Making pickguard safe on D15m

[schoolie]

I have a 1990 D15m, and the guitar tech that worked on it said that the pickguard is causing some stress in the top and should be reattached and the top refinished. I think I'm going to do the job myself. After I get the pickguard off, can I just apply a few coats of shellac on the PG footprint, then reattach? What is the preferred adhesive for sticking the PG back to the top? i'm thinking 3M adhesive spray or double-stick tape. Any advice appreciated. Thanks!

 

[wileypickett]

You’ll want to seal the bare wood under the pickguard with whatever was used on the rest of the guitar, no? (Wouldn’t have been shellac.)

You’ll likely have to fashion a new pickguard too. When they shrink enough to deform the top or cause cracking, once removed it’ll shrink even more, enough so that it’ll be smaller than the original footprint.

I’ve seen ones I’ve removed shrink — overnight — as much as 1/16” all the way around the pickguard, which means you’ll have a light border around the pickguard if you try to replace the original.

I use double-sided tape to reseat new pickguards.

Many of the current replacement tortoiseshell pickguards are printed rather than made out of real celluloid. This means every one is the same. I hate that (!) and will go out of my way (and inevitably spend more) for real tortoiseshell celluloid.

Drum wrap is a good substitute. You can make a 10 or more pickguards from one roll.

Good luck!

And before Tom beats me to it — “Of course, we’ll need pics.”

 

[jedzep]

Interestingly, I just removed the guard on my '63 F30, as it was actually lifting the edge of the sound hole. My guard was attached to the raw wood, which would require using wood glue to reattach. I hate pick guards so I make a cardboard mask and use UV exposure to darken the color and unify the top color, if the contrast isn't too great. Refinishing the top is a big deal to take on, as you may know, but you could use shellac or flat lacquer to get a sealed surface for use with the double sided tape.

 

[gjmalcyon]

That is one of the coolest photos I've seen around here.

 

[schoolie]

Thanks for the tips, Wiley. Shellac sticks to lacquer, and I figured since this area will be invisible, shellac should work.. I could apply lacquer instead.
This pickguard doesn't want to come off easily. Tried some heat and naptha, but I think I need a good pallet knife for this...Also, good point about the shrinking pickguard. I thought that I could sandwich between flat surfaces, but I'll have to think about a replacement. I'll post pics when I have an update. Thanks!

 

[walrus]

That is one of the coolest photos I've seen around here.

Agreed! Guilds sunbathing, but cautious about getting a burn!

Love the look with no pickguard, jz!

walrus

 

[Westerly Wood]

I was playing the Br one afternoon in the Texas sun. The pg literally slid off. I was like, what the heck?
So I removed it and cleaned it up and thought I might just never replace it. But after a couple weeks, I started to dislike the hog color vs the actual rest of the top. It was really ugly. So I ordered a PG, self-stick, slapped that puppy on there. This is like summer 2015. Turned out great.

 

[gjmalcyon]

StewMac has a nice selection:

Search - StewMac

www.stewmac.com

 

[jedzep]

Thanks, boys! I'll add pics when all is blended in it's naked glory.

Maybe because of the era, my guard came off quite easily and retained it's shape beautifully. I'm amazed it had enough pull to cause any distortion in the sturdy top. It would be easily put back on.

I short-cutted the top refinish with sanding down to 2000 grit, to get it playable until which time I can take off the bridge and do a proper job. I like the Mohawk flat lacquer for building up coats, then buff out to a satin glow.

You are correct about monitoring/buffering the heat. Keeping the sunlight out of the sound hole is important, as well as removing string tension.

 

[jedzep]

Hey Schoolie, if your D is brown, refinishing is a different game. Is the top stained, or is the lacquer tinted? Big difference in results and technique.

 

[Boneman]

If those are in direct sun, despite the cardboard and towels, wouldn't that also still heat up the glue of the braces and bridge plate and potentially make things worse?

 

[Westerly Wood]

If those are in direct sun, despite the cardboard and towels, wouldn't that also still heat up the glue of the braces and bridge plate and potentially make things worse?

I am sure it could after too much exposure.
I saw a band outside once in Madison, WI in summer, and stand up bass player had a blanket over as much of the top he could cover yet still play it lol.

My Br has been thru worse. Outside of a busted truss rod and the pg sliding off it in hot texas summer sun, it is impervious to everything else I have put it thru. I did get a neck reset in 2015, but that was unrelated. it was a long time coming.

 

[davismanLV]

If it's a 1990 I'm not sure what they did, but I think by then they were putting the guards on, then finishing over. Both of my 1994's have the guards lacquered over. So if you can get it off without chipping the lacquer, AND you're going to replace the PG with a new one that covers the outline, you should be able to shellac it. You can lacquer over shellac as well. That's one solution to fish-eye is to shellac first then lacquer. But if there's no chips in the top lacquer around the outline, then you'll be covering any suntan issues anyway so that should work.

And yes, as Glenn has said, some photos would be nice. Good luck!!

 

[jedzep]

You'd be surprised at how (thick) cardboard keeps the overall top temp reasonably mild, up until you get above low eighties. After that, it's done from an air conditioned room window. It's important to cover the bridge too.

Taylor Mullins makes lovely, slightly thicker, beveled guards, that he'll oversize just enough to cover edge blemishes, if you send your original for him to copy the shape and sound hole ring circumference.

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[gjmalcyon]

That is one of the coolest photos I've seen around here.

And for reasons I don't understand, I keep thinking of this when I gaze upon those sunbathing guitars:

 

[cupric]

Hey Schoolie, if your D is brown, refinishing is a different game. Is the top stained, or is the lacquer tinted? Big difference in results and technique.

The top on the D15 is mahogany.

 

[davismanLV]

The top on the D15 is mahogany.

Are you sure???

 

[cupric]

Are you sure???

If it's a D15 it is mahogany. Top, sides, and back. The Mahogany Rush series.

 

[wileypickett]

Someone here on LTG recommended using naphtha and dental floss as a safe way to remove pickguards.

I’ve never tried that method but I intend to next time I need to take one off.

 

[schoolie]

It came off fairly easily. First I scored around the pickguard with a razor blade. Heat didn't really seem to help much. I applied naptha to one edge and got a corner to lift. Then I just worked slowly with a palette knife and working naptha under the pickguard with a pipette. i worked slowly and didn't force too much.


I clamped the pickguard in a heavy book, and cleaned off the top with naptha to remove as much of the glue as possible.



i applied 6 coats of garnet shellac to the pickguard footprint, and it looked very nice, but it was a shade darker than the rest of the top,and it would have required a lot of work and waiting to apply lacquer.. Sorry, I should have taken a photo of the top with the shellac, but I was in a hurry. I sanded the shellac smooth, and buffed out any scratches in the surrounding lacquer.

I was lucky that I didn't notice any shrinkage of the pickguard. I scraped the bottom clean, and then I re-attached the pickguard with some liquid hide glue. i'm also trying to fashion a rosewood heel cap.. I'lll add some picks when it dries.