Pick Guards - #yea or nay?

[lindensensei]

My new F9 has a seriously polished spot where my fingers rest. #Anyone have any thoughts on installing a pick guard? #I'd hate to affect the sound even slightly as its perfect and getting better every day. #Thanks.

[John Flynn]

Well, you are likely effecting tone and technique already by putting your fingers on the top. Also, many years of playing will wear more than a polished spot on the top. My advice is either learn to stop posting or install a floating "finger rest" style pickguard.

[lindensensei]

I hate to seem stupid, but what is that? Never heard of it.

[onlyagibsonisgoodenuff]

That would be a pickguard that is mounted to the side of the fingerboard extension. Kinda like a Gibson, only most of the makers today don't use the bolt coming out from underneath attaching to the bottom side. It's called "floating" because it doesn't touch the top.
I just had one made for my Fern, but it has the traditional "bolt" thingy. Cumberland Acoustic made it, and I recommend them highly.

[jcs271]

If this is an instrument that you plan to keep then some wear will give it character, I would say don't worry about it. If resale is an issue then go with a floating guard.

[FrankenMouse]

Sorry if this is a dumb idea, but would an alternative solution be to polish the whole top? Or the whole instrument for that matter? This is commonly done with the 15-series Martin guitars, which come in a matte mahogany finish.

Is it unwise to do this to a spruce top? Or is there some other reason nobody seems to do this with A9s and F9s? Maybe they have a different type of finish, and polishing doesn't work?

[pathfinder]

I'd agree that you're already muting the sound if you're planting a finger on the top. #I got a deal on a used (blonde) Weber Big Sky from Elderly last summer, mainly because whoever bought it in 2000 had left a deep finger crevice (somewhat similar to your technique). #But on a blonde mando, the discoloration really marred the appearance after three years of playing, and Elderly wasn't getting any takers on it. #

To the original owner's credit, he/she had really played it in well because it sounded like a cannon. And with a radius fingerboard (my first), I fell in love with it in about five minutes.#

So after buying it, I ordered an abbreviated maple pickguard made by Skip Kelley in NC (beautiful workmanship BTW, Skip!) and attached it to the fingerboard extension with three small metal pegs. #As a further precaution, I glued a piece of cork to the guard's underside so that the cork just cleared the spruce top (you can just see daylight between the two and that's all). #

So it's a true 'floating' pickguard, and the finger blemish is completely covered (actually, it's located directly under the cork).

As for changes in the sound, the mando is still a cannon. #I must confess that I occasionally brace my finger against the pickguard guard, but I can do so in the knowledge that I'm not putting undue pressure on the three pegs drilled into the f/b extension). #FWIW.

[Kevin K]

I don't think it's a dumb idea. I own a D16GT with the gloss top and lightly clean and polish the back/sides from time to time and now the 16 looks like an 18 and very nice compared to the satin without the bulk of finsih to dampen the sound a bit. With a little cleaner/polish and some elbow grease and sometime it will shine right up.

[ira]

i didn''t have a pickguard installed on my custom as i loved how it looked (took time to get used to no guard- changes your right hand position). what i did do was put on the plastic sheet/stick on-clear pickguard. barely noticable and saves from wear- i highly recommend.

however as one stated above a few dings/scratches or worn finish does add a little character (some guy named monroe sure wore his out in a few spots). and even with a guard, you will mark it here and there if you play alot,especially out.

[Martin]

Hey I had the same problem with my F9 everytime I polished a spot on it I would have a shiny spot and the rest was a matte finish. I just went ahead and polished the whole thing. Not as shiny as one with an original luster finish but it looks ok to me. In fact I made quite a few changes/upgrades to this mando. It's uniquely mine.
You know maybe I need to start a new thead of "Posting pics of your hotrodded F9".

martin