Pickax Posted July 3, 2012 Share Posted July 3, 2012 Thanks to Guth, I finally got around to repositioning the pickguard on my J-45TV. I've had this Guitar for about a year now and the factory (mis)positioned pickguard has always bothered me. Hard to explain why they leave Bozeman this way. Following Guth's instructions, I was able to remove the pickguard and place it where it rightfully belongs. A pretty easy job but you have to be patient, methodical and a bit anal. I sanded the pickguard a bit to get it closer to the Rosette curvature but it's not perfect. However, it's close enough and a heck of a lot better than it was before. Very happy with the results. Here is a before and after shot: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigKahune Posted July 3, 2012 Share Posted July 3, 2012 . I remember a couple of these long discussion. I like to see the rosette. Nice job . . . looks great. . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JuanCarlosVejar Posted July 3, 2012 Share Posted July 3, 2012 . I remember a couple of these long discussion. I like to see the rosette. Nice job . . . looks great. . +1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tafmutt Posted July 3, 2012 Share Posted July 3, 2012 Not perfect? I beg to differ - looks great! MJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dchristo Posted July 3, 2012 Share Posted July 3, 2012 that looks great, next string change, Im going to do mine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fortyearspickn Posted July 4, 2012 Share Posted July 4, 2012 Wow! Good job Pikax. I never realized until seeing your "Before". & "Afters" how obviously wrong the placement was. A picture is worth a thousand words, I guess. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guth Posted July 4, 2012 Share Posted July 4, 2012 Nicely done Pickax. Glad it all worked out for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pickax Posted July 4, 2012 Author Share Posted July 4, 2012 Thanks to you Guth. It was your post that motivated me to do this. Here are the instructions you posted in case others want to right a wrong: It wasn't really all that hard. As a reference, I've never done anything like this before — just took my time and tried to stay patient with the process. I read up on some posts here and elsewhere on the web and came up with my plan. The very tip of my pickguard was already starting to lift just a tiny bit so getting started was easy enough. I warmed the guard up with a hairdryer set to low. I covered up the guitar finish with some bath towels so that only the pickguard was exposed to the heat, for the most part anyway. I warmed it up just slightly a bit at a time and I used some dental floss that I soaked in naptha to work my way underneath the pickguard. I followed this approach for quite a while, working my way down the length of the guard until I was done. I did not "pull up" on the guard at all as I wanted to re-use it once I got if off and didn't want to bend it. Getting the old adhesive off of the guitar's finish took a long time. I used some naptha and a cotten cloth to do so, once again working slowly and removing just a bit at a time. I purhased some double sided adhesive sheets from Stewart MacDonald and used that to stick the pickguard back down in its new location.This part was a bit tricky, if you don't nail it, you'll need to repeat the above process all over again. I have no idea how many chances you get with the factory pickguard before it shows signs of wear from doing this. As far as the shaping is concerned, I just used some sandpaper to smooth the arc of the pickguard that was to sit flush to the outside of the rosette rings. I wanted the two to match up as perfectly as possible. It didn't take much sanding at all, really just smoothing things up a bit. I should also point out that there is a bit of a "glue shadow" left in the finish from where the guard had originaly been placed. This might possibly work itself out with time, at any rate, I'm guessing that the sooner you do this job, the better. You could certainly mess your guitar up doing this, so take that for what it's worth and of course proceed with caution if you do decide to attempt this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texastrummer Posted July 4, 2012 Share Posted July 4, 2012 Thanks for posting the method. The guard on my 45TV is also off a bit and covers part of the rosette. I just might give this a try! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E-minor7 Posted July 4, 2012 Share Posted July 4, 2012 Looks good – as always when it's done right. Tempted, but think I'll keep mine where it is. Kind of like the authenticity of Bozemans slightly unaesthetic, but rational decision. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texastrummer Posted July 4, 2012 Share Posted July 4, 2012 Looks good – as always when it's done right. Tempted, but think I'll keep mine where it is. Kind of like the authenticity of Bozemans slightly unaesthetic, but rational decision. Hahahahaha! A wise approach! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisA83 Posted July 4, 2012 Share Posted July 4, 2012 If Gibson change it back in the future there will be posts like this in 2045 advising how to reposition the pickguard to the correct 'over the rosette classic Bozeman' position I do actually prefer to see the rosette tbh (and good job pickax!), and I'd like mine to be like that, but I just don't trust myself with things like this... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Del Nilppeznaf Posted July 4, 2012 Share Posted July 4, 2012 I know I'm in a minority with this... but I kinda like the position Bozeman are using now... I was looking at the above pics..and thought.. I'm not sure I like the rossette fully visable.. then looking at pics posted by Spot in the new LG2 thread 'Just found this' I definatley like the positioning of the guard on that. With the rossette fully showing...I don't know...it looks too...conformed..for want of better description... tooo round..haha Do you think another reason they are doing this is to distinguish between vintage and new also? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guth Posted July 4, 2012 Share Posted July 4, 2012 Del, I repositioned the guard on my J-45 for two reasons: !.) I prefer to be able to see the small rosette rings. 2.) The guard that came on my guitar wasn't really cut to match the arc of the inside of the rosette. The pictures I originally posted didn't show it as well, but you can tell from looking closely at the photos that Pickax posted. Had they redesigned the guard to fully match the inside arc or the rosette, I probably would have left things alone. It appears that they have done this on some of the other current models that they are building. However on the J-45s, the arc of the guard doesn't follow the arc of the rosette all the way to the tip and just looked off to my eye. I definitely prefer the look of the pickguard just clear of the rosette, so it made the decision a bit easier for me. Interestingly, that's how Gibson places the guard on the J-45 Legend. So I suppose it is a possibility that the placement was chosen to distinguish the Bozeman built guitars from the Kalamazoo built guitars. As the Legend is supposed to be a true reproduction of the originals, they slid the guard over a few millimeters to clear the rosette. I simply couldn't understand why they didn't modify the design of the J-45 pickguard for the new placement. In my case the answer was to just move the guard over a bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lblack Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 I know I'm in a minority with this... but I kinda like the position Bozeman are using now... I am in that same 'minority' -- or are we the majority who do not post anything in the forum? Every where I look I see Gibson's J45 (all models) with the 'mis-positioned pick guard'. I am leaving my J45 TV just like it came from the factory. Of course, some people like to customize their J-45, example Donovan's J-45 -- without a pick guard! See the thread in this forum from April: Donovan reinvents J-45 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duluthdan Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 I'm gonna play my J-45 until the pickguard falls off. I rarely play with a pick, so it'll take awhile, and I'm hoping that when I'm about 95 I'll be posting a request for instructions on how and where to place a new one on. You guys better be around and remember how to do this <_< Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cybercat Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 Think it looks far better after you repositioned it, Pickax, great job! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pickax Posted July 11, 2012 Author Share Posted July 11, 2012 Gibson Montana's pickguard placement to me, is wrong. That's what motivated me to take this action. If you look at the vintage Gibson's, the folks in Kalamazoo got it right. The sound hole rosette is very simple in design but it adds a lot to the overall look of the Guitar. It's too nice to be partially covered. BTW, this J-45TV is one sweet Guitar! Wish I had more time to play it :lol: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pschaafs Posted July 13, 2012 Share Posted July 13, 2012 I like the closer-in position better because it offers some protection from the tendency of my pinky finger to tap right there... My old J-50 is pretty worn there as it isn't as close. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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