B.T. Posted March 2 Share Posted March 2 Having read posts for years regarding pick guards lifting, I was beginning to think my Songwriter might possibly be the exception. I've had it for seven years and until recently it was doing great! A month or so back I noticed some light haze on the edge of the pick guard around the sound hole. I have been rehearsing with this guitar a lot for a couple upcoming gigs and it needed a good cleaning and a set of new strings. Yesterday during the process I discovered that the pick guard is actually delaminating. It hasn't lifted from the body of the guitar but is peeling apart. Apparently it is laminated layers. Disappointing but not unexpected. I'm a "do it myself" kind of guy so I'm interested in any instructions or suggestions from you folks that have done it. While we're on the topic of Songwriter guitars, I also have had a problem from early on with the Prefix Electronics resonating with the "A" string. The housing is very sloppy and it rattles. I am able to buffer it with a piece of strategically placed felt. Functional but rather cheesy for a nice guitar. I much prefer the system in my SJ - no hole in the side of the guitar and no rattles. I have even toyed with the idea of a special order but I'm not made of money! I appreciate any suggestions! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrairieDog Posted March 2 Share Posted March 2 (edited) Okay, I can’t tell from the pics, so pardon me asking the obvious simply out of due diligence (since it has been known to have happened before) are you sure it’s not just the cling protector that never got peeled off? So okay, assuming you are not smacking your face with your palm right now, I’m assuming you want tips about how to replace it? if you do a search, I saw a post a while back where someone described how to get the pick guard off. I really think Gibson should do it under warranty though, but I understand that’s a hassle. Edited March 2 by PrairieDog 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B.T. Posted March 2 Author Share Posted March 2 Thanks - I thought it might possibly be an original protective layer that I over looked, but it's quite thick. A lot thicker than any I've had in the past. I'm tempted to try peeling it and see what happens. I also agree I probably should let Gibson take care of it. I'm not opposed to shipping it to Gibson. Maybe they could address the electronics issue as well. I have a couple other guitars I can use while it's away and I have it well insured. 1 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B.T. Posted March 2 Author Share Posted March 2 Boy do I feel stupid....... You were right! I guess it is the protective coating. In my defense though..it is much thicker than the usual thin plastic that I expected. Now if you have a simple answer to the electronic rattle I'll really have a bruised forehead from slapping myself! 😜 1 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrairieDog Posted March 2 Share Posted March 2 (edited) Whoa dude!! Okay that is some serious “film.” I wonder if it had one of those “clear coat” protectors intended to shield the pick guard while playing (sort of the place mat over the table cloth arrangement) Meaning you could scuff up that clear bit and then take it off to expose a pristine pg when you went to sell it? It came off so clean I can’t imagine it wasn’t meant to come off at some point, but yeah. I’d still maybe give Gibson a call and ask “Was this supposed to happen?” 😄You may still get a new PG out of it. Your forehead is safe from any more of my “helpful” hints re the pickup other than the discussion last week about some velcro or something coming loose that holds the units in place that you can just stick back down. 😉 Edited March 2 by PrairieDog 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B.T. Posted March 2 Author Share Posted March 2 I’ll tell you this - if that is an add on protection - I want another one! It’s really thick! Can’t help but wonder though how much it was dampening the vibration of the wood top. It’ll be interesting to see if there is any noticeable change in the sound. Thanks again for the encouragement! I was admittedly reluctant to try peeling it until you made the suggestion. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdgm Posted March 2 Share Posted March 2 I don't know anything about gibson acoustic pickguards but that looks far too thick to be some sort of pre-purchase protective film. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B.T. Posted March 2 Author Share Posted March 2 I agree. I’ll contact Gibson for their input. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrairieDog Posted March 2 Share Posted March 2 (edited) 1 hour ago, B.T. said: I’ll tell you this - if that is an add on protection - I want another one! It’s really thick! Can’t help but wonder though how much it was dampening the vibration of the wood top. It’ll be interesting to see if there is any noticeable change in the sound. Thanks again for the encouragement! I was admittedly reluctant to try peeling it until you made the suggestion. Re the dampening, let us know? I agree that is a pretty heavy slice of plastic for the top to have been wrestling against. Here’s to 7 years of newly freed up tone!? (but hey, watch the pickguard, it’s going commando! 😆) Edited March 2 by PrairieDog 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murph Posted March 3 Share Posted March 3 I got nuthin' on the film. No clue. As for the rattle, they can be hard to find. I had a Marshall 1/2 stack that we noticed a rattle on in the studio (that was costing us per HOUR) back in the 90's. I took that amp home and it took two of us all night to figure it out. Rattles and sympathetic rattles can be hard to find, sometimes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B.T. Posted March 3 Author Share Posted March 3 14 minutes ago, Murph said: I got nuthin' on the film. No clue. As for the rattle, they can be hard to find. I had a Marshall 1/2 stack that we noticed a rattle on in the studio (that was costing us per HOUR) back in the 90's. I took that amp home and it took two of us all night to figure it out. Rattles and sympathetic rattles can be hard to find, sometimes. For sure! I finally realized it was coming from the loose fit between the on board electronics and the housing it snaps into. Even once I figured it out and started putting that small piece of felt between them it’s still trial and error. I’ve had to open and close and reposition the felt multiple times before I hit the sweet spot. it never seems to be in exactly the same place. Interestingly I recently purchased an Epiphone EJ 200 as the “throw in the truck and go” guitar. Has a very similar Fishman electronics setup. Much tighter fit - no rattles whatsoever. I have a hunch the opening in my Songwriter was maybe just a little larger than it should be and the housing isn’t snug. Sometime if I get to feeling ambitious I’ll take it out completely and try to reinstall it with something to take up the slop. I appreciate everyone’s input! Thank you! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparquelito Posted March 3 Share Posted March 3 (edited) Bravo Tango, The A string resonance; Is that purely physical, as in the loose module vibrates and hums in its housing, even when the guitar isn't plugged in? Or is there some electronic feedback resonance going on? 😉 Edited March 3 by sparquelito Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B.T. Posted March 3 Author Share Posted March 3 Just now, sparquelito said: Bravo Tango, The A string resonance; Is that purely physical, as in the loose module vibrates and hums in it's housing, even when the guitar isn't plugged in? Or is there some electronic feedback resonance going on? 😉 Good observation. The resonance is there - intermittently - regardless of whether or not the guitar is plugged in. That’s what drove me crazy at first - I kept trying to adjust EQ and find a frequency but finally realized it’s the “mechanics” of the guitar - not the electronics. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murph Posted March 3 Share Posted March 3 27 minutes ago, B.T. said: Interestingly I recently purchased an Epiphone EJ 200 as the “throw in the truck and go” guitar. I bought my daughter one of those when she was about 12. I was over at her house yesterday and played that thing for an hour. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B.T. Posted March 3 Author Share Posted March 3 1 minute ago, Murph said: I bought my daughter one of those when she was about 12. I was over at her house yesterday and played that thing for an hour. I had read they are a pretty good substitute for the real thing but I found it hard to believe. Happened to see a used one at Sam Ash. Pristine condition - literally no one in the store. I sat there for a half hour trying to find something I didn’t like. I couldn’t. Certainly not the same caliber as my Gibson SJ, but for the money - a terrific every day guitar. I even walked away without buying it the first time. I went back a week later - still there and I did the same thing again. 😂 That time I took it home! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrairieDog Posted March 3 Share Posted March 3 17 hours ago, B.T. said: I’ll tell you this - if that is an add on protection - I want another one! Hey, just thinking, that one looks in perfect shape, if the sound isn’t improved with it off, no reason you couldn’t just reattach that one. I would think it would be just a spray of a reversible/archival type of clear adhesive. Or, better, again, ask the real pros at Gibson, chuckle. “I’m not a luthier, I just play one on the net.” 😎 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RBSinTo Posted March 3 Share Posted March 3 BT., That stiff transparent, colourless pickguard protector looks exactly like the pickguard on my Guild maple Jumbo. Guild had a line of less expensive guitars they called GAD ( Guild Acoustic Design) that were built in China (analagous to the off-shore Epiphones in the Gibson lineup), and for some reason the Chinese version had a clear, transparent pickguard instead of the coloured tortoise shell(?) guard on the domestically-built version. My pickguard is virtually invisible, and I briefly thought about replacing it because to me, a steel-string acoustic guitar seemingly without a pickguard looks strange. However, it was so skillfully applied that in the end, I decided to just leave well enough alone, and not mess with it. Good decision, I think. RBSinTo 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slimt Posted March 3 Share Posted March 3 Makes you wonder if the finish on the guitar is that way as well. 😀 I never did notice the film aspect on those either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B.T. Posted March 3 Author Share Posted March 3 The piece I peeled off is mostly intact and definitely in good shape. What triggered my initial concern was that a small split had developed and some of it was separated from the piece below. I’ll do some investigating and update the thread once I get some answers. If it improves the sound by having removed it - by all means it stays off but if not, that chunk of protection was actually pretty nice. It even gave the appearance of a more substantial pick guard - not just your basic thin slab of plastic. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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