DrJustice Posted January 23, 2009 Share Posted January 23, 2009 Hi! My new Gibson SG Standard 3SC LTD has developed a resonance in the pickguard (full size batwing). Especially on certain low notes, it vibrates quite loudly. I've tried 'reseating' it by loosening the screws an retightening them to no avail. It's been in for a setup with the local Luthier, and they could not fix it either. The vibration can be stopped by placing a finger on certain areas of the pickguard. At this time I can see two options: either stuff a piece of fabric under the guard, or drill a hole and fix it with a screw almost in the middle of it. Before I actually do anything crude and dirty to my pristine, innocent little axe creature, I though I should ask the SG brigade here on the Gibson forums if anybody has had a similar experience and how it was fixed. TIA DJ -- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hbomb76 Posted January 23, 2009 Share Posted January 23, 2009 I've actually seen this happen on Strats too. Easy, cheap and non-destructive fix can be as follows: If you see any obvious "humps" where the pickguard's not lying flat, take some regular black electrical tape and just put a strip under the uneven places onto the underside of the pickguard, and/or a couple around the edges between screw holes. Kinda' makes for a "shock absorber" without warping it. Also, one thing you can do if it's coming from the pickups themselves vibrating in their mounting holes, you can take a piece of firm foam (I like using the foam pipe-guards, like you put on copper pipe---cut it in two and let the natural curvature push against the pickups' bottoms) under the pickups. This again creates a kind of shock absorber, and can stop some of that reverberation there. H-Bomb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrJustice Posted January 23, 2009 Author Share Posted January 23, 2009 Thanks HB! It's not the pickups in this case; I've located it to being the pickguard vibrating against the wood. There are no visible bumps in the pickguard either. My theory is that the screw holes in the body or the guard are placed so that the whole guard is forced to bend upwards slightly. I think you mentioned the keyword here: non-destructive. So I'll hold of that screw as a last resort, and go the stuffing route first. The tape is a good idea - I may put some on when the healing spot(s) has been located. DJ -- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jameswithesg Posted January 23, 2009 Share Posted January 23, 2009 hey drjustice lets see some pics PLEASE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrJustice Posted January 23, 2009 Author Share Posted January 23, 2009 hey drjustice lets see some pics PLEASE Sure! Below is a couple of pictures. In the avatar it has a Roland GK-3 pickup mounted. DJ -- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
callen3615 Posted January 23, 2009 Share Posted January 23, 2009 nice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jameswithesg Posted January 23, 2009 Share Posted January 23, 2009 thanks, havent seen any pics of one of these other than the gibson website nice looking guitar=d> what is the tone like on those single coils? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chongo Posted January 24, 2009 Share Posted January 24, 2009 You might consider running a line of the clear silicone bathtub sealant around the underside of the pickguard and then putting it back on. I know this will bring gasps of horror from the crowd, but it's non-destructive and you *can* peel it off at some later date. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrJustice Posted January 25, 2009 Author Share Posted January 25, 2009 @ jameswithesg : They're nice and hot, quite meaty as far as I can make out. @ chongo : Thank you for another good idea! DJ -- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
80LPC Posted January 26, 2009 Share Posted January 26, 2009 You say that the pickguard appears to have no bumps in it, but have you tried catching the light on it - by viewing at a low angle and tilting the guitar slightly ? Does it appear slightly warped ? With all the screws taken out, the pickguard holes should be perfectly aligned with the screw holes. If they are not, due to the countersink on the pickgaurd holes, the plastic will warp slightly as the tightened screw puts a side-loading on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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