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.
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.
What a long, strange trip its been.
Dan Linden
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.
I hate to seem stupid, but what is that? Never heard of it.
What a long, strange trip its been.
Dan Linden
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.
Fred
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.
I will give up my Collings "A" when they pry it from my cold dead hands!
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?
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.
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.
"Can I have a little more talent in the monitors please?"
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.
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
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