UPDATE: Solved!!! They contacted me! When Gibson doesn't reply...

[Jesse_Dylan]

UPDATE: Gibson contacted me and is sending me TWO pickguards (!), one plastic where the design can't wear off, and another of the cast painted ones. I'm so happy!

 

I've e-mailed Gibson a couple times re: my Hummingbird Vintage pickguard. (It's pulling up a bit, the paint is wearing off, and I'm just wanting to know what my options are, if any.)

 

I guess I'm not expecting a grand solution, but they don't reply. They've replied in the past to other questions (though I can't remember what they were).

 

Basically, I've just let them know what's going on with my pickguard, ask what my options are, and have also inquired about getting a Standard Hummingbird pickguard where the paint won't rub off. I wrote a few months ago, again a month ago, and once earlier this week. Is my question stupid or offensive? :P

 

I'm hoping they'll let me get a Standard pickguard put on, and then I can frame my painted one. If not, I will ignore the pull-up (it's not severe at all) and just go ahead and let the paint wear off, but it has kept me from playing it as much as I'd like since it's my pinky-resting that rubs the paint off (whether fingerpicking or playing with a pick).

[BigDawg007]

I've e-mailed Gibson a couple times re: my Hummingbird Vintage pickguard. (It's pulling up a bit, the paint is wearing off, and I'm just wanting to know what my options are, if any.)

 

I guess I'm not expecting a grand solution, but they don't reply. They've replied in the past to other questions (though I can't remember what they were).

 

Basically, I've just let them know what's going on with my pickguard, ask what my options are, and have also inquired about getting a Standard Hummingbird pickguard where the paint won't rub off. I wrote a few months ago, again a month ago, and once earlier this week. Is my question stupid or offensive? :P

 

I'm hoping they'll let me get a Standard pickguard put on, and then I can frame my painted one. If not, I will ignore the pull-up (it's not severe at all) and just go ahead and let the paint wear off, but it has kept me from playing it as much as I'd like since it's my pinky-resting that rubs the paint off (whether fingerpicking or playing with a pick).

 

 

 

I got the same thing when I contacted Nashville. Id go thru a Martin rep; every store has one and can get you what you need. I bet it wont be warranty work though because they will say its normal wear and tear. If you send it to Nashville they will give you a Authorization number and then you mail it in. But I can see your frustration as you have not gotten a call back. My dealings with Nashville was poor. It was really bad. The service portion. It was awful. Others on here will tell you the same as they told me not to send to Nashville.

[slimt]

You bought it.. play it and make it sing... looks are only skin deep for so long any ways... you all know of those dreaded pick guards and the issues.. you should know better to go back for more.. :)

 

.. I seem to remember having a Gibson Rep tell me to talk to my dealer if I had issues.. and they would contact Gibson if it warranted the issues..

[E-minor7]

I believe they might think : Oboy, , , here we go again. These 2 issues are a cliché.

 

Hmmm, just guessing and can't read their mind from across the Atlantic.

 

But Jesse - please don't exchange that original guard. It is way better looking than the Std. and will drag the whole guitar downwards.

As I see it anyway and taste is of course subjective.

Let that flora-fauna garden live it's own life and don't let that resale value bug you or disturb your playing glee - it's absurd, excuse me.

 

Regarding the guard coming off (don't happen on mine), pour the right dose of super-glue on a stiff piece of paper and stick that in where it lifts.

Then place E. Hemmingways collected works and a poem by Walt Whitman on top. That'll do.

 

My 5 Yen (and them only)

 

Cheers

[MissouriPicker]

The great pick guards are part of what you are paying for. They shouldn't disappear literally overnight (and they do). I'm all for playing the guitars, but the great looks are one of the reasons I like Gibsons. I'll stick with the so-called "flubber guard. Tough as hell and last a long, long time, even for a bluegrass picker. I think the painted-on designs are a real rip-off for the unsuspecting buyer. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad if Gibson put an advisory about in their advertising of the guitar. At least then the buyer would have a heads-up on the pick guard if it was an important item for him/her. The pick guard is what screams "Hummingbird" to the uninitiated. Same goes for some of the J200 line... So, you buy a guitar for 3500-6000 and two months later, perhaps the most eye-catching point of interest on it is disappearing because you love playing the instrument. That's bullcrap. I'm not interested in another Hummingbird. Very happy with what I have, but if I were the painted-on design of the TV models would make me shy-away from them, even though I'd otherwise want to take a good look at them-----unless I had more durable options for the pick guard....Just my view................I'm curious----does anyone know if the 10,000 Dylan guitar has this painted-on pick guard?

[Smurfbird]

I agree with MP on everything he said. The pickguard is a HUGE selling point for the guitar. There's NO reason for Gibson to cheap out on it. I have a '66-'68 Bird and the design is engraved and has survived a rough life if equal to the wear-n-tear on the rest of the guitar. It's still a visible design and I have zero qualms about strumming my heart out. No buyer of a new Bird should be worried about losing its signature design within the first ten years, never mind the first four months. There's a reason why many players look down on Gibson the company. This is one of them.

[EuroAussie]

I think you already have the answer Jesse to your questions of what options you have by the fact that they dont reply to this question - it means your only option is to put up with it, its part of the beauty of owning a Hummingbird.

[BigKahune]

.

It's always better to deal with Gibson Acoustic directly - the Bozeman factory guys. Call Bozeman. This number worked for me a while back (a coupla few years? Jeremy was still there) 800-426-2636

 

And here's a number just off the internet for Gibson Acoustic (406) 556-2100 . {that's the Bozeman area code}

 

I wish you better luck. . . B)

 

 

.

[62burst]

Was it Don R at Bozeman that you were trying to email? If memory serves, wasn't that the person who took back your first Vintage, and presumably hand-picked that nice new 'Bird Vintage for you? There is a chance that Gibson Montana may feel that your dance card has already been thoroughly punched, and that there are other Gibson players that need their attention as well.

 

Big agreement with the "play the paint right off of that pickguard" camp, here. However, the curling up edge is something to keep an eye on. They usually stabilize, but if it gets out of control, avoid the permanence of Super Glue, and do the naphtha and dental floss thing, get the 'guard off, and press/iron it . . . DuluthDan had good results with this. StewMac sells the 3M adhesive sheets to re-affix the guard.

 

As far as options, you could play the paint off of it, and keep in the back of your mind the possibility of having a nice inlaid guard made up- the revived thread on the Hummingbird Custom Supremo Master Archetype Super Duper Custom, and it's inlaid pickguard, reminded me of this sort of route as an option for you:

 

 

 

corrected link: Inlay Innovations

 

 

 

[E-minor7]

Was it Don R at Bozeman that you were trying to email? If memory serves, wasn't that the person who took back your first Vintage, and presumably hand-picked that nice new 'Bird Vintage for you? There is a chance that Gibson Montana may feel that your dance card has already been thoroughly punched, and that there are other Gibson players that need their attention as well.

 

Good 62burst - any chance you confuse good Jesse D. with just as good BirdMan81.

 

As I recall it, JD never had to return his first Bird.

 

Of course memory can fail me here.

[Joe M]

Good 62burst - any chance you confuse good Jesse D. with just as good BirdMan81.

 

As I recall it, JD never had to return his first Bird.

 

Of course memory can fail me here.

 

You are correct, it was Birdman, not Jesse who returned his first HB.

[Jesse_Dylan]

What happened to Birdman's first Bird??? I must have missed that!

 

I am of the camp that thinks this feature is not much of a feature if the paint is so fickle, and I too think I would be quite happy with a flubber (up close, I admit the painted guard looks fantastic and better than the flubber, but perhaps not if the paint wears off). However, I'm also getting to the point of giving up for the sake of my sanity and so that I can play with abandon the best guitar I've ever owned or played.

 

Maybe Gibson will reply tomorrow. Or, maybe they are offended that I want to remove this feature and put on something considered inferior. I admit it would be terrible for the resale value, but I can't imagine ever parting with this guitar. It is probably the last one I'd ever part with. I'm thinking of selling the brown case as well. I don't use it, and it takes up a lot of space! I feel much safer with my Bird in a Hiscox. And, I am definitely going to change the tuners... eventually... which I should think is also awful for resale.

[62burst]

My apologies to Jesse_ and to Birdman, and thanks to Joe M and Emin7 who pointed me in the right direction as to the correct 'Bird story.

 

Also- glad to hear Jesse_ is about ready to consider operation Reckless Abandon. Within limits, of course ; ).

 

 

 

edit:

What happened to Birdman's first Bird??? I must have missed that!

 

. . . Probably a good thing. 'Hope you have enough popcorn to get you through 16 pages: http://forum.gibson.com/index.php?/topic/128565-2016-hummingbird-vintage/

[Murph]

When my ex wife didn't reply I always assumed she was ignoring me.

 

Turned out she was trying to pi$$ me off.

[Murph]

[Mafy31]

My apologies to Jesse_ and to Birdman, and thanks to Joe M and Emin7 who pointed me in the right direction as to the correct 'Bird story.

 

Also- glad to hear Jesse_ is about ready to consider operation Reckless Abandon. Within limits, of course ; ).

 

 

 

edit:

 

. . . Probably a good thing. 'Hope you have enough popcorn to get you through 16 pages: http://forum.gibson.com/index.php?/topic/128565-2016-hummingbird-vintage/

 

Yes i think everyone out there knows this topic. I think Jesse was still in the tunnel staring at the light at this time.

[fortyearspickn]

If you emailed them 2x just this past weekend - then my conclusion would be different than if you had emailed them 3 weeks ago and then a week late and have been waiting over 10 business days for an answer.

There have been several threads here regarding paint wearing off and PGs lifting up. Again, it's also relevant to know 'how much' to be able to provide an opinion.

I have both issues - but they are so very minor, I have found I don't see them or think about them anymore. So, better informed conclusions of other forum member would still be somewhat subjective.

[Joe M]

If you emailed them 2x just this past weekend - then my conclusion would be different than if you had emailed them 3 weeks ago and then a week late and have been waiting over 10 business days for an answer.

There have been several threads here regarding paint wearing off and PGs lifting up. Again, it's also relevant to know 'how much' to be able to provide an opinion.

I have both issues - but they are so very minor, I have found I don't see them or think about them anymore. So, better informed conclusions of other forum member would still be somewhat subjective.

 

I, too, have the very corner of the pickguard on my HB Vintage that lifts up, very slightly. If I push it down, it stays, for a while. Next time I pick the guitar up, the corner has lifted again. Push it down, stays for a while.......doesn't bother me enough to get too worried about it. And I'm sure not gonna be slipping any super glue, or anything else, under the corner to keep it from lifting. Most people wouldn't even notice it. Another example of what makes a Gibson a Gibson.....

[fortyearspickn]

I'm guessing that when we have a small spot (mine is maybe 1/4" long lifting 1/32" or less) lifting somewhere on an edge - it only occurs on guitars made after lunch.

The Pickguard Installer still has Big Mac grease on his fingers and when he carefully holds the pick guard to apply it over the rosette - some of that great adheres to the adhesive.

So, it still sticks for awhile, as the guitar sails through Final Inspection in QC. But the chemistry starts working and that small edge lifts. I can almost smell the Big Mac.

I think if the Job Description were modified to require the PGI be a Vegetarian - we would see this problem disappear.

I"m still trying to figure out the cause of the paint wearing off. I could eliminate the possibility that some players strumming it off if they would all send me their picks, so I could ship them off to the FBI Lab to look for minute traces of Hummingbird Paint residue. Or, you all could just send your picks directly to the FBI.

But I think a simpler solution would be if Gibson changed their terminology and stopped calling it a "PICK GUARD" and called it a "Sound Hole Mural" so that players would come to realize they should not treat it as a pick guard.

[Jesse_Dylan]

If the pickguard mounter became vegetarian, then it would still lift up because they'd get hummus stuck under it!

[stein]

I'm guessing that when we have a small spot (mine is maybe 1/4" long lifting 1/32" or less) lifting somewhere on an edge - it only occurs on guitars made after lunch.

The Pickguard Installer still has Big Mac grease on his fingers and when he carefully holds the pick guard to apply it over the rosette - some of that great adheres to the adhesive.

So, it still sticks for awhile, as the guitar sails through Final Inspection in QC. But the chemistry starts working and that small edge lifts. I can almost smell the Big Mac.

I think if the Job Description were modified to require the PGI be a Vegetarian - we would see this problem disappear.

I"m still trying to figure out the cause of the paint wearing off. I could eliminate the possibility that some players strumming it off if they would all send me their picks, so I could ship them off to the FBI Lab to look for minute traces of Hummingbird Paint residue. Or, you all could just send your picks directly to the FBI.

But I think a simpler solution would be if Gibson changed their terminology and stopped calling it a "PICK GUARD" and called it a "Sound Hole Mural" so that players would come to realize they should not treat it as a pick guard.

 

 

If the pickguard mounter became vegetarian, then it would still lift up because they'd get hummus stuck under it!

They didn't have hummus or vegetarians working in guitar factories in the 60's and 70's, but there were plenty of Big Macs.

 

I would say Big Mac grease is the more authentic.

[Jesse_Dylan]

Gibson blew my mind today. Ben from Gibson reached out here on the forum and had me e-mail him personally. He is going to send me TWO (!!!) pickguards, one plastic, the other the cast painted one. That way I can spend forever making up my mind. :)

 

I'm so happy!

 

I know these pickguards are serious items (whether plastic or painted), and they will certainly not leave my possession while I'm on this earth, including the original on my guitar currently.

 

Hats off to Gibson Montana. He wanted to underscore that not only do they take great pride in their product, but they also take customer service very seriously. They've certainly proven it to me.

 

By the way, when I was communicating with them, I was using the "talk 2 me" feature on their website which may have some hiccups. So maybe they weren't even getting my messages (I think I sent one about a month ago, and then one last week, but I can't remember for sure).

 

Thanks to Gibson Montana and Ben!

[62burst]

Good to hear.

 

Here is a photo you might appreciate- a screen capture taken from a factory tour video posted on the AGF a month or so ago. 'Hope the "Soundhole Muralist's" (thx, 40Yrs) wrist is feeling better:

 

 

 

Still hungering for that HummusBird, though.

[the other side]

Gibson blew my mind today. Ben from Gibson reached out here on the forum and had me e-mail him personally. He is going to send me TWO (!!!) pickguards, one plastic, the other the cast painted one. That way I can spend forever making up my mind. :)

 

I'm so happy!

 

I know these pickguards are serious items (whether plastic or painted), and they will certainly not leave my possession while I'm on this earth, including the original on my guitar currently.

 

Hats off to Gibson Montana. He wanted to underscore that not only do they take great pride in their product, but they also take customer service very seriously. They've certainly proven it to me.

 

By the way, when I was communicating with them, I was using the "talk 2 me" feature on their website which may have some hiccups. So maybe they weren't even getting my messages (I think I sent one about a month ago, and then one last week, but I can't remember for sure).

 

Thanks to Gibson Montana and Ben!

I also give kudos to Montana!!!!!!!!! My rep was, I think,

Keith Sutherland. I have the 2013 MC and the guard had , what appeared to be, a small air bubble. I was emailed about 1 1/2 to 2 wks after my initial email. I sent pictures, and Presto! I received a brand new pickguard. I also have the integrity within that it will not leave my possession, and when I do replace it, I will take the old one with me.

 

When I was contacted by Gibson, I thought it wasn't for real. That just blew my stuff all over the room after it was for real! I could not believe the personal 1 on1 attention from one of the "Finest" guitar manufacturer in the WORLD! Do they stand behind the product? I say, "You dam right they do"(to the original owner). I often wondered about how they could just pay attention to a little guy like me compared to the abyss of the others throughout the world. "American Made, WORLD PLAYED" !!! Way to go Bozeman !!!! Since, I've had to repaint the room from that moment in time. That wasn't covered under the warranty.

[MissouriPicker]

Jesse, glad things are moving forward in a good way.....BTW, when you get those pick guards, get some pics on here if you can. I'm especially interested in the one that is more permanent. If I can get the option of getting a pick guard like that on a Bird TV, I just might know what my next guitar will be. Looks like Gibson is doing things the right way. Looking-forward to see what you think when the pick guards arrive. Keep us posted.