Can I play an NS S-100 without the pick guard?

[lungimsam]

Can I play a Newark St. S-100 without the pick guard or is there routing under it?

 

[SFIV1967]

No routing under it.

Or that picture from GAD:

Ralf

 

[lungimsam]

So the red lead is the shielded cable for the neck pick up?

 

[GAD]

So the red lead is the shielded cable for the neck pick up?

Yes, but not all years have the color-coded wires.

 

[lungimsam]

I mean that is the wire that goes to the neck pup, indicating that there are no routs under the pick guard for this and I could play the guitar with out pick guard.

 

[GAD]

I mean that is the wire that goes to the neck pup, indicating that there are no routs under the pick guard for this and I could play the guitar with out pick guard.

I've never removed the pickguard from my NS S100 and no longer have it, but I believe that there is nothing but wood under the guard. Worst case just remove it and see - it won't hurt anything. Just don't lose the screws.

Out of curiosity, why do you want to remove the pickguard?

 

[lungimsam]

I like to see grain and I remove pickguards for that option. Sometimes I find the guitar looks better with it off.
BTW, that is the real grain patterns of the NS. The NS is not laminate on top.

 

[SFIV1967]

I mean that is the wire that goes to the neck pup, indicating that there are no routs under the pick guard for this and I could play the guitar with out pick guard.

Didn't you look at the first picture I posted ?
Ralf

 

[GAD]

I like to see grain and I remove pickguards for that option. Sometimes I find the guitar looks better with it off.
BTW, that is the real grain patterns of the NS. The NS is not laminate on top.

I sometimes agree but for me an S100 looks odd without the guard. The screw holes would also drive me nuts. On a Starfire III for example there's only one hole and it's tucked up near the neck.

I don't recall ever seeing a mahogany laminate top. I think that's mostly a "fancy maple top" thing.

 

[lungimsam]

Yeah but I’m guessing that the nature boys were special run so I didn’t know if they are representative of the Newark Street reissues.
The second picture has a Picguard still on it’s just a bridge pick up popped out of place. But I can see from that red neck pick up cable that there shouldn’t be any routing under there.

 

[lungimsam]

GAD, I only mentioned thatGuild told me it was not a laminate top because you were wondering if it was a laminate top in your review.

 

[SFIV1967]

Yeah but I’m guessing that the nature boys were special run so I didn’t know if they are representative of the Newark Street reissues.

The Newark St. guitars were almost exact copies of the vintage models and the one with the clear pickguard was a vintage model.
Ralf

 

[GAD]

GAD, I only mentioned thatGuild told me it was not a laminate top because you were wondering if it was a laminate top in your review.

Oh! Thanks! Clearly I'd totally forgotten that. LOL

 

[fronobulax]

Yeah but I’m guessing that the nature boys were special run so I didn’t know if they are representative of the Newark Street reissues.

I'm a little confused.

AFAIK the "natural" finish, sometimes called Nature Boy, has not yet been announced for or made available in the Newark Street line.

If we are talking about 70's instruments, the finish was presented as just another option from the factory.

What gets confusing is that the carved models, oak leaves and acorns, were "special" and the most common finish on a carved model was a natural finish. So some people think it is the finish that is special and not the carving. Some folks use "Nature Boy" to describe the carved models but some folks think it just means the natural finish. I can't find it but I think Guild actually used "NB" on labels which adds to the confusion.

In any event in terms of construction and what was, or wasn't hidden under the pickguard, I'm confident in saying most 70's S-100's were the same. If there were differences I would expect them and the beginning (1970) and at the end of the run.