Hummingbird Pickguard Paint Touch ups

[SirNed]

. . . does anyone ever recall hearing anything about the original molds for the Hummingbird pickguards, pre-Bozeman?

 

So these 'guards are molded/stamped for the artwork to be painted?

They were originally hand-etched and painted. Later they used molds. Heritage Guitars at the old Kalamazoo Gibson factory has some of the old molds. Here is a pic (I would of liked to get a better photo, but it was dark in there):

[62burst]

They were originally hand-etched and painted. Later they used molds. Heritage Guitars at the old Kalamazoo Gibson factory has some of the old molds. Here is a pic (I would of liked to get a better photo, but it was dark in there):

Great photo, Ned. 'Would love to be able to make out what the white card says, or what the strange metal object next to the SJ-200 guard is. [EDIT- ok, it looks like half of a Gibson Masterbuilt banjo headstock]

 

So- the holes in the "points" of the two pickguard molds. . . hmmm (?) I suppose the mold for the Country Western model would show a shallower depth mold for it's thinner guard (?)

 

Nicely done, Sir Ned.

[SirNed]

62burst: You're right.. that is a banjo headstock pattern. I was able to make out some of the notes, so I'll post them below.

 

Hummingbird Pickguard Mold:

This mold was used to create the eye-catching pickguard of the Gibson Hummingbird. Wax-like filler was poured into the mold, then the dried shape was punched out and the grooves were filled in with different colored paint to show the designs.

 

SJ-200 Pickguard Mold:

This mold was used to create the sophisticated pickguard of the Gibson SJ-200. Wax-like filler was poured into the mold, then the dried shape was punched out and the grooves were filled in with white paint to show the designs.

 

Banjo Headstock Pattern:

This is a pattern for making the Gibson banjo headstock. The pin holes held the pattern in place, and workers would trace one half of the pattern and then flip the pattern over. This ensured that the pattern would be completely symmetrical.

 

Soap Bar Pickup Mold:

This is an original injection mold for the Soap Bar Style pickup covers. This mold of the classic single coil pickups was used in the late 1950s. When used in production, the plastic material was poured inside, and once it was dried they would push the six center spheres to punch out the pole piece holes.

 

Banjo Router Template:

This fretboard template was used on a pin router to shape the "flying eagle" mother of pearl inlays on various Gibson banjo models. It was most likely use in the mid 1940s-1950s.

 

Gibson A-50 (Mandolin) Headstock Template