Pick Guard Or Not

[Torpedotom]

Picking up my long awaited KM1000 Wednesday morning. It doesn't have a pick guard on it so my question is, should I put one on it, regular size or the smaller one?, and what color, black or tortoise shell? Thanks for your in put.

[George R. Lane]

It depends. Do you play with a light touch or beat like a mule? If the latter, Yes. As far a color and size look around in the classifieds and see if anything grabs your eye.

Good Luck.

[Steve Ostrander]

Pick guards are a personal thing. You either like them or you don't. I don't, but others do. You have to try it out and see how it feels to you. If you are a pinky-planter it will save the finish but it may make you play in a way that is not comfortable.

[trabb]

At least on my cheap Kentucky mandolin, the pick guard was just one more thing potentially to cause buzzing.

[pops1]

I like a guard, I don't pinky plant, but I do brush my fingers across it all the time. It is uncomfortable for me to play without one. I can play with my hand in a fist and not have one and do just fine, but I much prefer to let my fingers slide across it.

[dhergert]

Ditto to most said already. It is a very personal decision.

I like pick-guards but a lot of people don't.

If you put a pick-guard on and if you use it as a hand-rest or finger-rest, it will raise your picking hand between about 1/4" and 1/2" higher than where you would usually play without one there. So it does change your picking arm and hand geometry.

The main reason most people don't like pick-guards is that they are used to playing without them, and pick-guards do make this change to picking geometry.

In my case, the pick-guard enforces the posture I'm used to -- I've tried to play without pick-guards and I don't play as well. I also use them on my banjos, so it may be part of that with me.

I started using pick-guards in general to keep my hands off the sound-board of the instruments so they would be able to vibrate freely. I also use an armrest and a tone guard on my mandolins, for the same reasons.

A side-benefit is that these devices also protect the finish of the mandolin in the areas that they cover -- if that's important to you. Again, a very personal decision.

Whether to get a traditional size, an abbreviated or a custom size pick-guard are also mostly based on preference. My MK has a traditional F-5 sized tortoise shell pick-guard with 3-ply (WBW) binding, my F-9 has a custom sized (slightly abbreviated) ebony pick-guard with no binding. A lot of people also prefer the "standard" abbreviated pick guards. It will probably be best for you to look around at what's available.

These do require some installation work. If you're going to do these yourself, be prepared with some simple tools, some glue, some masking material and some courage.

The two companies that I have worked with who produce these are Cumberland Acoustic (http://cumberlandacoustic.com/) and Fox-Guitars (http://www.fox-guitars.com/). I've been happy with their products. There are probably many other quality producers of pick-guards that I've not seen yet.

[Bill Foss]

I started using pick-guards in general to keep my hands off the sound-board of the instruments so they would be able to vibrate freely.

I find that with my technique, a pick guard keeps my hand off the sound board and that improves my tone.

[yankees1]

Beneficial protection!

[Petrus]

A transparent pickguard would be a good solution but I don't see a lot of those around though it would seem an obvious thing.

[darrylicshon]

I have mandolins with and without, it really doesn't matter to me if it has one or not, but my best mandolin doesn't have one and you can see where i have worn it down, so if you want to keep it in great shape you might want a pickgaurd

[Mike Snyder]

I've applied very thin and transparent scuff guards on both my mandolins. They apparently adhere due to surface tension. Actually was sold on the idea after Mr. Scott T generously allowed me to play his Nuggett which had one on. I have yet to find one shaped anywhere close to what I need. They were shaped like a standard Martin guitar pick guard and I made do. Very protective and nearly invisible.

[ralph johansson]

My first mandolins had a pick guard, so I learned the standard technique of brushing with a loosley curled fist. Much later, when my Collings was delivered without one, I also learned to play with a more tightly curled fist, allowing my wrist to brush ever so slightly against the strings behind the bridge (I later had a mini-guard installed). On mandozine.com you can find Stangeland's survey of right hand techniques, and you can see that the 15+ examples listed there really fall into these two main categories.

Whether you play with or without a guard you should never have to touch the top with your picking hand.

[Joey Anchors]

I like a nice pickguard. I say go for it!

[rockies]

Personally I like them and have small ones on my Heiden and other mandos. If you do want just pinky protection on the top Stewmac sells sheets of adhesive mylar ? pickguard material that can be cut to any size and shape, easily installed and easily removed if necessary. I had that installed on a Sullivan mandolin and removed it when I sold the mandolin. The pickguard material was on the Sullivan for about 4 years.
Dave

[mandroid]

I got Cumberland Acoustics to make one for my Lebeda 'Jazzica" F5..

[Mandoplumb]

I have never used one until recently. As I've gotten older ( don't really know how that happened) it has been harder to keep my hand suspended and I found my palm resting on bridge which I think really affects the sound of mandolin so I've had PG installed on my favorite mandolin and probably will on the others. I rest my pinkie onthe PG and that keeps my hand off the bridge. Ward Elliott made and installed a wood stained to match the top of my Dearstone that I like the looks of. I would not install one for the look but I think for some people they are a help and I don't think that they seriously detract from the look of the mandolin.

[Astro]

I love having my pick guards. I played a few years without them and always wondered. So I added abbreviated ones. I do not like the full sized ones. I used even smaller than the usual abbreviated ones and the floating type attached with pins in neck that is easily reversed. Had it done to both my A Style and F style and I have to say I really LOVE having them. They help me play better, protect my mando, and look cool.

It is a personal thing. Very happy I did it.

[Austin Bob]

As others have stated, it's a very personal thing. You have probably noticed that many of the newer mandolins do not have them. l fall into the camp that a full pickguard looks retro cool. Others think they are butt ugly, and possibly block some sound from escaping the F hole.

The smaller ones are held in place by a couple of pin nails into the side of the neck. And that works fine, unless you happen to want to press down on the pickguard while tuning that pesky A string. If so, they can work their way lose. Don't ask how I know this.