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Tortoise or Tiger?


Buc McMaster

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Received a new tiger stripe pick guard for the J-45 today, so now begins the debate whether to install it or not...........what say ye?

 

The tortoise......or the tiger.....?

 

0nEUdgr.jpg --- Q946fPT.jpg

 

The tiger has some translucence and would show the variation of the burst were it not simply lain upon the tortoise......might consider that while pondering.

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So, the backing paper is still on the Tigerstripe?

Yes. And that backing paper is a golden hue. This photo shows the backing peeled back a little to show the translucence of the guard. It would most certainly blend pretty well, showing the dark and lighter areas of the burst through.......

 

SbysoBZ.jpg

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So, the backing paper is still on the Tigerstripe? It might blend a little better once the paper is off of the back, and the burst can shine through.

 

Yes, , , because as we see it now the tiger is too wild. .

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I have a couple of modern Gibson firestripes, and although they aren't particularly "authentic" in appearance, they don't look bad in use. You can see two here, on the L-OO Legend in the middle and the '43 SJ reissue on the right.

 

Because they are much more translucent than the tortoise guards, their final appearance on the guitar depends very much on the character of the 'burst they go over. The L-OO here as a very dark 'burst, the SJ somewhat lighter. The tortoise guard (real celluloid, not some modern plastic) on the old J-45 on the left, on the other hand, is essentially opaque, so it doesn't much matter what the 'burst beneath looks like. These are my three favorite guitars, by the way, and I love the tortoise celluloid guard (a modern replacement by Ross Teigen).

 

G1.jpg

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Thanks, Nick. I'm thinking the tiger guard on the 45 would look pretty much like your SJ there.......the tiger stripe only being really apparent over the lighter portion of the burst.

 

 

I think you're right.

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Reptile.

To each his own, but tiger-stripe goes down as one of the greatest travesties of guitardom ever to me.

Same goes for on big chicks' leggings, and rugs on the floors of the homes of folks who think big game hunting says 'class'. [scared][laugh]

 

(Nice guitar btw!)

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I can't decide but did you know your strings are on backwards?

Yeah. I keep reminding myself to fix that each time I restring the thing, but.........I always forget.

 

 

.....tiger-stripe goes down as one of the greatest travesties of guitardom ever to me.

Not that it will affect the outcome, but I'm curious as to why a tiger guard raises your hackles so........?

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Not that it will affect the outcome, but I'm curious as to why a tiger guard raises your hackles so........?

 

I've truly no idea Buc. [confused] :)

Maybe because its been used in some of those other god-awful applications in fashion and so forth, maybe because smacks of trying to contrive a difference from T'Shell for the sake of it (I'd say the same of say elephant hide look, or cheetah spot), maybe because T'shell was actually used and was an appropriate texture/pliability for the function (as opposed to tiger-stripe which is furry in nature)... actually that feels close - modern and commercial versus old/traditional and functional...hmmm, maybe.

 

No, I truly do not know...why do any of us like some things and not others?

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I am a fan of tiger stripe pick guards, but I have to go with Tortoise in this case.

 

Agree. I've got tiger stripe on my j45C and it converted me from the tortoise. It blends and is allows more of the wood grain to show through. I guess because of the stripe pattern as opposed to the burl.

But the pix you show make the tiger stripe look like a brown and gold barber shop pole.

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I've truly no idea Buc. [confused] :)

 

Otay, Spanky...........I can accept that........was just curious. There are things in my life that piss me off for no apparent reason too.

 

However, I do think the original J-45 model from 1942 sported a tiger guard, but it also had the non-belly rectangular bridge. I've not yet decided to make the swap......might have landed the guard just to set it aside. [biggrin]

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I've decided.

 

I like them both. If I was a J-45 player, and I'm not saying I'm not, I'm saying I don't own one but I sure would if I ran into the right one, I'd have to have two, one for each pickguard.

 

rct

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