greenthi102 Posted June 3, 2013 Share Posted June 3, 2013 I am thinking about replacing my firestripe/tiger stripe pickguard with a terrapin tortoise shell. Does anyone have any pictures of the terrapin tortoise shell pickguard on the j-45? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisM Posted June 3, 2013 Share Posted June 3, 2013 No pictures at the moment though I can get some if you want. I ordered the tortoise shell J-45 tear drop guard and to be honest it's a bit of a let down. Not much of an upgrade over the stock J-45 TV pick guard. I've had the Terrapin pick guard just sitting around a couple months now. Don't know what I'm going to do with it. I spent a lot more to have my luthier make a custom pick guard for my Taylor a few years ago and I would do it again. The quality of the material (that special material from Stew Mac), the polish and beautiful beveled edges make the Terrapin guard look well really cheap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j45nick Posted June 3, 2013 Share Posted June 3, 2013 I spent a lot more to have my luthier make a custom pick guard for my Taylor a few years ago and I would do it again. The quality of the material (that special material from Stew Mac), the polish and beautiful beveled edges make the Terrapin guard look well really cheap. I did the same thing with my J-45. My luthier, Ross Teigen, made a pickguard using the standard Gibson pattern, but we chose the celluloid from his own stock. The edges were beveled, the whole thing polished, and then clear-coated over. Yeah, it cost a lot more than a stock guard, but to me it was worth it. In the grand scheme of things, it was peanuts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisM Posted June 4, 2013 Share Posted June 4, 2013 I did the same thing with my J-45. My luthier, Ross Teigen, made a pickguard using the standard Gibson pattern, but we chose the celluloid from his own stock. The edges were beveled, the whole thing polished, and then clear-coated over. Yeah, it cost a lot more than a stock guard, but to me it was worth it. In the grand scheme of things, it was peanuts. That's just like the one I had made. Looks great! Like you say it seems like it costs a lot at the time but it's totally worth it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted June 4, 2013 Share Posted June 4, 2013 I needed a pickguard for an old Epiphone in which the scratchplate is set into the top so no margin for error. I sent off a tracing to Terrapin and they nailed it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littlejohnny Posted June 4, 2013 Share Posted June 4, 2013 here is my j-45 with a terrapin pickguard. o.k. not the best picture to evaluate the quality. I'd say its pretty much the same material as the original guard. Since my goal was mostly the correct positioning of the guard, I'm pretty satisfied with the outcome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blindboygrunt Posted June 4, 2013 Share Posted June 4, 2013 here is my j-45 with a terrapin pickguard. o.k. not the best picture to evaluate the quality. I'd say its pretty much the same material as the original guard. Since my goal was mostly the correct positioning of the guard, I'm pretty satisfied with the outcome. oooh ! i likes it . did you have a teardrop guard originally ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greenthi102 Posted June 5, 2013 Author Share Posted June 5, 2013 here is my j-45 with a terrapin pickguard. o.k. not the best picture to evaluate the quality. I'd say its pretty much the same material as the original guard. Since my goal was mostly the correct positioning of the guard, I'm pretty satisfied with the outcome. what material did you choose for that one? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littlejohnny Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 Yes, original it had a teardrop guard. This is a standard J-45 from 2006 (Historic collection) before the whole mc/tv/legend thing was introduced. The material is the "Gloss tortoise celluloid .028. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blindboygrunt Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 Yes, original it had a teardrop guard. This is a standard J-45 from 2006 (Historic collection) before the whole mc/tv/legend thing was introduced. The material is the "Gloss tortoise celluloid .028. thats the exact same guitar i have . and have always had an inkling to move the pickguard but also to change it to that particular shape ( great minds think alike huh ? ) , but i've always been a but nervous about getting stuff shipped across from the states to ireland and it not being what i need . it seems you have got it right . i'll maybe do some investigating :) whats your serial number ? be interesting to see how far apart the two guitars are . thanks edit : i assume it didnt affect the guitar in any way other than looks ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littlejohnny Posted June 7, 2013 Share Posted June 7, 2013 serial is 00245016, which makes it actually a 2005, uh? whatever! this guitar is headin' vintage. ;) My kids added some serious mojo lately too. i noticed no sound difference, when I put the bigger guard on. The material is just like the original I pulled of the guitar, so its not a thicker guard like some of those original gibson guards from the late 50/60ies I guess resale value is affected, but I could not care less! I orderd from terrapin and the price was beyond the amount, when you have to pay custom fees here in germany, so nice and easy transaction. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kombo Posted June 10, 2013 Share Posted June 10, 2013 Not a Terrapin tortoise guard, but thought I'd share. I'm guessing this version of firestripe is different than your current one. Quick before and after. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j45nick Posted June 10, 2013 Share Posted June 10, 2013 Not a Terrapin tortoise guard, but thought I'd share. I'm guessing this version of firestripe is different than your current one. Quick before and after. That's a really nice-looking firestripe guard. Who made it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kombo Posted June 11, 2013 Share Posted June 11, 2013 That's a really nice-looking firestripe guard. Who made it? Thanks! James at http://www.firestripepickguards.com/ Cost a little more than others, but the quality is excellent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guitarjtb Posted June 11, 2013 Share Posted June 11, 2013 Thanks! James at http://www.firestripepickguards.com/ Cost a little more than others, but the quality is excellent. That is a beautiful picture, Kombo. Thanks for posting it and the link. I am glad it worked out for you. For those in Europe, they are available directly from Rudi at The Fellowship of Acoustics. TFOA James Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j45nick Posted June 11, 2013 Share Posted June 11, 2013 Not a Terrapin tortoise guard, but thought I'd share. I'm guessing this version of firestripe is different than your current one. Quick before and after. It may just be an optical illusion, but it looks like there isn't quite enough hollow in the back edge of the firestripe guard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guitarjtb Posted June 11, 2013 Share Posted June 11, 2013 It may just be an optical illusion, but it looks like there isn't quite enough hollow in the back edge of the firestripe guard. That is just a reflection. I have seen other pictures of this pickguard. James Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisM Posted June 12, 2013 Share Posted June 12, 2013 While were on the topic of Terrapin guards on J-45s I might as well ask... Pictured below is the pickguard I got from Terrapin. You can see it's slightly different in shape than the stock pickguard. If I put it on it will sit a bit farther back than the stock pickguard. How do you think it looks though? It's kinda bright coloured though no? Will the pickguard be a bit transparent when put on and the black finish darken it up? I'm just worried it will stand out and look stupid. (click to enlarge) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kombo Posted June 12, 2013 Share Posted June 12, 2013 I don't know the clarity of Terrapin guards, but I think you should mount it around the rosette instead of on top of it, like Gibson does. To my eyes it makes a world of difference being able to see the whole circle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kombo Posted June 12, 2013 Share Posted June 12, 2013 It may just be an optical illusion, but it looks like there isn't quite enough hollow in the back edge of the firestripe guard. I think it's just the reflection of the light coming through the window. I'm surprised (for a guitar that looks good in person) how hard it is to take a decent picture of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greenthi102 Posted June 12, 2013 Author Share Posted June 12, 2013 Not a Terrapin tortoise guard, but thought I'd share. I'm guessing this version of firestripe is different than your current one. Quick before and after. i will buy your old tear drop pickguard! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kombo Posted June 12, 2013 Share Posted June 12, 2013 i will buy your old tear drop pickguard! It's damaged beyond repair. I used the brute force method to remove it. Sorry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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