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Sparkly pickguard opinions wanted


ksdaddy

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Opinions solicited here! I've got an old Framus that I've been trying to peddle on ebay for a lousy $125 with no takers. Through ebay's "best offer" system I've been offered $50 and $55. I'm insulted by that. It's a good guitar, I was just trying to cull some unused stuff. I did a lot of work to it when I got it, as it had the typical and somewhat predictable collapsed headblock like a lot of German guitars and American Fenders from the 60s.

 

Anyway, if I end up keeping it (which I have no stomach cramps about) I will want to upgrade the tuners and possibly refret due to low (not worn but LOW) frets. So at that point I will be completely upside-down investment-wise. I probably have $100 into it now, and Schallers will likely run me another $50 used, plus the time of a refret (and $6 worth of wire) so I will definitely never be able to recoup my money... so might as well build something I can use, right?

 

I can't describe the tone, I'm really bad that way. It's smooth and even and nothing is overpowering. That can be both good and bad I guess, but my point is that it's not like "wow, that sounds like _____!", it's more like, "Wow, I just picked this so-so guitar up and an hour has gone by and I've just been playing 'Mother' by Pink Floyd over and over and it sounds right!"

 

The pickguard is warped and there's a chunk missing and there's not a chance of finding a replacement. I have some material out in the garage left over from the 50s or 60s, it's definitely some kind of celluloid and may be like drum wrap. I have some orange sparkle I'm reserving for a future Danelectro type project but I grabbed a scrap of silver sparkle and made a new guard. It's thin and curly so I would need to adhere it somehow as oppsed to the Framus screws.

 

What think ye? Over the top? Too much? Too little? Can I buy a Nudie suit to match? Would Porter Wagoner approve?

 

With old guard:

2r5wbyg.jpg

 

And with prospective new guard:

i2k6tz.jpg

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I like the new pick guard.....go for it.

My first guitar was a Framus 12er that was strung with 6 strings. I got from my older brother. The thing I remember most was that the neck looked like it was made from about 25 thin laminated strips of wood (maple?).

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I'm pretty sure my mom's guitar is a 1960's Framus 12-string. Didn't John Lennon play one periodically or something? Anyway, she is sentimentally attached to hers (she played rhythm guitar in a travelling band for 7 years) and when she moved from Las Vegas to Pennsylvania recently, the movers snapped it in half. They offered to buy her a new one but she said no and it now sits in the repair shop of some guy who repairs celebrities' guitars. Can't remember his name.

 

ANYWAY, I like the glittery one because it suits the bridge, which looks like it was built by Ivanhoe!

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The glitter looks like the last few days of Elvis' Las Vegas period.

Skip the glitz and go with a tortoise pickguard. You could always

add a silver "pointy thingy" to the outside corner to match the

bridge. Your friends and family will thank you...........

at least they won't laugh.

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I'm thinking some of that plastisol glue. The stuff that'll roll your eyes back into your head. That ought to hold 'er flat. Side benefit is that you'll have such a hang-over from using it, tone will be less of an issue.

 

That, or shelack the whole top, stick the guard down the re-shelack the whole works. ... Works for Martin.

 

Put that blinged out puppy back on Ebay and you might be surprised how much more people will bid on her.

 

Been meanin' to ask, what axe is that burning on your barby?

 

Oh.. and Nudie Suit.. definitely Nudie Suit. And we want pictures! :)/

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Actually I was thinking of using Duco Cement and gluing the sparkle guard onto an old record album, then cutting it (again) but on the bandsaw and then bevelling it so the edges will show up black, thus accentuating all the more. A benefit will be that then it'll be marginally thick enough (and hopefully stiff enough) so that I can attach it with screws like the original.

 

Sounds rude and crude but I'll give it a shot. No duct tape here! It might be over the top but it'll be a neat job.

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I think you are onto something with the instrument. In for a penny .....in for a pound. I think you should go for it plus more.

 

I say ......ksdaddy.....pimp yo guitar !! rhinestone fret markers? small LED lights inside? mini mirror disco ball end peg?

 

If you get it pimp enough it will either be so retro-cool it ends up on the cover of Fretboard Journal or it looks so ghetto-fabulous that you sell it for a huge profit on EBay.

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I finished the guard as planned; contact cement and vintage vinyl. I opted to not try to bevel it. I drilled and countersunk the screws and slapped it on there. I have mixed feelings about the end result. Either recoiling from bling or recoiling in horror, very little middle ground. I updated the ebay pics and if it goes, it goes, and if it doesn't then it shall be used.

 

Die sparklefartzen auf Deutschland

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i think you'll get some serious bids if you combine it all - playing 'mother' in a nudie suit with the sparkly pickguard/scratchplate. every line of that song will be enhanced by the suit.

 

Mother do you think they'll drop the bomb?

Mother do you think they'll like this song?

Mother do you think they'll try to break my balls?

Mother should I build the wall?

Mother should I run for president?

Mother should I trust the government?

Mother will they put me in the firing line?

Ooooh is it just a waste of time?

 

Hush now baby, baby, dont you cry.

Mother's gonna make all your nightmares come true.

Mother's gonna put all her fears into you.

Mother's gonna keep you right here under her wing.

She wont let you fly, but she might let you sing.

Mama will keep baby cozy and warm.

Ooooh baby ooooh baby oooooh baby,

Of course mama'll help to build the wall.

 

Mother do you think she's good enough -- to me?

Mother do you think she's dangerous -- to me?

Mother will she tear your little boy apart?

Mother will she break my heart?

 

Hush now baby, baby dont you cry.

Mama's gonna check out all your girlfriends for you.

Mama wont let anyone dirty get through.

Mama's gonna wait up until you get in.

Mama will always find out where you've been.

Mama's gonna keep baby healthy and clean.

Ooooh baby oooh baby oooh baby,

You'll always be baby to me.

 

Mother, did it need to be so high?

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