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I just found this thread as I searched about the usefulness of pickguards. I'm a bit confused why we have them on guitars. If its intended purpose is to guard the body of the guitar from pick scratches, then the pick scratches go to the pickguard. So changing the pickguard is something someone thought of at some point to keep the guitar free of scratches? I don't get it. It also covers half of one sound hole. I noticed Metheny removed his from his 175 and on the Ibanez PM signatures, which he helped design, no pickguard was installed. I have several hollowbodies, one is an Ibanez AF155 AA, a beautiful guitar to be sure, it's as close as I want to spend for a Metheny-ish model. Regards to a finger rest, that's where I think it may be helpful as I finger pick about 50% of the time. At any rate, I'll be experimenting with it on and off.
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10-04-2018 11:24 AM
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You really don't need a guard to protect the top. The arched top makes it nearly impossible to scratch the finish, you would have to strum at a very awkward angle. But many people like the stability of having the pinky resting on the guard. When I removed the guard on my LP, It felt weird for a little while, but now I'm fine without it. Sometimes the guard looks nice, sometimes it affetcs the acoustics, add some weight or picks up statics. Non-plastic guards are noiseless, but some plastic pickguards get electrically charged when you strum and you get crackle and pops through the speaker. Then better remove it, or replace it.
Originally Posted by MoCee
I have a Century thinline where the guard gets static when air humidity is low, then I just remove it. I'll fix it on a rainy day, correction; sunny day.
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There's tons of old archtops w heavy pick wear on the bass side of the fingerboard where there's no guard, most likely from playing in big bands. Some of those guys almost windmilled their arms ala Pete Townsend to pick hard enough to be heard.
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I’ve seen proper ditches dug into the pick guards of old acoustic archtops.
I use the pick guard to rest my picking hand now.
The guitar top is too far from the strings for that be comfortable like with a flattop.
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My 1953 L7 has deep marks under the pickguard and i'm pretty sure that this was from heavy strumming by someone who did not pay attention to the fact that a guard would have protected the guitar's top. Originally Posted by wintermoon
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The pickguard can also be useful for mounting pickups and controls.
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I take em off my jazz boxes
I don't like the look of them
Just aesthetics and one less thing to rattle
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I have a couple of pre-war archtops that are pretty scarred up (that's probably why I could afford them). I have flat-tops with still pristine scratch plates. Go figure.
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I go back and forth. Sometimes I take my pickguards off, sometimes I put them back. There is really no huge difference. If you're playing amplified, partially covering one f hole doesn't matter to the sound. I don't often play acoustically, so I don't pound the strings hard, and don't scratch the top. I also don't usually use the pickguard as a fingerrest either, so it's not a big deal to me either way. It's mostly aesthetics, and my taste is not anyone else's taste.
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IMO, it’s an absolute must to keep the correct picking angle.
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I want to remove my pickguard but the problem is it has volume and tone attached to it. I don't want to have holes in the body. What solutions are out there? I haven't seen to have thought of any.
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Maybe Schatten thumb controls? (In the f-hole since you won't have a pickguard)
Schatten Thumbwheel Controls | stewmac.com
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The best solution I've found is the Schatten thumbwheel system. I have mine inside the guitar, adjustable through the treble side f hole. It's attached with double-sided mounting tape. It comes as two thumbwheels on a small board, with a capacitor for use if you want a tone control, and the instructions are easy to follow. Solder the capacitor in place, then 3 solder connections to the board, and done.
https://www.stewmac.com/Pickups_and_Electronics/Components_and_Parts/Potentiometers/Schatten_Thumbwheel_Controls.html
Also available from Ebay and Amazon. The instructions only mention mounting under the pickguard, but it's easy enough to put it in the f hole.
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There's a video of Eddie Diehl playing his D'Angelico with a pickup mounted to the end of the neck, using a volume pedal as a control and presumably just the amp controls for tone. Sounded great!
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I've made some instruments using only a volume control, and one without any control at all. One was enough. It's essential, IMO, to be able to kill the volume from the guitar, quickly, without having to go to the amp to do it. I can do without a tone control, because I seldom move it from full on, but a volume control is essential. I've never owned a volume pedal, and I don't want to have to rely on one every time I play my guitar.
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Where's your output jack mounted? In the rim of the guitar?
There's a box like this:
Voljack - JJB ELECTRONICS
There's also this:
Sorry! Something went wrong! .
If the output jack is mounted underneath the pickguard you may have to keep it or change it to a small fingerrest.
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