glue for pickguard

[jc2]

What glue to use for pickguard on a flat top? Also should it go right on the top or be elevated from the top with some kind of spacer? And if I use a spacer, should it be a damper like leather to keep finger drags and pick clicks from being transmitted to the instrument? If it makes a difference, my pickguard is hardwood thinned to .064.

[fishtownmike]

You have to beware about gluing pickguards on to tops because as the they expand and contact they can cause cracks on the top since both won't expand and contract at the same time. Martin used to bond them to tops by wiping the back with acetone and sticking them to non cured lacquer. I have used a the thin double sided 3m tape thats comes in the scotch tape type dispenser myself with no problems. This is similar to what they use on the self adhesive pickguards they now sell. It's usually labeled as poster tape. Use the permanent instead of the removable..Mike

P.S i want to add that you can later remove this by heating with a hair dryer which will soften the adhesive and make it easier to remove if need be.

[pops1]

Im with Mike, use the double sided tape

[Michael Lewis]

Transfer adhesive is my preference. It is adhesive between 2 sheets of slick paper, so you peel one side off and stick the stuff to your guard, then peel the other paper off and stick the whole thing to the guitar. Available from LMII and Stew/Mac among other places.

Martin used to adhere the celluloid guards directly to bare wood and finish over that. The celluloid plastic shrank as it out gassed over the years and it would stress the wood and cause cracks. They got tired of warranty problems and changed to the "new" black acetate guards and quickly found that acetate shrank worse than celluloid. Now they finish the guitar and then apply a self adhesive guard. The adhesive is very flexible and will adjust if either part changes size, the worry of pickguard cracks is no more when using this adhesive.