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Shrinking pickguards....


onewilyfool

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So I take it Martin glued on the pickguard before shooting the finish. That seems completely odd and bassackwards to me.

 

 

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Either that, or they masked off the top for the pickguard, sprayed the guitar, then installed the pickguard. I believe Gibson did the same thing for many years, as well. It may have been that the glue used for the pickguard might have interacted with the finish and caused problems, so they glued straight to the wood.

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So I take it Martin glued on the pickguard before shooting the finish.

Yep. Gibson and Martin both, back in the day. Except for the shrinking causing cracks in the top, it worked great. (Like every other feature of pre-War models, some folks think this feature contributed to their superior tone. That's why D-18As, D-28As, and early J-45 Legends all have pickguards under the finish.) But cracks are why pickguards are now glued on top of the finish, using a weak adhesive.

 

-- Bob R

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It may have been that the glue used for the pickguard might have interacted with the finish and caused problems, so they glued straight to the wood.

They used a solvent (acetone I think), not glue. The pickguard bonded directly to the wood.

 

-- Bob R

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