egoidealmusic Posted April 9, 2022 Author Share Posted April 9, 2022 That tiger stripe looks fantastic, Dave F. That's the color of the material I have from StewMac, so maybe I'm wrong that it would be too much! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave F Posted April 9, 2022 Share Posted April 9, 2022 43 minutes ago, jedzep said: Go ahead and pull it Murph. Then ship it to me and I'll return it in 6 mos with the top color all blended. I offer this service to anyone else who'd like to mail me their guitars. Tan lines can be aggravating. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RBSinTo Posted April 9, 2022 Share Posted April 9, 2022 12 hours ago, E-minor7 said: ".......... Mainly because the guitar itself is so pure and innocent....." Em7, How do you know what this guitar does behind closed doors? Might be spending all its time living on the edge by hanging around with Martins or Taylors. RBSinTo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twang Gang Posted April 9, 2022 Share Posted April 9, 2022 I like the way the guitar looks as is, but I too have a tendency to rest my pinky on the guitar top while picking and strumming which eventually leads to some marks there. My solution, which was already mentioned above, was to put a clear pickguard on a guitar I had that didn't come with one. The look of the guitar remained the same, but the top was protected. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted April 10, 2022 Share Posted April 10, 2022 I like pickguards. Has less to do with function than looks. They break up the monotony of the top particularly on a blondie. While I have never added a pickguard which had not been there originally, I have replaced a few which were MIA or had already been replaced. So, being these were all old guitars I had to stick with the original shape. I tend to go with a dark tortoise shell because I am not a fan of much of what passes for firestripe these days. It is more like tiger stripe as it lacks the subtlety the pickguards my three instruments made in the 1930s sport. As to shape though, I like the scatchplates Gibson went with on the CF100 from 1955 to 1959. It was the first time since WWII Gibson went with a J35 style pickguard, Looks good on an LG2 body although granted the CF100 was a cutaway. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fortyearspickn Posted April 10, 2022 Share Posted April 10, 2022 "... because I am not a fan of much of what passes for firestripe these days. " Agree - I've got a tigerstripe - on my J45 sunburst. I liked it when I got it - love it now. Because it blends in and adds some interest. The coloration is all brown, tan, etc. and the wavy lines are basically uniform. The after market ones Ive seen - like the ones pictured here - have orange in them and are splotchy and meandering. Almost approaching 'modern art'. Maybe that is 'fire stripe' vs 'tiger stripe'. I love the 'flame' in my maple grain SJ200, but will pass on 'fire stripes' on pick guards. Especially on a blonde face. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jricc Posted April 10, 2022 Share Posted April 10, 2022 First, congrats on your new American Eagle! It's a beaut. Personally, I'd go with the simple teardrop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E-minor7 Posted April 10, 2022 Share Posted April 10, 2022 On 4/9/2022 at 4:44 AM, egoidealmusic said: E-minor7 they seem pretty organic to me-- Can only be detected by special powers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E-minor7 Posted April 10, 2022 Share Posted April 10, 2022 22 hours ago, RBSinTo said: Em7, How do you know what this guitar does behind closed doors? Can only be detected by special powers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
egoidealmusic Posted April 10, 2022 Author Share Posted April 10, 2022 Thanks for all the thoughts, folks. I've ordered both a teardrop and a batwing (can use whichever I don't put on this guitar on another) and will share photos once they arrive! And I'll try to play easy on her until then... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E-minor7 Posted April 11, 2022 Share Posted April 11, 2022 On 4/9/2022 at 4:25 PM, Dave F said: Tan lines can be aggravating. The mask mission above is great. I did something similar to my TV Bird, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,, , , , ,,, , , , , ,, , it took years for the direct sun to even it out. And today 5 summers later there's still a vague line left. . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murph Posted April 11, 2022 Share Posted April 11, 2022 On 4/9/2022 at 8:41 AM, jedzep said: Go ahead and pull it Murph. Then ship it to me and I'll return it in 6 mos with the top color all blended. I offer this service to anyone else who'd like to mail me their guitars. Bwahahahaha. That was great! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted April 11, 2022 Share Posted April 11, 2022 (edited) 9 hours ago, E-minor7 said: The mask mission above is great. I did something similar to my TV Bird, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,, , , , ,,, , , , , ,, , it took years for the direct sun to even it out. And today 5 summers later there's still a vague line left. . You got away lucky. While I do not know when they started and ended the practice, at one time Gibson applied pickguards I think with with acetone to bare wood and then sprayed a finish over them. We had a second pickguard which Gibson had slapped onto my wife's 1960 J200 at some time when the guitar had been sent to Kalamazoo for repair removed and had to have the area refinished. Even then you could still see a faint outline of where the pickguard had been. My '56 Epiphone FT79 though takes the prize for the biggest pain in the butt pickguard replacement. Not only had the missing original been attached to bare wood but it was inset so flush with the top. No margin for error when it came to replacing it. Edited April 11, 2022 by zombywoof Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kwlsky Posted April 12, 2022 Share Posted April 12, 2022 On 4/11/2022 at 7:36 AM, Murph said: Bwahahahaha. That was great! I was under the impression that his technique works and he was serious. Jedzep, what's the verdict? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
will97 Posted April 12, 2022 Share Posted April 12, 2022 On 4/8/2022 at 8:42 PM, Dave F said: I had a Custom 0000-28 Martin all koa body shown below that I did not want to hide but didn't want to damage. I put a clear static guard that worked fine. How's that Sarge? I mention Martin and Taylor on a Gibson thread 🙂 If interested, I have an unused batwing guard that came with a CJ165. https://www.zzounds.com/item--TAYSUPG?siid=285453&gclid=CjwKCAjwur-SBhB6EiwA5sKtjtSmH7HE21QzjnNuMtALCiArKT6oQTQxTna1RfXUr4qhSGhP7DQ50xoCyxYQAvD_BwE I acquired a CJ-165 Rosewood a little while ago and it is a keeper! I absolutely love the smaller body as I am a smaller guy and it is LOUD! I didn't like the smaller jumbo proportions at first glance, but it has really started to grow on me and the sound beats my Songwriter Deluxe (also rosewood) which is more balanced and quieter. I would love to complete the look with a batwing pickguard! I think the 165 pickguards are the same as the 185s, but it is absolutely impossible to source one and I don't know any websites that make one (I have tried GreasyGroove and Terrapin and it seems they are impossible to get a hold of). I would happily buy the CJ pickguard from you, Dave. I do have a LG-2 AE and it is what they say - a miniature J-45 and looks the part and has many similarities to a J-45, minus the slope "thump". I would say throw on a guard on there if you're a heavy picker and I personally think Gibson's look much better with their trademark guards. I threw on a Gibson teardrop guard on mine from an old G-45 Studio (just peeled it off with heat and then used 3M double side tape from eBay) rather than the batwing because there is too much space between the end of the fretboard on the AEs to make it look similar to all vintage examples. Also much easier to find a teardrop pickguard - I do have a batwing LG-2 pickguard template if you want it though. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted April 12, 2022 Share Posted April 12, 2022 On 4/9/2022 at 6:16 AM, jedzep said: Having owned 50's era models of this guitar, these, and really no guitar, should be subjected to strumming that's reckless enough to scar it. At that point you would be driving it past it's tonal efficiency zone. Maybe, keep your abused dread for 'bashing', and customize your strum attack a little. I have this custom Greven firestripe guard matched to the wood on my '36 L00 restoration, but still hesitate attaching it. Maybe a guard is useful to cover damage after the fact. The pickguard on my 1956 SJ went right up to the edge of the soundhole. While this may be aesthetically undesirable I have seen more than my fair share of old Gibsons where there was quite a bit of wear to the exposed area of the top adjacent to the soundhole and some where the wood had been worn to the point it had been thinned out enough to start breaking away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kwlsky Posted April 12, 2022 Share Posted April 12, 2022 2 hours ago, will66 said: I honestly think this guitar is absolutely gorgeous without the pickguard. That is a perfect burst. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jedzep Posted April 12, 2022 Share Posted April 12, 2022 They're all so beautiful without guards, no ifs about it for me. And yes, I am serious and it works. This '62 Martin had an awful double guard. It took a whole spring thru fall to get it to blend, because you have to work around the hottest spells, not subjecting it to intense summer sun, but it came out real nice. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murph Posted April 12, 2022 Share Posted April 12, 2022 Well, I'll be darned... That's cool as heck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kwlsky Posted April 12, 2022 Share Posted April 12, 2022 What a restoration Jedzep! How did you get rid of all the wood damage on the top to the right of the bridge? I can't even see a trace of it in the final picture. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jedzep Posted April 12, 2022 Share Posted April 12, 2022 (edited) I did have to pull the bridge and do some overall sanding, then sprayed multiple coats of Mohawk flat/matte lacquer. What a sin it would be to lay a nasty batwing on that CJ-165, Will. That much glue and plastic could alter the top response and tone too. Edited April 12, 2022 by jedzep Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merciful-evans Posted April 13, 2022 Share Posted April 13, 2022 That's truly beautiful work jedzep. Kudos. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fretplay Posted April 13, 2022 Share Posted April 13, 2022 The reason your guitar hasn't got a pick guard is because the builder designed it to be without one. The guitar is built for finger picking or light plectrum work. So may me this is the time for you to change your style to fit the guitar rather than changing the guitar to fit you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave F Posted April 13, 2022 Share Posted April 13, 2022 10 minutes ago, fretplay said: The reason your guitar hasn't got a pick guard is because the builder designed it to be without one. The guitar is built for finger picking or light plectrum work. So may me this is the time for you to change your style to fit the guitar rather than changing the guitar to fit you. The CJ165 I had came with the pickguard not applied to the guitar. In the past, Gibson has done this on a few models so you could have the option. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merciful-evans Posted April 13, 2022 Share Posted April 13, 2022 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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