20_Gauge Posted July 11, 2013 Share Posted July 11, 2013 Has anybody ever removed the standard thin pickguard from their Epi Acoustic? How did ya do it? I've watched numerous vids on YouTube, many posted by Guitar Shops, & they all show that this can easily be done with a hair dryer & something to "scrape" up the loosened 'guard. All these vids are using a Taylor guitar which is way more expensive than my Epi, so if it's safe for a big $$ Taylor, it should be safe to do on my Epi right? 20 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhanners623 Posted July 11, 2013 Share Posted July 11, 2013 Being a lefty who plays upside down and hates the look of a righty pickguard on my guitars, I've lost count of the pickguards I've removed over the years. It is not hard to do. Make sure you have the right tools handy and TAKE YOUR TIME. This is not something you want to rush. Most recently, I removed a factory pickguard from an Inspired by '64 Texan. Came off without a hitch. Generally, the finish used on modern Epiphones is virtually bullet-proof, so a hair dryer and some naptha aren't going to screw it up. If you haven't seen it already, Frank Ford has a fine tutorial on the procedure: http://www.frets.com/FretsPages/Luthier/Technique/Guitar/Pickguards/PeelGuard/peelguard.html As Ford mentions, one thing to watch out for when you remove the pickguard is the "tan line." The top of a guitar will discolor with time, but the portion covered by the pickguard doesn't. If the guitar is relatively new, there won't be much top discoloration and hence, not much of a tan line. If it is an older guitar, you will get a difference, and it can be stark and there's not much you can do about it. The portion covered by the pickguard will discolor eventually, but we're generally talking in terms of years and it will probably still be noticeable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
20_Gauge Posted July 11, 2013 Author Share Posted July 11, 2013 Being a lefty who plays upside down and hates the look of a righty pickguard on my guitars, I've lost count of the pickguards I've removed over the years. It is not hard to do. Make sure you have the right tools handy and TAKE YOUR TIME. This is not something you want to rush. Most recently, I removed a factory pickguard from an Inspired by '64 Texan. Came off without a hitch. Generally, the finish used on modern Epiphones is virtually bullet-proof, so a hair dryer and some naptha aren't going to screw it up. If you haven't seen it already, Frank Ford has a fine tutorial on the procedure: http://www.frets.com/FretsPages/Luthier/Technique/Guitar/Pickguards/PeelGuard/peelguard.html As Ford mentions, one thing to watch out for when you remove the pickguard is the "tan line." The top of a guitar will discolor with time, but the portion covered by the pickguard doesn't. If the guitar is relatively new, there won't be much top discoloration and hence, not much of a tan line. If it is an older guitar, you will get a difference, and it can be stark and there's not much you can do about it. The portion covered by the pickguard will discolor eventually, but we're generally talking in terms of years and it will probably still be noticeable. Thanks for the link, hanners! No, I hadn't seen that tutorial. Yeah, I got the tools(hair dryer & flexible spatula/putty knife) I've seen used in the vids. As I understand it, the Naptha is for removing the stickiness from the leftover glue on the body. Yeh every video I've watched stresses the TAKE YOUR TIME thing. Not gonna be a problem, I'm slow anyway . My major cause for pause was using the hair dryer & how the heat would affect the finsh on my Epi. I feel better knowing that you've removed many 'guards from what I expect were more expensive(I know the Texan is) Epi's w/o a problem & Epi finishes are pretty sturdy. Not concerned about a "tan line" 'cause I'm planning to replace it w/ a new Gibson J-200 4-ply 'guard. Since I'm just swapping 'guards would I still need to use the Naptha? (this might be answered in the tutorial, I haven't read it yet.) 20 P.S.- Here's the vid I'm goin' by: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1zo2LTFANM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhanners623 Posted July 12, 2013 Share Posted July 12, 2013 Yeah, you want the naphtha. You want to make sure the surface is clean before you put down the new pickguard. You'll get optimal adhesion that way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riptide Posted July 12, 2013 Share Posted July 12, 2013 Check if it's a Nitro or Poly finish... I'm guessing Epi uses poly? If so, I had to use a 1100° heat gun to remove a poly finish from one of my guitars so I think a hair drier would be fine :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
20_Gauge Posted July 12, 2013 Author Share Posted July 12, 2013 Yeah, you want the naphtha. You want to make sure the surface is clean before you put down the new pickguard. You'll get optimal adhesion that way. Ok, cool. Gettin' ahold of Naphtha isn't a problem. another question: could I use Goo-Gone(it's for removing stickiness)? 20 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
20_Gauge Posted July 12, 2013 Author Share Posted July 12, 2013 Check if it's a Nitro or Poly finish... I'm guessing Epi uses poly? If so, I had to use a 1100° heat gun to remove a poly finish from one of my guitars so I think a hair drier would be fine :) Cool. Great to know! I was wonderin' if the 'High' setting on my drier would be too high but I seriously doubt it goes to 1100, so I think I'm safe haha. Thanks for the reassurance, Rip! 20 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riptide Posted July 12, 2013 Share Posted July 12, 2013 Cool. Great to know! I was wonderin' if the 'High' setting on my drier would be too high but I seriously doubt it goes to 1100, so I think I'm safe haha. Thanks for the reassurance, Rip! 20 Yeah you should be good :) No problem. Goo-Gone is strong stuff... I wouldn't suggest using it. Honestly spit it one of the best things for removing sticky stuff. Also super fine steel wool works. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
20_Gauge Posted July 12, 2013 Author Share Posted July 12, 2013 Yeah you should be good :) No problem. Goo-Gone is strong stuff... I wouldn't suggest using it. Honestly spit it one of the best things for removing sticky stuff. Also super fine steel wool works. Cool! I think I'll go ahead, bite my lip & order the $45 J-200 'guard this weekend. Ok, yeah Goo-Gone just popped in my head. Just spit & elbow grease should "de-sticky" it enough so I can apply the new pickguard? If I could do the job w/o buyin' a whole bottle of Naphtha, somethin' I'll only use one time, that'd be ideal. 20 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riptide Posted July 12, 2013 Share Posted July 12, 2013 Cool! I think I'll go ahead, bite my lip & order the $45 J-200 'guard this weekend. Ok, yeah Goo-Gone just popped in my head. Just spit & elbow grease should "de-sticky" it enough so I can apply the new pickguard? If I could do the job w/o buyin' a whole bottle of Naphtha, somethin' I'll only use one time, that'd be ideal. 20 You want to "de-sticky" it for sure and yes that should work fine for those purposes. But what is the pick-guard going to be attached with? The reason to use Naphtha on it is because it will remove all the oils on there (like from your hands and stuff). I know it seems silly to buy a gallon or half gallon of something you are "going to use once" but at the same time, it'll last you forever probably and if you ever do something like refinish a guitar or anything like that it's useful to have. Food for thought :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
20_Gauge Posted July 12, 2013 Author Share Posted July 12, 2013 You want to "de-sticky" it for sure and yes that should work fine for those purposes. But what is the pick-guard going to be attached with? The reason to use Naphtha on it is because it will remove all the oils on there (like from your hands and stuff). I know it seems silly to buy a gallon or half gallon of something you are "going to use once" but at the same time, it'll last you forever probably and if you ever do something like refinish a guitar or anything like that it's useful to have. Food for thought :) That's cool. I just looked on ebay & I can get a 32oz container of Naphtha for like $10, not a big deal. I, e-mailed pickguardheaven & asked that exact question(how's it attached to the guitar?), really won't know 'til I get the new 'guard but I'm assumin' it'll have a self-adhesive type backing & attach the same way the original prob'ly did. 20 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riptide Posted July 12, 2013 Share Posted July 12, 2013 That's cool. I just looked on ebay & I can get a 32oz container of Naphtha for like $10, not a big deal. I, e-mailed pickguardheaven & asked that exact question(how's it attached to the guitar?), really won't know 'til I get the new 'guard but I'm assumin' it'll have a self-adhesive type backing & attach the same way the original prob'ly did. 20 Gotcha, quite honestly if it is a self adhesive it probably won't make a big difference as long as the surface is clean. But I'd still use Naphtha if it were me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhanners623 Posted July 12, 2013 Share Posted July 12, 2013 Whoa. You don't need to buy an industrial amount of naptha. Just head down to the local drug store and get a bottle of cigarette lighter fluid. THAT IS NAPTHA. The one I use is Ronsonol, and it comes in a 12-oz. bottle. I can't recall what I paid for it, but it wasn't much. Also, I wouldn't put steel wool -- even super-fine -- anywhere near your finish. It will cloud it and while the cloudiness can be buffed out, the buffing is a job for professionals. The poly finish on contemporary Epiphones is strong stuff (the better to resist dings in the guitar shop, and also it dries much faster than a nitro finish so you can get them out of the factory door quicker) and a hair dryer and naptha and even Goo-Gone is not going to have the slightest effect on it. I would recommend using the hair dryer on the "low" setting, mainly because you don't want to take the chance of weakening the glue on the braces on the other side of the guitar's top. The chance of this is remote, but the "low" setting will work just fine. Just don't stay over one spot on the pickguard for any length of time. Swirl the hair dryer around a small area until the adhesive softens and then start lifting up the pickguard. A fingernail will usually work. Then as the pickguard starts coming up, just work your way along until the thing is off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
20_Gauge Posted July 12, 2013 Author Share Posted July 12, 2013 Gotcha, quite honestly if it is a self adhesive it probably won't make a big difference as long as the surface is clean. But I'd still use Naphtha if it were me Cool. Yeah, I'm assumin' it's self-adhesive. 20 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
20_Gauge Posted July 12, 2013 Author Share Posted July 12, 2013 Whoa. You don't need to buy an industrial amount of naptha. Just head down to the local drug store and get a bottle of cigarette lighter fluid. THAT IS NAPTHA. The one I use is Ronsonol, and it comes in a 12-oz. bottle. I can't recall what I paid for it, but it wasn't much. Also, I wouldn't put steel wool -- even super-fine -- anywhere near your finish. It will cloud it and while the cloudiness can be buffed out, the buffing is a job for professionals. The poly finish on contemporary Epiphones is strong stuff (the better to resist dings in the guitar shop, and also it dries much faster than a nitro finish so you can get them out of the factory door quicker) and a hair dryer and naptha and even Goo-Gone is not going to have the slightest effect on it. I would recommend using the hair dryer on the "low" setting, mainly because you don't want to take the chance of weakening the glue on the braces on the other side of the guitar's top. The chance of this is remote, but the "low" setting will work just fine. Just don't stay over one spot on the pickguard for any length of time. Swirl the hair dryer around a small area until the adhesive softens and then start lifting up the pickguard. A fingernail will usually work. Then as the pickguard starts coming up, just work your way along until the thing is off. Cool, thanks dh! Does it hafta be CIGARETTE lighter fluid? I got some lighter fluid I use to start charcoals when I grill, is it the same stuff? Yeah using steel wool just sounds too harsh, never considered using it. Cool glad to know the "low" setting will work just fine, I'd be more comfortable using that setting. Thanks for the advice. Y'all have made me very confident that I can do this. 1 other question: the upper part of my 'guard is butted-up against the neck, should this cause any kind of problem? 20 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhanners623 Posted July 12, 2013 Share Posted July 12, 2013 Cool, thanks dh! Does it hafta be CIGARETTE lighter fluid? I got some lighter fluid I use to start charcoals when I grill, is it the same stuff? Yeah using steel wool just sounds too harsh, never considered using it. Cool glad to know the "low" setting will work just fine, I'd be more comfortable using that setting. Thanks for the advice. Y'all have made me very confident that I can do this. 1 other question: the upper part of my 'guard is butted-up against the neck, should this cause any kind of problem? Don't use charcoal lighter fluid. The stuff you use to light your barbecue is a petroleum solvent and you don't want that on your top. Naptha is much lighter and less of a solvent. Most importantly, it isn't enough of a solvent to disturb the cured poly finish on your guitar. The part that is butted up against the neck won't be a problem. Were I performing the operation, that is probably where I would start, in fact. I'd swirl the hair dryer in that area until the glue softens enough to lift the edge with a fingernail or something else thin that won't scratch. Once the end can be lifted, I'd just work my way down across the rest of the pickguard, pulling gently as I go. Between the heat and the pulling, though, the pickguard will wind up a curled mess so you won't be reusing it for anything. You can do it. I've done plenty of them and never had a problem. It makes you nervous because you're doing something to YOUR guitar, but once you get started, you'll see it is a relatively easy job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riptide Posted July 12, 2013 Share Posted July 12, 2013 Oh yeah, don't use steel wool on shiny surfaces... forgot to mention that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
20_Gauge Posted July 12, 2013 Author Share Posted July 12, 2013 Don't use charcoal lighter fluid. The stuff you use to light your barbecue is a petroleum solvent and you don't want that on your top. Naptha is much lighter and less of a solvent. Most importantly, it isn't enough of a solvent to disturb the cured poly finish on your guitar. The part that is butted up against the neck won't be a problem. Were I performing the operation, that is probably where I would start, in fact. I'd swirl the hair dryer in that area until the glue softens enough to lift the edge with a fingernail or something else thin that won't scratch. Once the end can be lifted, I'd just work my way down across the rest of the pickguard, pulling gently as I go. Between the heat and the pulling, though, the pickguard will wind up a curled mess so you won't be reusing it for anything. You can do it. I've done plenty of them and never had a problem. It makes you nervous because you're doing something to YOUR guitar, but once you get started, you'll see it is a relatively easy job. ok, was just wonderin'. I'll pick up some cigarette lighter fluid next time I go to CVS. Ok cool, I was just wonderin if the li'l amount of heat would affect the neck in that areaa. Good to know, I'll begin there. thanks for the instruction . I wasn't plannin' to use the 'guard anyway, so curling won't be a problem. Thanks for the encouraging words! Yes that's exactly why I'm nervous, if I screw it up, it's $$ out of my pocket & I've ruined the looks of MY guitar. I'm prob'ly gonna wait 'til next month, $$ issues, to get the new 'guard & remove the old one but I now feel pretty confident I can tackle the project. 20 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
20_Gauge Posted July 12, 2013 Author Share Posted July 12, 2013 Oh yeah, don't use steel wool on shiny surfaces... forgot to mention that. 20 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strumbert Posted July 13, 2013 Share Posted July 13, 2013 I use a hair dryer to remove the pickguard and WD-40 to remove the residue. I've done a half dozen or so pickguard changes with no problems. Be sure to wipe it down with alcohol or something to remove the oily film. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
20_Gauge Posted July 13, 2013 Author Share Posted July 13, 2013 I use a hair dryer to remove the pickguard and WD-40 to remove the residue. I've done a half dozen or so pickguard changes with no problems. Be sure to wipe it down with alcohol or something to remove the oily film. Cool, thanks for the advice, strumbert! I got plenty of WD-40 lyin' around, that'll remove the leftover glue & get the surface ready for the new 'guard? Oily film? From the WD-40? Would this be the steps: 1. use hair dryer to remove old 'guard, 2. wipe the area with WD-40 to remove glue residue, 3. Wipe down with alcohol to remove film from WD-40, 4. apply new 'guard? 20 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
20_Gauge Posted July 13, 2013 Author Share Posted July 13, 2013 I just looked at a list of wd-40 uses on the wd-40 site & found an answer to my question. It lists "Removes glue and adhesive backing from stripes and graphics on sides of boat" & "Removes leftover adhesive residue from tape that holds camper shells to vehicles" as uses, so my guitar should be covered under those uses. This is good news 'cause I ain't gotta buy anything, I got tons of this stuff lyin' around. Here's the list: My link 20 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
20_Gauge Posted July 13, 2013 Author Share Posted July 13, 2013 Hey y'all, this just popped in my head: The (what looks to celluloid)pickguard on my EJ is soo thin, I mean I can se through it/it looks to be thinner than a sheet of printer paper. Is it necessary to remove, can I just place the new 'guard on top of it? It's perfectly attached, meaning no loose ends/secured to the surface of the body. I realize that this wouldn't be the "textbook" way to do it but would it work? 20 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhanners623 Posted July 14, 2013 Share Posted July 14, 2013 Hey y'all, this just popped in my head: The (what looks to celluloid)pickguard on my EJ is soo thin, I mean I can se through it/it looks to be thinner than a sheet of printer paper. Is it necessary to remove, can I just place the new 'guard on top of it? It's perfectly attached, meaning no loose ends/secured to the surface of the body. I realize that this wouldn't be the "textbook" way to do it but would it work? 20 You should go ahead and remove it. The edge is beveled, so there'll be a slight overhang from the new one. It'll look cleaner with just one pickguard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
20_Gauge Posted July 14, 2013 Author Share Posted July 14, 2013 You should go ahead and remove it. The edge is beveled, so there'll be a slight overhang from the new one. It'll look cleaner with just one pickguard. Ok, I just thought I'd ask. By the way did ya see the WD-40 reply & question? It's listed make-up is "60-80% heavy naphtha", so it should be good for the job, correct? 20 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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