So Why a Pickguard?

[RobP]

Hey Gang,

I have been in the studio doing some recording with my trio. #As I listened to one of the recent recordings, I noticed an annoying click as my pick kept hitting the pickguard. #It was really driving me crazy. #So, off came the pick guard and the problem went away. #

It made me wonder about why they bother putting pickguards on mandolins? #The strings are waaaay up from the top -- my pick goes no where near the wood when I play. #I understand for guituar.. the strumming tends to be much more powerful and longer strokes. #I am not inclined to put the pickguard back on until (if) I ever sell my current mandolin.

Comments?

Thanks!

Rob

[Eric F.]

Judging from the number of used mandos on the market with significant wear in just the spot where a pickguard would go, I would guess there are quite a few players whose technique is different from yours. Or mine, for that matter.

[Tom C]

Finger wear.

Compliment of Mandolin archive:
http://www.mandolinarchive.com/images/95457.jpg

[f5loar]

That's right. Take a look at Monroes, Osbornes, Bushs, and Earl Taylor,Grisman(Fern),Mike Marshall and you'll know why Loar intended for there to be a fingerguard there.
They look funny without one, sorta like a car without a bumper.

[Nathan Sanders]

I prefer to not have a pickguard. That is one feature which I liked about the Gibson F-5G back when I bought mine. So you get a little wear on the mandolin. I bought mine to play and not to just sit around and look pretty.

[Bob DeVellis]

The old Gibson catalogs call them "finger rests" for a reason. If you touch one or more fingers to the surface of the instrument to help your orientation to the strings, a finger rest is handy. First, it takes the wear and tear. Over time and repeated playing, fingernails of the right hand can dig into the top wood. They differentially affect the softer bands of wood grain, leaving a kind of washboard surface in extreme cases. Second, the finger rest provides a platform that's flat and at the "right" height relative to the strings. Finally, resting your fingers on the guard instead of the top reduces damping the vibrations of the instrument. But it's really a matter of personal preference. Some folks love 'em and some hate 'em.

[RobP]

Hmmm... so am i doing something wrong in my technique I wonder? I tend not to plant my fingers for one thing, but that picture above sure looks like it has actual pick damage too.

[Jasper]

I have always enjoyed playing "free hand" without a pick guard, but it is less consistent and causes tenseness in my pick hand because I curl up my fingers to keep them off the instrument sound board. My current music instructor recommends dragging (not planting) a couple of fingers to provide a reference for the pick hand. He pointed out that most of the great players do that and it certainly doesn't affect their playing. So I have bought a couple of pick guards to install on my Weber, but I haven't gotten up the courage to put it onto my Gibson yet. I find it easier to play with the pinky and ring finger gliding over the pick guard/finger rest, but I am still unlearning the habit of curling up my fingers.

If you are hitting pick guard/finger rest that much, you are probably really attacking the strings hard and steep.

[Bob DeVellis]

Personally, I'm a "glider," myself, but lots of people advocate the hand-off-the-instrument approach, too. I think it's a matter of finding what works for you. Although I used to have a tough time "gliding" without a pickguard, I now find that I can glide along the top as well as I can glide along a pickguard. If you're worried about protection, you may want pickguards on your instruments. But if you're reluctant to put one on your Gibson, it isn't a strict requirement for the gliding approach.

[250sc]

TomC,

Is that your mando? If so, how did you scrape up the top down by the lower part of the F hole between the bridge and tailpiece.

[gnelson651]

I started with a mandolin that had a pickguard and being that I played banjo, I planted my pinky and ring finger on the pickguard. As I progressed in my playing I found tht planting restricted my wrist and I had problems with my tremelo. So I changed to gliding but didn't like how my wrist muscles tightened up, it still caused problems with my tremelo. Finually I was able to reteach myself to rest the heel of my hand lightly at the back of the bridge and my playing improved overall. My right hand technique came from reading this board and experimenting. I am self taught.

When I bought my Eastman last year, it didn't have pickguard. Personally I like the looks of the mandolin without one, it is more symmetrical and doesn't detract from the form of the mando.

[mandroid]

Scooped extension suggested to me to level the top of the finger-rest with the lower surface of the scoop, still, well above the top of the instrument. as a pinky planter, [or is that Knuckle-dragger], its useful.

[tiltman]

Hey Rob,
I had the same thing happen to me last year - listening to a live recording of the band I was with at the time and the clicking drove me crazy. Took the pickguard off and haven't looked back. Even went ahead and had the fingerboard extension "scooped" at the same time.
Kirk

[Fretbear]

I also have "white wood" showing in my black-top; I have never liked the original Loar-style pickguard, too big for one thing, and the binding draws attention to it. I could be persuaded by the abbreviated faux tortoiseshell ones that Steve Smith at Cumberland Acoustic makes that they have used on the F-9's.

[bratsche]

If ya needs 'em, ya uses 'em, an' if ya don't, ya don't. #Plain and simple!

Me, I prefer the plain 'n' nekkid look - no pickguard, no armrest, no strap, no nothin' - and recently, even no finish on the top of my Pancake, either! http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif #But I can get away with it, because no part of my arm/hand/finger/pick ever makes contact with the instrument top.... others' mileage on this, of course, may vary! #LOL

bratsche

[Dfyngravity]

Actually a lot of times, especially with me, the pick is not what causes the wear. It's mainly caused by players who have an open hand while picking. Your fingers, especially your fingernails hit the top and start to wear the finish.

The pickguard now days is used a lot by players who like to plant of lightly brush their fingers for support and added control too.

[otterly2k]

I'm a finger dragger myself, and am noticing that I'm starting to wear a shiny spot on the top of my satin-finished OM. Time to put on a clear pickguard.

[scgc.om]

Andrew Collins calls it a'depth guage". Two of my mandolins have no pickguard, other one does. I play 'em as I feel 'em.

[Tom C]

Heck no it's not mine. I could only wish. I too drag my fingers. But when I play my mando that does not have the pickguard, I sometimes rest a finger on the side of the neck right where the pickguard would be. With the pickguard, I can not do that. Right now my main mando has a pickguard. I'm just not sure which I like better.

[8ch(pl)]

Not only are the bridges elevated somewhat on carved top instruments, but the top slopes down away from the strings, so maybe for some folks a pickguard isn't needed. Us Flat top players have lower bridges with no slope factor. This makes a pickguard more necessary.

[Cary Fagan]

I just bought a pickguard from Cumberland acoustic and had it installed on my MT2. An abbreviated one, tortoishell, no binding, very subtle look. I brush my fingers on it maybe half the time, and most of the time on tremolo. My playing has improved since I put it on.

[dave42]

I have a small piece of vinyl that I "static cling" to the area on my Weber Hyalite where I drag my pinky, which is close to the neck/body joint. Less than $2 a yard at Wallies. Not much top vibration going on there, but it works. Very non-bluegrass way of doing things, but that's ok with me. I like the non-pickgaurd look. Yes, I do take it off after every gig, etc.. Wouldn't be a good thing to leave on.
Dave

[Peter Hackman]

Hey Gang,

I have been in the studio doing some recording with my trio. As I listened to one of the recent recordings, I noticed an annoying click as my pick kept hitting the pickguard. It was really driving me crazy. So, off came the pick guard and the problem went away.

It made me wonder about why they bother putting pickguards on mandolins? The strings are waaaay up from the top -- my pick goes no where near the wood when I play. I understand for guituar.. the strumming tends to be much more powerful and longer strokes. I am not inclined to put the pickguard back on until (if) I ever sell my current mandolin.

Comments?

Thanks!

Rob
If you're comfortable without the guard, good for you.
However, if your pick used to hit the guard, there just
*might* be room for improvement, *could* be your
pick dips a little too deeply.

That used to be my
problem playing *wihout* a guard!

Now I have one, which is how I learned. I certainly do not
brace or post fingers against the guard, seems it just
guides my right hand motion.

[Wando]

Good topic, because I've been thinking about putting a pickguard on my MT. #I have one on a CT110, and somehow the guard keeps me from playing too hard (i.e., not relaxed). #I don't mind the shiny spots on the MT. #I find that, while I drag a finger on the guard, I do it with less pressure than when I a drag a finger on the top. #I don't know why that is, but I may just try a guard. #However, I wouldn't want anything covering part of the f-hole.

[Frank Russell]

I have gotten used to playing without one, but if I spent lots of money on a custom-made, or a Master Model or such, I believe I'd keep one on. I am a finger dragger, and was starting to make an impact on all the satin-finish instruments I've owned (F9, A9, MT, MF). Usually, with a lacquer finish, I can keep it looking good with a wipedown after I play. I do see the need for them with some pickers, though. I play regularly with a gentleman who is a chronic pinkie-planter, and he puts a very deep groove, surrounded by a quarter-sized wear spot, on every instrument he plays for more than a few weeks. His fingernails must be either strong as horse hooves, or razor sharp. It kind of cracks me up to see him playing mandolins that are worth $7K or more, with a piece of scotch tape covering the wear mark so it won't get worse. I asked him why no pickguard, and he said he didn't like the angle it put his hand at. I guess after 30 or more years it's hard to adjust your picking technique.

[picksnbits]

I have a distressed varnish finish mandolin which I've nearly worn to the wood from draggin my fingers while picking.

I keep debating whether I should do something about it or not. Seems kinda silly to put a pick guard on to protect a distressed finish, but at the rate I'm going there's gonna be a hole there eventually. I have worked a bit on my technique to reduce the contact with the mando, but seems like a lot of really good pickers drag there fingers......?

[spats]

well guys I've got a couple of gibsons without pickguards and I'm crazy that some guy has taken the pg's off and lost them. I'm lookin' all over the place for a pg for an A3 whiteface, an Ajr and an A00 flat back (with f holes). I'm not a dealer, just a not so good player who loves mandolins and wishes that people would at least remember to restore them to their original condition before selling them!
Now that I've got that off my chest, if anybody can help me in my search I'd love to hear from you! http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mandosmiley.gif

[Doug Edwards]

I thought a pick guard would be good for me. Almost too late, but I like it with one.

[RobP]

So it seems like from the reply posts that it should be called a "finger guard" instead of a "pick guard" http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

Rob

[Boombloom]

I know the F5 that Tom posted. The owner says the finish by the F hole was damaged rubbing up against microphones. He used to perform with a particularly loud b@nj* player