Gibson hummingbird's pick guard coming unglued

[Jammin]

My 3 year old  Gibson hummingbird's pick guard is coming unglued and lifting up all around   I bought it used so I can not return it to a store.  Ideas?

[EuroAussie]

just get some suitable glue and glue it back

[Buc McMaster]

Not an uncommon occurrence with Gibson..........maybe it as something to do with the gassing of a nitro finish.  Mine did the same many moons ago.  Get some of THIS STUFF from StewMAc, remove the guard, clean the guitar and underside of the guard with lighter fluid, apply the new adhesive sheet and stick it back on the guitar.  Sounds tedious......perhaps it is, but the reattached guard never lifted again.  Clean well, grasshopper, as this is much of the secret.

Now there are many suggestions and methods for removing the pick guard, most of which I am sure a valid.  More lighter fluid, dental floss, etc.  I've removed several over the years with just the application of a little heat from a blow drier and a steady, gentle lifting pressure as the adhesive softens, working from one end of the guard.  Never had any issue at all and the thing is off in a couple minutes............no biggy. 

[E-minor7]

I would take the easy road :

Smear some glue - not too much, neither too little - on both sides of a piece of stiff paper and stick it in.                                                                                                                                                                                                               Then press with the fingers first and after a couple of minutes lay the heavy load - Immanuel Kant's main thesis and Leo Cohens collected lyrics  - on the zone.                                                                                                                                      Ouh, , , on top of the books a brick. 

[QuestionMark]

I’d keep away from any glue as it will sink into pores of the nitro finish, becoming unrecoverable in case you ever removed the pickguard for any reason.  It could make slightly impact the sound or make the flat surface slightly surface rippled, too.  Stick with using two sided tape, that’s how to properly do it for now and for the future in case you ever need to replace the pickguard with another.   And, in the case of the glue running onto the top’s surface by mistake.  I had a Gibson authorized repairman reattach a pickguard on one of my Gibsons and learned the aforementioned  from him.

Just my two cents.

 

QM aka “Jazzman” Jeff

 

[E-minor7]

53 minutes ago, QuestionMark said:

  And, in the case of the glue running onto the top’s surface by mistake.

With this I agree - and basically you of course are right. Still I think it a very big operation to remove the whole thing to reinstall it for this modest gap, ,  ,                                                                                          and actually also find it slightly absurd to have a potential new  replacement in mind while fixing the problem with the old - especially if this original version of the flora/faura is liked.                                                                                                                                           Get the right glue and use it with care.

[BluesKing777]

 

Somebody could make a good living hanging their sign out front - Gibson Pickguard Repairs....

 

BluesKing777.

 

[kidblast]

it's not glue fellas, it's 3m adhesive double sided tape.

 

[EuroAussie]

Superglue ! 😉

[Hall]

there is a post from a couple months ago on how to redo whole thing.   Search, I'm sorry but I am just not well enough right now to look it up for you.    Hey guys please cover for me and find the op that post.  Thanks.

[Dave F]

12 minutes ago, Hall said:

there is a post from a couple months ago on how to redo whole thing.   Search, I'm sorry but I am just not well enough right now to look it up for you.    Hey guys please cover for me and find the op that post.  Thanks.

[E-minor7]

12 hours ago, kidblast said:

it's not glue fellas, it's 3m adhesive double sided tape.

When removing the guard on my 2012 TV Bird a lot of grey goo was there to roll off. You know there are dry and wet versions of this type of sticky stuff. This was dry and appears like organic structures through the transparent red garden. The romantic in me always sees it as a glimpse of the honey itself, , , ,

                                                                                                                                         and talking 'bout honey-glaze, ,  

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                             , , , this one apparently has it in spades. .

Edited November 14, 2020 by E-minor7

[Sgt. Pepper]

I'm too high for this s-hit.

[fortyearspickn]

12 hours ago, Sgt. Pepper said:

I'm too high for this s-hit.

 

Probably sniffed too much glue.   

[Hall]

18 hours ago, Dave F said:

Thank you, Dave!

[slimt]

Ive seen alot of New Gibsons  with the guards lifting.  Not even sold yet.    

[kidblast]

1 hour ago, slimt said:

Ive seen alot of New Gibsons  with the guards lifting.  Not even sold yet.    

you would think,,... with all the brilliant minds involved,, they would find way to address this... and we wonder why people complain.? (this kind of stuff is baloney.)

 

[ALD323]

1 hour ago, kidblast said:

you would think,,... with all the brilliant minds involved,, they would find way to address this... and we wonder why people complain.? (this kind of stuff is baloney.)

 

The flubberguard procedure brought up previously will work. As far as Gibson fixing the problem, the answer to that is simple in my humble opinion...and there are one of two ways for Gibson to do this. Gibson are you listening?🧐

1. Gibson could leave the newly molded pick guards in their hot mold, untouched, not removed, until they slowly cool down inside the mold, so that they do not curl when removed as they cool, and so remain flat after removal from the mold to install on the new Hummingbird or other Gibson guitars which sport the flubberwar (which is very durable by the way.)... However this may not be possible or practical as there may be just too many pick guards to be manufactured, and not be enough molds to wait that amount of time. 

....Or

2. Gibson could continue to remove the newly molded pick guards from the hot mold, allow them to cool and curl as they have been doing, then place the pick guards on a flat hot preheated tray for a specified amount of time..hot enough to soften and reshape the pick guard, but not hot enough to melt or damage it, allowing the pick guard to relax and flaten from the applied heat, and then slowly cool it once more, perhaps pressing them with weighted material till they have cooled. ...They may otherwise alternatively apply a blast of hot air instead to the tops of the curled pick guards to flatten and relax the curl as described in my precedure  above kindly reposted by Dave F, using a hair dryer to flatten it on a counter after it has been removed from the guitar. 

Which ever method is the most cost efficient for Gibson at the factory, is the one they should naturally use. It would require only a minimal investment to create a very permanent solution to a decades old problem. ....Gibson, are you listening? 👁️‍🗨️

For those of you alreading experiencing the infamous Gibson pick guard lifting problen, follow the procedure above as reposted by Dave F. And your pick guard will never lift again.   ..... Gibson, are you listening?

Having said all this, one should remember that these Gibson flubberware pick guards, when installed proberly at the factory will never fade, the image will never wear off no matter how hard you use the guitar, or how much touching of the pick guard you do during play time. It is a significant milestone in production and quite brilliant on Gibsons part....the procedure just needs tweaking. 

Best wishes...ALD