CLIVE ALLUM

HI , I,m not a chemist and dont always check the content of domestic polishes , nor the branded Guitar polishes , but since i have refrained from using any polish near the pickguard area the pickguard sits there firm and flat and looking great . The first time in 2015, I replaced a Gibson pickguard that had been stuck back down by apreviuos owner with EVO STICK BONDED GLUE , it lifted again not long after,and I had been using a domestic spray polish to clean .Mr.Sheen I think I used , sparkled , and smelt great but after a while the guard started to curl up again at the pointed decorative areas . I followed up on a comment from a Gibson Forum member that mentioned the silicone dissolving the 3m adhesive effect , Anyway it seems to work , and I have carried out the replacement pickguard on a few more of my collection,and so so far with success . Every time I took them out of their cases and saw those babies with curly pickguard bits I fell out of love with them ,and needed to do something .... Just got to be patient , carefull , and resist polish around the pick guard areas . I think the reason Gibson utilises the soft pickguard material , is to avoid the the classic problem that occours with likes of Martins , is the harder non flexible pickguard material actually shrinks and can cause a split in the sounboard area a round the B string area of the bridge to the soundhole as the guitar ages. ii

By chance ,The method I used was the same as ALD 323 ,of 18 September 2020 ,but as he made such a fantastic and comprehensive instruction sheet I didnt write out my own method sheet for you guys , but well done you ALD323! Basically it aint the pickgurd , its using crazy silicone polishes, just use a very slightly moist cloth to clear off sticky donuts , beer or greasy finger marks . Rock on Chaps ..

Clive calling from Windsor , UK I was gutted when i realised the Pickguard on my J200 was starting to lift , complained to the store , that said yeah , they seem to do that , on a $4000 guitar not the answer I was hoping for . What I did discover is that the root cause for this problem is not a poor quality Gibson pickguard material,but most commonly the use of silcone based polishes . Whilst the silicone polish makes the guitar sparkle , it actually starts to seep underneath the edges of the pickguard and eats away at the adhesive . allowing the pickguard to curl . Big lesson , NO silicone based polish , just use a slightly damp cloth to clear of sticky finger marks in future I adopted a very similar method to yours repair the problem with success , my only difference is that I used heated cloth folded cloth pads to soften the Pickguard , by laying the pickguard in warm cloths in between 2 heavy books ,to flatten . Any residue sticky adhesive can be gently rolled off the surfaces with the pad of your fingers, then I used Zippo lighter fuel ( NAPTHA) on pads to clean off any trace of silicone on the back surface of the old pickguard ,and the surface of the soundboard ( WARNING carry out test patch with cotton bud on back of headstock prior to to applying to guitar surface to check for adverse reaction . I have used this method several times , and so far by not using Silcone polishes the pickguards are flat and secure . Good Luck , keep strummimg guys and gals .

Lithium Batteries ,thats a great tip ....going to check out the Mi-Si system out of interest

Hi , To those who might be interested Just thought I would give a progress report on my self repair on my J200 , pleased to advise 24hrs later the pickguard still remains flat well adhered to to the soundboard . Hopefully it stays put , so again many thanks for all your advice and tips. Possibly , divine intervention might have played a part as well . Just put a new set of 52-11,s Elixir nanowebs on her and , and I fallen back in love with her . My next problem is the fabric battery pack velcroed to the neck stump inside the guitar , Has anybody yet found a better solution?. I noted a valid comment about checking and changing a battery before a gig , but I, ve often forgotten , only human after all . I often wonder why, in this day and age an onboard guitar preamp system has ,nt yet been produced that could be charged by a USB socket charger system similar to a mobile phone. Contacted Gibson Europe about it , but they didn,t pass any comment . I am starting to think to think I might need some therapy Keep on strumming ,

Hi ,just t a brief post surgery report , for those of you who may be intersted . The Gibson J200 was entered into theatre at approx , 15.00 hrs ,operation completed approx 16.10 hrs all has gone well , the patient is recovering well ,and not a trace of sticky left on the pickguard or soundboard thanks to a gentle napther cleanse .No damage to the varnish at all , ( very small patch test carried out on the back of the neck to check prior to commencement ) 3M 476 ahesive double sided sheet utilised during the procedure , and a 4mm perimeter excess allowed on the edge of the pikguard ahesive sheet (handy tip from a local luthier) , to ensure good edge ahesion ,and the pickguard was placed directly over the original footprint of the pick guard ,even pressure applied and the he adhesion seems to have been a complete success . Any excess perimeter sticky was effectively removed with a gentle rolling thumb pressure. Meanwhile the patient is recuperating , with a leather book(Bible) resting on the pickguard to ensure gentle even pressure . I will check on the condition in the morning , but all seems well , and will keep you posted . So many thanks for your advice and tips, .definitely not allowing near any silicon polishes in future. Hoping I might have solved the problem. Signing off from the banks of the River Thames near Windsor ,UK. Keep on strumming .. Clive

Hi Guys, Thanks for all the advice, goes to show never too old to learn. My plan is to use "the napther idea " ( guessing thats lighter fuel Zippo etc.) to remove the sticky mess left underneath the redundant pickguard , reapply 3m, super strong adhesive film sheet to the underside . Remove the existing pickguard,carefully ,then use a small amount of napther on a soft cloth to to clean off any remaining adhesive surface of the guitar , and to remove any silicone residue that may be present to prepare surface ,then carefully apply pressure with a warm cloth pad,to ensure pickguard evenly stuck . The clamping idea seems great , but noticed that the guy was using wood glue directly on to the Martin guitar barewood so not sure if that is applicable to my dilemma . Thinking about the silicone polish comment ,I,m wondering if it may be the root cause of the problem, got to fall on my sword , put my hands up and admit I,ve never checked if the polishes i,ve used contain high quanties of silicone, so just purchased bottle of Dunlop 65 , for future use . Does my plan seem feasible , or am I heading straight into more problems ? . Incidentally ,I have taken the guitar to several luthiers , however the response is that , yes , they can stick it down, but none seem to be able to "guarantee" it will not lift. Regarding not playing the guitar, for live gigging I tend to use Takamine ,Taylor, Martin etc. as they are fairly robust and should a battery need changing mid set its a really simple and quick problem to resolve, unlike the J200 which has got an absolutely ridiculous velcro battery pack pouch system tucked inside the guitar , but hey ,thats another story and problem to talk about some other time . Still love the guitar , just want to love it more .. Happy Strumming Clive

Hi, I am very new to this site,so getting used to it ,also struggling to attach any pics. However ,the original pickguard came with the 2005 Gibson j200 antique natural guitar ,but I did purchase this preowned , but in immaculate hardly used condition in 2013. So can,t conirm if it was the original pickguard, looked fine and intact when I first got it , after about 2 months , started to see the pickguard lifting then started to try to rectify . Sadly it appears the previous had used contact type glue to hold ithe pickguard down , and upon very careful removal ,I saw that it had been glues down a few times at the spots where it was lifting , but surprisingly no adhesive remained on the sounboard and the only sign of damage to the still intact varnish ,was a pickguard shaped shadowing effect to the soundboard under the varnish. Tried the renowned Gibson approved stores im the UK for advice to no avail , eventually Gibson Europe agency , kindly despatched a replacement with adhesive film attached , exactly the same as original. The soundboard surface was dabbed with a very small of mild soap cleanser with cotton buds and left to dry for 24 hrs , When dried I removed the adhesive protection film on back of pickguard , warmed up the area with warm dry cotton pad,and carefully stuck the pickguard in position. Looked great, well pleased , put it back in its case , and didnt pick it up again for say 3 months , unfortunately the curl had started on this new one. Since , I have tried to firefight the dry patches with 3M adhesive film patches , that last for a few days , but not adhesive enough to prevent the curl. This problem only occurs to this guitar in my collection m the

Can anybody out there in Gibsonville help me, Despite trying 2 actual Gibson pickguards and self applying,using all the correct techniques advised by luthiers ,I still can,t solve the problem oh the pickguard lifting off the sounboard . Can anybody advise me where to get a non curly pickguard.?