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Pick guards? On or off?


dslyecix

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Even though my Les Paul is a VM, the moment I took the pickguard off after 2 years of owning the guitar I knew the pickguard was not coming back on. I like the wood grain and look and feel.

 

Other than looks I am not sure why a carved top guitar would have a pickguard. I guess my picking/strumming style does not require one in this case...

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Even though my Les Paul is a VM, the moment I took the pickguard off after 2 years of owning the guitar I knew the pickguard was not coming back on. I like the wood grain and look and feel.

 

Other than looks I am not sure why a carved top guitar would have a pickguard. I guess my picking/strumming style does not require one in this case...

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It is a Plus. I got it about three years ago and still love it. I might try to find a way to put the guard on temporarily without drilling holes just to see what it looks like. Of course Gibson started putting out the Premium Plus last year for about the same price I paid for this Plus. Doh!!

 

Whatever man' date=' the pluses are waay sexier :(. Plus like i said, they seem to be hard to come by. I am still stoked with the finish on mine. Not the greatest piece of figured wood, but compared to all the black, regular sunburst, burgundy stains and gold tops, these guitars stand out. The gold hardware is incredible.

 

here's mine!

 

Maybe it's not the best, but it's rare that actually look at my gear when seeing superior models and prefer mine, so it must be a sign. Either that or it's plain hyprocrissy. Anywho, here she is. With guard and changed knobs! I bought the new bridge with adjustable fine tuner screws, but haven't gotten around to putting it on. I've been playing this axe waaaay too much hehe :(

 

gibsonlespaulstudioplusjq9.th.jpg

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Here, I dug the pick guard out of the case where it's been sitting under tuners, strings, guittools etc. for three years.

I positioned it on but didn't actually install it and took pic both on/off. I think I'll leave it off.

 

<a href="http://s256.photobucket.com/albums/hh194/jbow00/?action=view&current=PickGuard003.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh194/jbow00/PickGuard003.jpg" border="0" alt="Pick Guard off"></a>

<a href="http://s256.photobucket.com/albums/hh194/jbow00/?action=view&current=PickGuard001.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh194/jbow00/PickGuard001.jpg" border="0" alt="Pick Guard on"></a>

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Here, I dug the pick guard out of the case where it's been sitting under tuners, strings, guittools etc. for three years.

I positioned it on but didn't actually install it and took pic both on/off. I think I'll leave it off even though it does cover some smudges.

 

PickGuard003.jpg

 

PickGuard001.jpg

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Here' date=' I dug the pick guard out of the case where it's been sitting under tuners, strings, guittools etc. for three years.

I positioned it on but didn't actually install it and took pic both on/off. I think I'll leave it off even though it does cover some smudges.

 

[img']http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh194/jbow00/PickGuard003.jpg[/img]

 

PickGuard001.jpg

 

I think black and screwless would look great!

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Let me elaborate. I think LPs look fine with or without. There is something about the look of a '59 burst that just seems right with that creamy triangle on there. A wine red LP doesn't look right without one. There are many other examples.

 

All that being said though' date=' I can't bring myself to take a drill to this;

[img']http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg251/2manyGuitars/lp_after.jpg[/img]

 

this is simply THE most beautiful guitar i have ever seen. mad kudos to the folks at Gibson!

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OK here's another avenue to consider..... If you take the guard off and put it back on again. There is risk of increasing and/or damaging the screw hole. A very difficult repair if you are anal about your guitars and because we are talking about something like this I assume that most of us ARE! I say go with how the guitar was designed originally by the Gibson factory.

My 2 cents

 

telecasters

Steve C

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OK here's another avenue to consider..... If you take the guard off and put it back on again. There is risk of increasing and/or damaging the screw hole. A very difficult repair if you are anal about your guitars and because we are talking about something like this I assume that most of us ARE! I say go with how the guitar was designed originally by the Gibson factory.

My 2 cents

 

telecasters

Steve C

 

Good point.

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I just purchased a Studio in Fireburst and I guess I have no choice. Gibson does not include one in the package.

I thought it was up to the purchaser whether he wanted to mount it or not. WRONG. I sent them an email and they said they DO NOT include one on the Fireburst Studio. I guess it saves me drilling holes in the guitar. I really like it without though but I think the more classic look is with a guard. If it came with one on I would not take it off.

I know I could buy one but I will leave it as is.

I find it odd though that they would put one on a solid color, and not a burst. Maybe that is a trade off for the extra work that goes into a burst finish?

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Is this just preference? What do you guys prefer on your LPs? I only have an Epi LP Standard (some day when I actually have a job' date=' aka after uni), but I tried taking the pick guard off the other day and had a LOT of trouble playing with it gone. I suppose when I play I kind of use the guard as a gauge as to where my hand is, with my pinky touching it lightly. Without it I feel lost.

 

Would there be any reason to take it off and try to become sufficient playing that way? I do hope someday to own a true Gibson LP as well as an SG, which I know has a flat pick guard, so I'd have to learn to play without it anyways, right?

 

What do you guys prefer and why?[/quote']

 

Nothing wrong with an Epi Standard Bro. I have an Epi or two myself.

Pickguard on or off depends on personal preference, and the guitar top. I think the pickguard is part of the LP's look, but a lot look great without one. With an SG for instance you might find yourself placing your pinky on the pickup ring, or just on the pickguard in a certain place. I play both styles of guitars, in LPs too. All you do is place a finger (pinky or ring) on the guitar about midway between the pickups, just below the first string and use it as a reference point. Then you learn how far to stretch your hand in order to play. The benefit of the pickguard on, in your case especially is that it provides a flat plane parallel to the strings. If you gave it some time without the guard, you would either end up placing your pinky on the pickup ring, or body and learning to adjust your movements. So don't sweat it. It can take a few minutes to adjust when switching from one style guitar to another, but it will come to you in time.

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