Gibson L7, wanna notch pickguard for DeArmond, but I'm an idiot

[Flat]

I am looking for a little advice.. .

I have a 1944 Gibson L-7 non-cutaway that I am trying to retrofit with a reissue DeArmond 1100 pickup.

I didn’t want to mess with the “original” pickguard (which might not be “original” in my case, but it’s nice and thick and looks great) so I bought a replacement on Reverb.com. I don’t want to say anything bad against the seller. The pickguard looked beautiful! Maybe better looking than the original. And only $60. But it was much thinner! About half as thick.

So I was trying tonight, in my expanding idiocy, to cut a notch for the DeArmond using a jeweler’s saw, as I have heard recommended on various forums, and the entire pickguard split in half. <<Sigh.>>

Note: This was entirely due to my clumsiness. I am extraordinary. A normal human could probably pull this off.

So that leaves me here:

Does any lovely soul have any recommendations regarding:

1. A good place to buy a new L7 noncut pickguard (the long one)

2. Better yet: Know anybody who can build and sell me a nice long L7 pick guard with a notch already cut?

3. Or if not: Any advice on cutting “the notch” in a way so I don’t split the whole damn guard in half...again?

I had initially planned to use a Dremel tool to cut it, but Internet wisdom suggested this might “melt” the pickguard. So I took the safer path. And still managed to botch it. Yeah, me.

4. There’s no way I can salvage the split-in-half replacement guard, is there? I could try SuperGlue, but it’s always going to look dorky and remind me of my idiocy, isn’t it? And it was too thin to start with, so better to just start over, yes?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

[zizala]

Hey again Flat!

I have a couple excellent celluloid nitrate repros (with correct width single binding) by Kris Mirabella that I had made for my '45 and a '47 I once owned.
He used templates from a deteriorating original I had. They were pricey but worth it.

Only need to keep one....

It's possible to mount without the DeArmond cutout by inserting a spacer that stands the pickguard off the side of the neck the appropriate distance to center the pickup. Its an option for keeping the pickguard uncut in case you go back to fully acoustic sometime.
Its a choice anyway......some players might have a problem with that extra space and some not, depending on right hand technique and pickguard height.

Some adjustment to the usual side bracket rod is also necessary to line things up.
Don't know what you've got, but I had a '44 that had a "wartime" bent flat side bracket, similar to what Epiphone used.
They don't look as nice but make a pickguard much easier to adjust.

PM me for pics and details if interested.

[Doctor Jeff]

The way to make those cutouts is to drill holes with the proper radius—3/16”-3/8”—whatever—at the corners, cut between them and from the hole to the edge roughly with a coping saw, and file it down smoothly. Gentle sanding to finish. You need to support the piece the entire time, such as with a jeweller’s bench pin vise or marquetry cutting vise. Not so hard, but a little tricky.

IMO anything over $60 is too much.

I have made a few, not too hard, just need a template and router with an angle bit. I’d be willing to look at making you one, if you were willing to send me the pickguard material from Stew Mac and a paper or cardboard template of the original with screw holes and where you want the cutout. For a nominal fee. PM me if you’re interested.

I mounted my RC1000 onto my Harmony cutaway doing what Zizala suggested—used a spacer at the top to move the guard over 1/8-3/16” or so so I didn’t have to cut it. You might try that first.

[sgosnell]

A Dremel or similar can work fine. The speed is variable, so use a slower speed to control heat. The critical part, regardless of the tool, is to go slow and don't force anything.

[campusfive]

I was in a similar place with my 1932 L-5. It's rare that I need it to pull double duty as both and electric and acoustic, otherwise it's always kept fully acoustic, but I had a fly-out gig where I needed it to do both using my DeArmond Guitar Mic. I've used it in the past, but I was now noticing that I couldn't live with the misaligned string balance and so I would have to notch the guard to make to balance.

The idea of putting a notch in the guard, and leaving the notch there the rest of the time was not an option, because the pickup would come off as soon as the gig was over. And I didn't really have time to get a second guard....

So a luthier friend of mine came up with a novel solution -> add a 1/8" spacer to the block where the pickguard attaches to the neck. It pushed the guard just enough "south", and amazingly, the visual difference is so subtle, it's pretty much unnoticeable with the pickup off, so although the pickup is gone, the spacer is still there, and my guitar looks "normal". (Sorry I really hate the look of a guitar without a pickup and with a notched guard).

Might not be enough distance for a model 1100, but just a thought.


You can see it if you're looking for it. But let me take a picture of it without the pickup and you can see how minimal it is.

[icr]

Reads like you just got a junk pickguard. The pickguard material StuMac sells is thicker and is easy to work with without cracking or splitting. Takes well to sanding, polishing, saws, knives and Dremel.

[rolijen]

The Allparts guards are of exceptional quality with perfect binding. I use a Dremel to carefully cut notches. I split one a couple years ago. It glued back together fine, but the crack was visible. I’ve been more careful on two others and they turned out perfectly. Comes in either black or tortoise.

PG-9817 Bound Pickguard for Gibson(R) L-5(R) Non-Cutaway — Allparts Music

[Flat]

Hey Ziz!

That is very kind of you to consider letting one of your Mirabella guards go, but I know that is super high quality stuff. I might ask you about that down the line, but I am going to try to do this one on the cheap, at least to start. With Covid keeping me at home more often these days, I’ve been working on my little guitar projects to entertain myself.

Btw, I actually went and put the trapeze back on my ES-225. Did a deep clean and polish with Virtuoso. And replaced the heavy metal Grover tuners with period-approximate Klusons. I’m liking the change, if only for the sake of change! That trapeze has been off that guitar since 1984! (see pic)



Could you kindly take a look at the pics of my L-7 below? There are two holes for the screws to attach the guard. The northern one mounts on a bracket, I have learned, with three holes. Is this something like the “spacer” or “wartime bent side bracket” that you mentioned? I did not realize this before, but it appears that I could just mount the guard to the hole furthest from the neck. And then just find a way to make it work on the southern end. What do you think?


The original-to-me guard. It seems unlikely it is original. It is in too good condition.


What the new pick guard looks like, pre-notch and drill and thumbwheels.


With pick guard removed:

[Flat]

It is also super kind of you, Doc, to even consider making one! Thank you! I might check your oil down the road, but for now I’m content to hack away and learn a little.

Btw, I wrote to StewMac and they said they don’t carry this model of pick guard...

I think my next step is to just glue the broken guard together, and keep hacking. The thing broke in the middle of the notch, so that might make it easier to cut the shape into opposite pieces. The whole thing is a learning adventure for me. Then I’ll see if I can shatter it when I drill the two holes. (Odd detail: the holes are different sizes. I don’t know if that is original.) And I plan to mount Schatten thumbwheels on the back...

Your Harmony looks like a sweetheart!

I might end up doing the spacer maneuver that you and Zizala and Jonathan all mentioned. I might be halfway there already, with the north bracket shown in the picture above.

[Flat]

Jonathan-
Your ’32 is cooler than most any of the guitars that make the vintage guitar wall calendars my wife buys me for Christmas each year. What a gloriously well-loved instrument!

Yes, the spacer idea is certainly becoming. One nice aspect is that it might also let me play around with placement—in terms of how far from the neck.

If I may ask, how do you secure the DeArmond to the top? Do you use an adhesive putty?

Sgosnell and icr-
Thanks also for the Dremel encouragement. A better quality guard and some low RPM dremeling definitely seems like it could work.

Rollijen-
That is a great link to Allparts! That guard looks great, and the price is right. I've seen things from $35 cheapies to $495 vintage pieces.

Thanks, everybody!!!

[zizala]

Flat,

The side bracket is the one thats supporting underneath the rear of the pickguard and attaches to the side rim, and yes.....you have the a "flat side bracket".....sometimes used on wartime L-7's.
There may be better terminology for these things but that's what I call 'em for lack of anyone to correct me and tell me otherwise.

That little neck bracket in your pic isn't what I meant by the "side bracket".
Someone added that, and it may be workable but requires very small screw....too small I'm thinking.
But yes, you may be able to use that or something like it to secure the guard to the neck and allow for a little offset to make room for a centered DeArmond pickup.

If you need more details feel free to ask..... PM me.

Nice to see your ES-225 again, with original tailpiece/bridge assy.
I'll put that back on mine when I sell it, but really prefer the rosewood bridge and regular trapeze.

Z

[rolijen]

I learned that drilling is dangerous too as in, that’s how I split one. I now start the hole with my Dremel with a skinny, pointed grinding bit, going slow and steady, after getting the small hole, then I switch to a angled bit to create the counter sink.

[itsthewoo]

Jonathan-
. . . . .

If I may ask, how do you secure the DeArmond to the top? Do you use an adhesive putty?

. . . . .

I'm not Jonathan, but I have a Guitar Mike that I take on and off of my pickguarded LH-700.

I personally use the monkey-on-a-stick rod, with two felt pads under the pickup to give it enough height to support itself against the pickguard. I also have some mounting tape on the tab of the pickup to increase the distance between the strings and the pickup. (I think some folks wrap theirs in electrical tape.)

The downside is that, because of the felt pads, there is theoretically some dampening of the soundboard. However, to my ears, the difference is pretty minor. In contrast, when I mounted the pickup directly to the soundboard with putty, I've noticed a decrease in volume and change in sound.

I haven't tried using putty or tape to mount the pickup to the pickguard without felt pads, because the monkey-on-a-stick system doesn't quite give the necessary stability on the low-E-string side of the pickup.

[campusfive]

Jonathan-

If I may ask, how do you secure the DeArmond to the top? Do you use an adhesive putty?

Oh definitely not! I hate the idea of anything touching the top and deadening it.
There's a little tab sticking out of the FHC. The luthier put a strip of reinforcing under the pickguard and put a notch in it, so the pickup hangs from the guard and the "monkey stick"

Cheers!

[DMgolf66]

Oh definitely not! I hate the idea of anything touching the top and deadening it.
There's a little tab sticking out of the FHC. The luthier put a strip of reinforcing under the pickguard and put a notch in it, so the pickup hangs from the guard and the "monkey stick"

Cheers!

I would love to see pictures if you ever have the chance. as I'm having a hard time envisioning the whole setup and "south" pickguard.

[garybaldy]

There's a guy called Nick Bachman on Facebook that makes some really nice ones - some a bit quirky.
He's a member in various archtop, EER, Kit builders, etc groups.

[Flat]

So I ended up ordering a new pickguard from archtop.com for about $99. It was much thicker than the one I bought from Reverb.com for about $60. The old one looked great too, and probably would have been fine if I didn’t hack at it to make the notch for a Dearmond.

I bought a vise (smart move!) to hold the pickguard; clamped the pickguard in a thin towel; and used a cylindrical Dremel tool head slowly carve or grind out a notch. I was pretty happy with how it turned out. I used tiny balls of Schatten putty to hold the Dearmond, at least for the moment. I have a monkey stick, but don't really like the look or the idea of making holes in the neck to mount it.




But now the wiring is the problem. I am using a Schatten thumbwheel, and tried to wire it according to the following diagram.



Unfortunately, when I plug the guitar in, all I get is an evil hum. No string sound at all. Just hummmmmmm.

I am using a Tapastring Vintage Jack so I could avoid reaming out a larger hole for a proper endpin jack. I suppose the Tapastring is another risk factor.



Instructions for installing the Tapastring Vintage Jack:


These instructions for the Tapastring made me think I needed only one wire. I cut the other two short, but kept the trimmed-off bits so I could re-attach them if necessary. Their instructions say:

“You may only need one of the shielded audio wires.”
I suspect this may be where the problem is.

“The unmarked shielded audio wire is for the second pickup in a dual pickup systems (you may not need this wire)”
(I am using a single pup, so I figured I didn’t need it.)

"The black wire is used to switch the battery on pickup systems with onboard active electronics (You may not need this wire either.)"
(Doesn’t apply to me either, I thought. No battery.)

The Schatten thumbwheel wiring diagram shows two wires going to position number 1. I’m using only one (from the pickup). Do you think that might be the problem?

Any advice much appreciated!

[Flat]

Just to resolve this for posterity in case anyone else goes down this road someday...

I finally decided to ignore the Tapastring instructions and followed the Schatten thumbwheel instructions, and ran the "black wire" from the Tapastring Vintage Jack to lug position #1 on the Schatten thumbwheel.

And I think that will do the trick! I still need to reassemble things, but I checked the output through an amp, and I think I'm finally cooking with gas.

I've long wanted an L5 Wesmo, but they are out of reach for me. But this old well-worn L7 and a reissue Dearmond is going to be sweet!

[Hammertone]

The original-to-me guard. It seems unlikely it is original. It is in too good condition.

That is not an L-7 pickguard. Therefore, it is not original.