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Hummingbird pickguard fail


paulville

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Greetings and sorry i did not reply earlier.

The 2 parts of my pickguard are separating at one of the lower bottom corners. Jeremy has suggested simply to contact Gibson support to get a replacement pickguard, i did not know i could : i am in France and usually warranty is done thru the shop i bought it at. However, as it is a brand new hummingbird i do not feel too confident to contact a tech / luthier here to do the job. So i am thinking about it, will probably ask Gibson for the replacement pickguard and see how it goes.

 

If the area where it is separating increases, then i will probably ask for the job (assuming i find a luthier i'm confident in...). Is there any risk or it is an easy job for a luthier?

 

I'll try to post a new/better photo of what's happening.

 

Mafy

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Greetings and sorry i did not reply earlier.

The 2 parts of my pickguard are separating at one of the lower bottom corners. Jeremy has suggested simply to contact Gibson support to get a replacement pickguard, i did not know i could : i am in France and usually warranty is done thru the shop i bought it at. However, as it is a brand new hummingbird i do not feel too confident to contact a tech / luthier here to do the job. So i am thinking about it, will probably ask Gibson for the replacement pickguard and see how it goes.

 

If the area where it is separating increases, then i will probably ask for the job (assuming i find a luthier i'm confident in...). Is there any risk or it is an easy job for a luthier?

 

I'll try to post a new/better photo of what's happening.

 

Mafy

 

Mafy31,

It is a quite simple repair for someone with experience to do. This forum is a wealth of knowledge but if someone is looking for a solution to a problem or part issue they are having contacting Gibson Customer Service is a great first step to see what can be done and how it can be resolved.

JM

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Not good etiquette to sign up, ask a question, get the answer and not give anyone an idea to the solution.

 

He asked a question and was given many answers. I sent him a private message to help with his situation in hopes that he can get the issue resolved. I will always offer help thru PM and not openly on the forum. There was no poor etiquette on the OP's part.

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My apologies to the OP. I did not mean to insult you. Sometimes I choose the wrong words or jump the gun. It's just that there have been new members who come here, ask their question, get an answer off-board and are never heard from again, leaving everyone wondering what the answer was. Once you've piqued people's curiosity, it's a bit like forgetting to air the final episode.

 

Thank you for your response. I hope you decide to hang around and enjoy this friendly, informative board.

 

As you know first-hand, Jeremy Morton is our go-to guy, who goes out of his way to ensure customer satisfaction. Apologies to you, Jeremy, if I offended you. You've always done right by me.

 

Cheers,

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It is np i understand the feeling you guys had. I enjoy the forum already i find à lot of informations and in most threads people seem nice mature and helpful (which is rare on boards nowadays).

 

Besides this i am definitely in love with my hummingbird, the balance, mellow of its sound blows me away (the pg cosmetic issue is secondary, it is small and when i press the 2 parts, they stick together for an hour).

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I don't see why it is so hard to re-glue pickguard by yourself? It cost less than $10 US Dollars for the 3M 2 sides adhesive sticker off from ebay.

1441067098948.jpg

 

Use your hair dryer to heat up the pickguard so you can peel it off easy.

 

Then clean up your top and old pickguard that you just remove with lighter fluid.Rub it off with clean towel.

 

Peel out one side of adhesive sticker and place it on the pickguard. Use scissors to trim along the edge. Go slow and you'll get there.

 

Up to this point.Place pickguard back on should be super easy.Make sure you put it back exactly where it was.

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We shouldn't have to repair our new Gibsons ourselves…..…..

 

For people experienced why not, thanks Jimmy though i am not confident enough with my hands to do this myself at this time (and it is à very small, located cosmetic issue).

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  • 5 months later...

I guess the whole story needs to repeated once again.

 

The traditional pickgard material used by Gibson shrinks over time. The same for Martin guitars. If the pickgards are glued to the top firmly when they shrink they will cause the wood to crack. Old Martins are famous for this crack. Gibson had 3-M develop a glue that would hold but let go when the pickgard started to shrink. No more cracked tops.

 

Now Gibson has started using the rubber material because customers were tired of the engraving on the pickgards wearing off. These are not two piece pickgards as was suggested earlier. The photo posted is simply the rubber pickgard coming up from the top. The gibson employee that found the rubber imported pickgards(cheap Asian crap) was not smart enough to know that they will never shrink but they will move around as the rubber is very flexible and will squirm. Since the rubber pickgards will never shrink Gibson could glue them hard to the top and not worry about cracking. That would eliminate the problem. They just have no one on staff that can think thru an entire process. Sigh....

 

Shrinking pickgards are not a problem with laminated tops. The plywood won't crack. Other makers are not bound by tradition and can get by with using newer material that won't shrink.That is why other makers don't have this problem. Would you rather have a pickguard come off or have a cracked top?

 

Well I would rather have a traditional engraved pickgard and not the rubber stuff. Contrary to what some here think the rubber just sits on the top and soaks up the vibration. The old style pickgard material is hard and will vibrate with the top. So.... To all you silly people who were upset with the paint and engraving wearing off. I hope you are happy. I'm not. To the good folks at Gibson. Get out the crazy glue and glue the rubber tone suckers down.

 

We all need to keep in mind that these are just pickgards and if the things curl up a bit so what? In the words of the old guy that used to work for Gibson. "Shut up and play the damn thing".

 

 

For 4k for a 2016 Vintage Hummingbird....Gibson should be able to solve the problem, not use the rubber guards that kill the tone, and at the same time find a way for the hummingbird design to not wear off!

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