1947 Gibson ES-300 Pickguard

[wintermoon]

agree on both points

This one on reverb is showing the same problem: Vintage 50's Gibson ES-300 Hollow Body PICKGUARD w. Gold | Reverb

I'm pretty sure by the time the twin pickup 300 and 350s were introduced in '48 ish they came w lam black beveled guards, so celluloid probably only in '46 and '47

[wintermoon]

If you are looking for someone to make an accurate replacement celluloid guard, I highly recommend Leroy Aiello Welcome to AielloGuitars.com Leroy made me a perfect replacement for my 1947 L7. His price was very reasonable and he was very fast.
Keith
Attachment 69843

Really nice Keith, that opaque material is really hard to find, pretty close to the orig stuff.
Did your guitar come w the mounting hole in the top because of a previously installed replacement?

[wintermoon]

it's not just the case..its the combination of glues and linings and plastics and celluloids etc etc...the intermingling in a closed environment


you could put a new poly finished guitar in an old case and it wouldn't gas anything!!!

first step in preventing gassing problems is to keep case open...or guitar out of case altogether...that will certainly slow down problems..as gassing is dependent on closed environment


cheers

True, where do most archtop celluloid guards begin deteriorating? answer...where the reinforcing strips and mounting blocks are glued. There's a reaction between the glue and plastic, makes you wonder how many guards wouldn't have died w a different adhesive!

[wintermoon]

Just another pickguard aside, different batches of celluloid behave differently over time. For example many 20s Gibson guards survive today w out damage save for warping, but early 30s Gibson guards onward have an extremely high rate of mortality, exceptions to the rule excluded of course, there are still plenty of old celluloid Gibson guards from all eras hanging in nicely, depending on batch of celluloid and or environmental and or storage conditions.

[floatingpickup]

Really nice Keith, that opaque material is really hard to find, pretty close to the orig stuff.
Did your guitar come w the mounting hole in the top because of a previously installed replacement?

Actually, that is just a mark in the top and not a mounting hole. When I got the guitar, the pin that holds the guard was stuck in the neck and would not come out. I tried everything, including applying some heat to the pin. That was a mistake, because I accidentally touched the finish with a soldering iron and melted the finish in that spot. Finally, I took it to my luthier, but he could not get it out either. He ended up grinding it off and drilling a new hole just beside it. We then drilled the hole in the guard’s reinforcing strip to match the new hole in the neck. I wish I could do something about that ugly mark, because it looks like a screw hole from a distance.

Anyway, Leroy had perfect material for the job. I still have the original (deteriorated) and they look almost identical.

Keith

[Woody Sound]

Attachment 69843

That guard looks fab.

[wintermoon]

Actually, that is just a mark in the top and not a mounting hole. When I got the guitar, the pin that holds the guard was stuck in the neck and would not come out. I tried everything, including applying some heat to the pin. That was a mistake, because I accidentally touched the finish with a soldering iron and melted the finish in that spot. Finally, I took it to my luthier, but he could not get it out either. He ended up grinding it off and drilling a new hole just beside it. We then drilled the hole in the guard’s reinforcing strip to match the new hole in the neck. I wish I could do something about that ugly mark, because it looks like a screw hole from a distance.

Anyway, Leroy had perfect material for the job. I still have the original (deteriorated) and they look almost identical.

Keith

Just another battle scar, I wouldn't worry about it. Was just curious as that's usually the spot for top mounted guards, though I know they were pinned then.