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Hummingbird Pickguard Replacement


ServantOfGod

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I have been trying to replace the pickguard on my bird. Since is a a little off. But that is totally impossible, I have contacted Gibson twice via phone and they said that they don't sell pickguards.... (pointless to me) However, I just found someone selling one. The bad thing is that he is in Argentina and he want to do a local sell(he don't want to mess with shipping). Here is the link: http://articulo.mercadolibre.com.ar/MLA-524983075-gibson-hummingbird-pickuard-nuevo-_JM

 

If you need one and have a friend in Argentina this might be the answer for you! However I am curious about how this guy was abe to get one straight from bozeman (see the pictures on his add) and they refuse to sell one to me. Thanks (pardon for my poor english

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David ,

 

Were are you located ? If it's within the U.S you might be able to get a replacement guard through a gibson acoustic guitar dealer.

 

 

 

JC

 

I am located in Houston, TX. I already contacted Fuller's Vintage Guitars which is one of the most prestiged Gibson's dealers in the U.S and they said the same thing!

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That's all a bit odd. The original shipping address was a warehouse (shipping center?) in Memphis, TN. The original recipient's address is a PO box (or office) in Bozeman, MT. From there, the pickguard somehow got to Argentina, to the current seller.

 

Sounds like a friend of a friend doing favors for someone, who then decided he didn't want to change out the one he had.

 

The Argentine peso is worth about 12 US cents, so the price is about $150, which probably wouldn't be bad if it is the real thing. I can't tell from looking at it, since I don't know what the current 'bird pickguards are like, and this one looks like it has the backing paper on it. Looks a bit garish to me compared to a vintage one.

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I just did a second try at Fuller's vintage. This time I received a positive answer, they said that they might have one but It might not fit perfect, however, they will call me tomorrow to order one from Gibson. They told me that It should be around $150. Should the replacement be done by a luthier?

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I just did a second try at Fuller's vintage. This time I received a positive answer, they said that they might have one but It might not fit perfect, however, they will call me tomorrow to order one from Gibson. They told me that It should be around $150. Should the replacement be done by a luthier?

 

 

If you aren't comfortable working on your guitar--the hard part is getting the old one off--see if Fuller's can do it for you. Might be an hour of labor for them, at most.

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First thing to be aware of is that Gibson Hummingbirds come with 2 different versions of the 'same' guard.

For True Vintage models the wildlife motif is engraved then hand-painted.

For the Standard the scenery is embedded below the surface of the plast.

 

Next thing to pay attention is the fact that these pieces of red/brown plastic somehow have gained almost mythical status in western pop-culture and therefor is highly attractive, , , also to put on non-Gibson Bird-like acoustic guitars. Since the late 60's, dozens of Bird-imitations have seen light of day and many have been far below average niveau. For these reasons, it's not difficult to see why Bozeman would say no to loose sale. Imagine the (second hand)market overflow with fake Birdish guitars all wearing genuine Gibson Hummingbird pickguards. The thought is unbearable for us all. . .

 

Still I believe it should be possible to get a new under warranty or in the warranty period if it's possible to prove the first has been damaged or had failure from the plant. This of course should happen via the shop where the instrument was bought.

 

The guard in your link first looked a bit uneven thus false to me, but who knows, , compare it to this Standard

 

http://www.ebay.com/...=item4d251713d3

 

and there is a certain similarity.

 

All for now - E-minor7

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WARNING!....The HB pick guard he is showing you in that link is a scam! ....He is showing you a $13.00 Epiphone Hummingbird pick guard! It is available to anyone legally online. Now, it so happens that the Epiphone HB pick guard is as close as you can get to a Gibson HB pick guard...but not quite exact in size, and with some very small differences in pattern.

 

However if you need one and can not get a Gibson version...I can tell you this is reasonably nice pick guard, with marbling and full HB motif....it is a thinner vinyl and is a stick on, but looks pretty darn good for just $13.00!....I have bought one of these from the link I posted below as a spare, since I own both versions of the Hummingbird (Gibson and Epiphone)....here is where you can buy the original, genuine and unaltered "Epiphone Hummingbird pick guard"...they delivered it quickly by mail and on time.

 

..Gibson will NOT sell its HB pick guard unless you bought the guitar NEW, and are the original owner, and it is under warranty, and you can prove it is defective under warranty...anybody else..forget it...they are not to be had. But the Epiphone version is legally available...Good luck!...get the Epi guard..it's actually quite nice at that price, and the average person will never know the difference. ....GL

 

http://www.allparts....tic_p_2780.html

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I haven't picked up my HB in a while so I did to look at the pick guard. Not the engraved like my j200

I'm going to have to give this guitar some more playing time. Sounds and plays great

 

 

0AEEF9B0-971B-476E-950D-F3CAFFCFE623_zpsno3l8ed2.jpg

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WARNING!....The HB pick guard he is showing you in that link is a scam! ....He is showing you a $13.00 Epiphone Hummingbird pick guard! It is available to anyone legally online. Now, it so happens that the Epiphone HB pick guard is as close as you can get to a Gibson HB pick guard...but not quite exact in size, and with some very small differences in pattern.

Thanks for setting that straight.

 

But wait a minute, , , look at the actual leaves of the trumpet-flowers - is the motif placed differently, , , and is the one in Guevaras link thicker ?

 

 

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I hope that Fullers is able to help you out. It might help if you take the actual guitar down to the store and have them do the removal and install. That way they can verify that it is indeed going on a Gibson Hummingbird. It will also insure that the job is done correctly. Be sure to keep us posted.

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First thing to be aware of is that Gibson Hummingbirds come with 2 different versions of the 'same' guard.

For True Vintage models the wildlife motif is engraved then hand-painted.

For the Standard the scenery is embedded below the surface of the plast.

 

Next thing to pay attention is the fact that these pieces of red/brown plastic somehow have gained almost mythical status in western pop-culture and therefor is highly attractive, , , also to put on non-Gibson Bird-like acoustic guitars. Since the late 60's, dozens of Bird-imitations have seen light of day and many have been far below average niveau. For these reasons, it's not difficult to see why Bozeman would say no to loose sale. Imagine the (second hand)market overflow with fake Birdish guitars all wearing genuine Gibson Hummingbird pickguards. The thought is unbearable for us all. . .

 

Still I believe it should be possible to get a new under warranty or in the warranty period if it's possible to prove the first has been damaged or had failure from the plant. This of course should happen via the shop where the instrument was bought.

 

The guard in your link first looked a bit uneven thus false to me, but who knows, , compare it to this Standard

 

http://www.ebay.com/...=item4d251713d3

 

and there is a certain similarity.

 

All for now - E-minor7

 

Thank for the advice. I will make sure that is the right pickguard.

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WARNING!....The HB pick guard he is showing you in that link is a scam! ....He is showing you a $13.00 Epiphone Hummingbird pick guard! It is available to anyone legally online. Now, it so happens that the Epiphone HB pick guard is as close as you can get to a Gibson HB pick guard...but not quite exact in size, and with some very small differences in pattern.

 

However if you need one and can not get a Gibson version...I can tell you this is reasonably nice pick guard, with marbling and full HB motif....it is a thinner vinyl and is a stick on, but looks pretty darn good for just $13.00!....I have bought one of these from the link I posted below as a spare, since I own both versions of the Hummingbird (Gibson and Epiphone)....here is where you can buy the original, genuine and unaltered "Epiphone Hummingbird pick guard"...they delivered it quickly by mail and on time.

 

..Gibson will NOT sell its HB pick guard unless you bought the guitar NEW, and are the original owner, and it is under warranty, and you can prove it is defective under warranty...anybody else..forget it...they are not to be had. But the Epiphone version is legally available...Good luck!...get the Epi guard..it's actually quite nice at that price, and the average person will never know the difference. ....GL

 

http://www.allparts....tic_p_2780.html

 

 

Hey Guitar Light, It may be fake, but it is not the Epi PG, I ordered one from All parts, and had to return it because the Epi is smaller than the Gibson. And you're right it looks nice!.

 

I called Bozeman yesteday and they told me that they could send me a replacement. Then sent me an email saying that they would't do it since I am not the original owner.. But I am in touch with the orignal owne, could he order it from Gibson and then send it to me?

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Fuller's should be able to do it for you.

 

 

 

 

JC

If I can't get in touch with the original owner I will definitely go thru that path. As the matter of fact I will stop by during my luch break. I have the guitar with me, they said that they could have one in stock, but they would have to make sure that will fit.

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I haven't picked up my HB in a while so I did to look at the pick guard. Not the engraved like my j200

I'm going to have to give this guitar some more playing time. Sounds and plays great

 

 

0AEEF9B0-971B-476E-950D-F3CAFFCFE623_zpsno3l8ed2.jpg

 

Yes!! beautiful pickguard man!!, that exactly what I want. This is mine:

 

hb3_zps57ca50c4.jpg

hb5_zps404f93f2.jpg

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Thanks for setting that straight.

 

But wait a minute, , , look at the actual leaves of the trumpet-flowers - is the motif placed differently, , , and is the one in Guevaras link thicker ?

 

You are right! that's a fake PG. (at least will fit) but not for that $$$

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I hope that Fullers is able to help you out. It might help if you take the actual guitar down to the store and have them do the removal and install. That way they can verify that it is indeed going on a Gibson Hummingbird. It will also insure that the job is done correctly. Be sure to keep us posted.

 

I will. My hope is that Gibson send the orginal one at no cost to the original owner, and then he send it to me. Here are some pictures of my guitar, I took them yesterday. I replaced the tuners for gibson deluxe's, installed a truss rod cover with the "Hummingbird" letters, and snakewood bridge pins from Steward MacDonald.

 

hb6_zpsde382bb4.jpg

hb5_zps404f93f2.jpg

hb4_zps960c0ac9.jpg

hb3_zps57ca50c4.jpg

hb2_zpsbdbaa0a4.jpg

hb1_zps9c4503c6.jpg

 

Before the mods:

 

IMG_8095_zpsdfc24920.jpg

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Congratulations - it looks so tempting in that emerald case.

 

And not least the s-wood pins are beautiful, , , but do they sit a little high. .

 

Be happy

 

Thanks! i noticed that too, it didn't affect the tone of the guitar, it could be because they are new.

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Hey David, does the guard really bother you that much? Nice looking instrument as is. Good luck. - Steve W.

 

Well, I could live with this. But I think it would be a waste . The pickguard is the most attractive HB guitar (plus their unique sound ) Years ago I had an Early 60's HB loved and looked like the pickguard . She was very attractive !

 

Here is a pic of my early 60's HB and the stunning pickguard. I need that yellow color:

DSC00443.jpg

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Thanks! i noticed that too, it didn't affect the tone of the guitar, it could be because they are new.

 

The fact that they are new should not be an issue. You should slack off one of the strings, pull the pin and the string out of the hole, and re-seat the pin with no string inserted in the hole. If the pin goes all the way down with no string in the hole, the ball ends of the strings may be pulling up into the bridgeplate when you install the strings, which is a string installation technique error that is easily remedied.

 

If the pin doesn't go all the way down to the skirt when inserted in the hole with the string removed--or very close to all the way down--then the pins may not fit properly, which may also allow the ball end of the string to pull up into the bridgeplate.

 

You can also simply look at the underside of the bridgplete through the soundhole with a lighted mirror (or a mirror and a small flashlight, or other similar setup) to see if the ball ends of the strings are seated tightly against the underside of the bridgeplate, but not pulling up into the bridgepin holes.

 

Generally speaking it's pretty easy to modify the pins to make them fit better in the holes. Don't modify the holes themselves, or you may regret it later.

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The fact that they are new should not be an issue. You should slack off one of the strings, pull the pin and the string out of the hole, and re-seat the pin with no string inserted in the hole. If the pin goes all the way down with no string in the hole, the ball ends of the strings may be pulling up into the bridgeplate when you install the strings, which is a string installation technique error that is easily remedied.

 

If the pin doesn't go all the way down to the skirt when inserted in the hole with the string removed--or very close to all the way down--then the pins may not fit properly, which may also allow the ball end of the string to pull up into the bridgeplate.

 

You can also simply look at the underside of the bridgplete through the soundhole with a lighted mirror (or a mirror and a small flashlight, or other similar setup) to see if the ball ends of the strings are seated tightly against the underside of the bridgeplate, but not pulling up into the bridgepin holes.

 

Generally speaking it's pretty easy to modify the pins to make them fit better in the holes. Don't modify the holes themselves, or you may regret it later.

 

Thanks, i will do that, it should be that the string is not properly attached into the bridge pin, some of them look just right in place and not to high. By the way:Stewart MacDonald have a video on his website about how to modify the pins (I don't even have the tools to do that).

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Thanks, i will do that, it should be that the string is not properly attached into the bridge pin, some of them look just right in place and not to high. By the way:Stewart MacDonald have a video on his website about how to modify the pins (I don't even have the tools to do that).

 

Stewart mac Donald , while a wealth of knowledge , are a business selling tools . The website is there to sell tools. many of which are not necessary for musicians .

glean knowledge off the site , but don't assume you need a tool just because they say you do.

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