ibanez GB10 which I've owned since 1986. Great guitar. I've been concerned about the pick guard deteriorating and outgassing for years. It seems stable, but there is an occasional whiff of camphor and the gold plating on the pickups is pretty trashed next to the PG. I decided to replace it and found the price of a new one from Ibanez to be a bit silly, plus they're not all that readily available. So then I thought about having one made and contacted Matt Cushman about making me one. He suggested using a veneer for a headstock; I went with cocobolo. I sent him the original as a template and the new one just arrived today! Here it is, along with the original. Matt did a lovely job of matching the binding and the color tone of the pick guard, so that it doesn't look out of place or jarring to my eyes, as a lot of Ibanez wood PGs do.
I think I am going to get some black screws or color the heads of those.
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02-22-2020 10:48 PM
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Great job!
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Ok excellent. How does it sound?!
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Originally Posted by arielcee
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Matt has serious talent and is a super nice stand up gentleman.
A wise choice to have Matt make it. Gorgeous !
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Great work from Matt - you're a lucky guy.
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That is a very classy looking pg!
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I have an archtop made by Matt that I purchased in 2006. It is played nearly every day and is my go-to guitar. He's also made several bridge tops for me as well as a new tailpiece which are all excellent, and so he was the natural choice to contact about making the pickguard.
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It certainly looks great--nice upgrade.
Just a question though...my impression was celluloid outgassing took many decades to happen, i.e., 50-60 years. I'm not sure a 34-year-old guitar should have outgassing of the celluloid. I could be wrong though.
The tarnish on the pickup covers is pretty typical. Many manufacturers (Gibson excepted) did not do a great job of plating their metal parts. Frankly all of my older guitars except Gibson have tarnish or deterioration of the plating.
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Originally Posted by Doctor Jeff
Every time I opened the case the pickguard was wet. Sniff it and you got a toxic buzz. No time expirations. A 1939 pickguard can still be perfect. Dice roll.
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Beauty! A perfect example of the superb craftsmanship and attention to detail in Matt Cushman's work. Congratulations, and play it in good health!
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Nice replacement, Cunamara! I replaced a GB-10 pickguard that had out-gassed and completely deteriorated - and it didn't come out nearly so well!
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