Crow Posted June 18, 2012 Share Posted June 18, 2012 I went thru this topic a couple of years ago with my Epi Dot. Dejavu... I like pickguards, my 339 ebony has one. But I don't like the one it has on it. A few years ago, I got one made for my Dot by a nice fellow at a noted pickguard business. It was as promised, and a good price, but, it really didn't fir the bill. I replaced it with one from a guy on ebay. he charges more, but his pickguard kicks butt. his look more like the Gibosn pickguards, almost bound.THey are 5ply and according to him .110" thick. I don't have a micrometer to measure it, but it's thick. Quite a bit thicker then the anemic oem pickguards. He now is making one for the EPi 339's it looks just like the one I bought for the Dot HERE_IT_IS Pricey... \ No one else makes them like this, at least I haven't found anyone. He even uses a different bevel to make them wider looking. And one cream layer is thicker than the other so it gets this nice lined bound look. At least I like it. The problem is, the Epi 339's have this really thin beveled trim ring. It's angled forward towards the neck and the oem pickguard is actually already slightly above the ring on the neck side. Not quite flush, close enuff.It looks okay. I emailed the guy on Ebay and asked him about the thickness of this on he is making for the 339, because holding up the one he made for my dot against this 339, it's going to be higher then the ring. It is defintely thicker then the oem pickguard. Has anyone here bought one of these pickguards for the 339? I doubt it, but thought I would throw the question out. He's a man of few words, and he says he has sold four of them so far and no one complained. Well maybe... but the fact is, his is going to be thicker then the trim ring. He says his are .110 thick. I'm not so sure, but how thick is the oem? .090 maybe? Thinner? IF the cream layer isn't showing above the ring it may be a mute point. The bevel of the ring rises towards the back of the guitar os it will be okay except for right at the front. Yes I have removed the pickguard but prefer the old school Gibson pickguard look. Plus the binding under the pick guard bracket dug into the binding so without it, it looks like a big ouch.. I haven't seen anyone else make these pickguards. Plenty make them 5ply but not with the same bevel he uses. And they all look anemic in comparison. I know it's just preferences, but has anyone purched one from the guy on Ebay besides me? Should I buy some spray paint and paint my own binding?..lol This link isn't my guitar, but eh 339 in the middle has the pickguard I would like to have..so does this one Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tweed2 Posted June 18, 2012 Share Posted June 18, 2012 Try this guy. I've had him do several for me and can't say enough about the quality. I tried John on a whim after dealing with the inappropriately named pickguard heaven folks and another guy. I wasn't happy with what I got from either, but it worked out in the long run, because now I know who to go through. Tons of options, excellent work and good turnaround time. He's great for custom etched truss rod covers, too. Beautiful guitar, by the way. He did the same type of guard (no exposed screw at the bracket)for my Casino. http://www.terrapinguitars.com/index_php.php Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crow Posted June 18, 2012 Author Share Posted June 18, 2012 Try this guy. I've had him do several for me and can't say enough about the quality. I tried John on a whim after dealing with the inappropriately named pickguard heaven folks and another guy. I wasn't happy with what I got from either, but it worked out in the long run, because now I know who to go through. Tons of options, excellent work and good turnaround time. He's great for custom etched truss rod covers, too. Beautiful guitar, by the way. He did the same type of guard (no exposed screw at the bracket)for my Casino. http://www.terrapinguitars.com/index_php.php John is where I got my first replacement...lol.. Yes a very nice guy, and great work, but his don't have the same bevel. and his 5 play is way too thick for the 339's. Yours is 3 ply like mine right?. Yours looks just like mine that I got from John at terrapin. Not bad, just not the same. I already emailed him, but he won't be able to duplicate the wider, bound look for me. Here is a pic of the one I got from Ebay see how much wider it is? Some might not like the wider look, but I do. I wish John could duplicate it. He's much nicer to do business with..lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tweed2 Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 OK, now I understand what you're looking for. Hmmm, shim the trim ring a hair? That's an interesting dilema. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whirligig Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 Actually its an easy fix for the thicker pickguard .. you have to get another bridge pick up ring and block sand it to the thickness you need there's lots of room on the epi to do this it has a higher neck set this can also fix the neck pick up tilt toward the neck which is a fairly common on most of the es 339s both epi and gibson make sure you get ring for the epi not the gibson one is metric the gibson one is standard size and won't quite fit. Hope this helps Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crow Posted June 19, 2012 Author Share Posted June 19, 2012 Actually its an easy fix for the thicker pickguard .. you have to get another bridge pick up ring and block sand it to the thickness you need there's lots of room on the epi to do this it has a higher neck set this can also fix the neck pick up tilt toward the neck which is a fairly common on most of the es 339s both epi and gibson make sure you get ring for the epi not the gibson one is metric the gibson one is standard size and won't quite fit. Hope this helps hhmm, what trim ring would I be wanting? Who would sell them? I am unfamiliar with these and especially Gibsons. What do you mean when you say "this can also fix the neck pick up tilt toward the neck which is a fairly common on most of the es 339s both epi and gibson"? Isn't it supposed to be like it is? I couldn't go a lot higher without the magnets getting to close to the strings, or so it seems to me, but I am a novice. The angle/tilt of the pickup isn't anything near as steep as the angle of the trim ring. A quick measurement tells me the rings for the Epi Dot wouldn't fit. The screw holes wouldn't match either. What other Epiphone ring would work? This a common thing people don't like? I mean the tilt of the pickup downward? I set the string height a lot lower than what they were when I got the guitar. The action seemed very very high to me.. Maybe that's just me. I find it kind of strange that the stock pickguard is actually a tad higher then the trim ring as is..lol I know a lot of guys just remove them, but I kinda like the look of a Bound pickguard.The guy on ebay's look real nice, if I can figure out how to make the edges match. A higher ring would do it. I was thinking of sanding some material off the bottom of his pickguard. The only are it will be to high at is right at the front and the leading corner. After that the trim ring rises quickly. here is a picture I sent to the ebay seller trying to explain why his thicker guard would indeed be lots higher then the stock one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whirligig Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 this pretty much tells the story good luck!! I can't get a link ...?? google- es 339 pickup alignment posted by Larry Lion 06/021/2011 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crow Posted June 19, 2012 Author Share Posted June 19, 2012 this pretty much tells the story good luck!! I can't get a link ...?? google- es 339 pickup alignment posted by Larry Lion 06/021/2011 Nope that link just took me to the whole forum. I gotta read all the posts in each forum??..lol.. I would love to read what you are talking about. I looked around a bit for another ring but haven't found one I KNOW would fit. Maybe I should shim it with a piece of gasket..lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whirligig Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 see above ...lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crow Posted June 20, 2012 Author Share Posted June 20, 2012 this pretty much tells the story good luck!! I can't get a link ...?? google- es 339 pickup alignment posted by Larry Lion 06/021/2011 Did the google, saw the thread. Now I just need to find a flat pickup ring that matches my specs. DO you know if these are curved slightly? I can't tell without removing it. THe body is arched a bit, so they might be. THanks a bunch for the help. Much appreciated.. ;o) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gingernuts Posted June 20, 2012 Share Posted June 20, 2012 When I replaced the Pups on mine I bought new curved -bottom rings to go with them. I didn't fit them because..... 1) The fixing holes didn't line up 2) The curve on the bottom was too great.. The OEM ones appear to have flat bottoms ( I didn't do a rigorous check). I think you'll find that they achieve a slight curve when the screws are tightened. If you manage to find rings with the same fixing holes, I would get the flat bottom ones or be prepared to sand the curved ones down until almost flat. If it worries you, why not get a set of each, they're not expensive (although ones with the correct fixing centres may be). The curved bottom variety were a bit taller so more room for adjustment. Hope that helps Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crow Posted June 20, 2012 Author Share Posted June 20, 2012 When I replaced the Pups on mine I bought new curved -bottom rings to go with them. I didn't fit them because..... 1) The fixing holes didn't line up 2) The curve on the bottom was too great.. The OEM ones appear to have flat bottoms ( I didn't do a rigorous check). I think you'll find that they achieve a slight curve when the screws are tightened. If you manage to find rings with the same fixing holes, I would get the flat bottom ones or be prepared to sand the curved ones down until almost flat. If it worries you, why not get a set of each, they're not expensive (although ones with the correct fixing centres may be). The curved bottom variety were a bit taller so more room for adjustment. Hope that helps Thank you very much, that does help.. a lot.. Without removing them they looked flat to me, even thought I know there is a bit of curve in the arch top. Now I just have to find some for epiphone that have the correct size and screw configuration..lol DO you remember which ones you got? SO I will not get them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gingernuts Posted June 20, 2012 Share Posted June 20, 2012 DO you remember which ones you got? SO I will not get them. From here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crow Posted June 20, 2012 Author Share Posted June 20, 2012 From here Thanks I will not get them there..lol, I have no clue where I will get them tho..lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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