pick gaurd or not on my electric octave in progress

[Harrison Withers]

98543

This is a 22" scale, mahogany body and neck, rosewood fretboard.

On the left I have placed on a walnut headstock veneer and and pickgaurd. I like it well enough but I generally lean towards plain.

If I keep the pickgaurd the volume knob is kind of going to be in a weird place as I already did the control cavity from the back. I suppose I colud do another one on the top below the pick gaurd.

Your thougts?

[Marty Jacobson]

I think it's cool--- but the combination of woods seems a bit odd. The texture of the mahogany and walnut is similar, and so is the color. I think if the headstock overlay and pickguard were rosewood, that would be perfect. Or you could do a curly maple peghead overlay and pickguard. No reason why you can't have the volume knob come through the pickguard, either, if that's where it needs to be. Just my .02 cents.

[belbein]

I did a review yesterday evening of all the Octaves I could find pictures of. 99% did not have pick guards, so I decided that I didn't need to diddle with my newly-completed Octave.

However, that said, I have two thoughts. One, isn't your angle of attack going to be different on this instrument than on an acoustic? I would think it would be more of an acute angle. If so, you may need a pick guard.

More importantly, what jumped out at me was a design thing: Your body (at least, your instrument's body) is a take off on an electric guitar. All electric guitars that I can think of have pick guards. So to underscore the similarity, you should probably add a pick guard. BUT ... if it were me, I'd design a pick guard that was carefully related to the two strong design elements on this instrument: that curve in the waist, and the curve in the head under the fretboard. Work with/against those, and you can do a traditional pickguard that will really wow people.

By the way, the more I've looked at that instrument, the more it strikes me that the curve on the head looks like a Great White Shark unhinging its jaw to devour something. But then it's lunch time.

[Harrison Withers]

Hmm curly maple that would be better contrast and I do have some...maybe I'll mock it up and see.

I think i should name this one UPS, it's very brown...

[belbein]

I think it's cool--- but the combination of woods seems a bit odd. The texture of the mahogany and walnut is similar, and so is the color. I think if the headstock overlay and pickguard were rosewood, that would be perfect. Or you could do a curly maple peghead overlay and pickguard. No reason why you can't have the volume knobe come through the pickguard, either, if that's where it needs to be. Just my .02 cents.

Not to blow smoke up Marty's sound hole, but I almost suggested your getting his input. I decided not to volunteer him. But I was lucky enough to play a few of his instruments, and they feel and sound really fantastic. But what really blew me away is his designs. They cut against type, but are subtle and not over-wrought. He's one of my inspirations when it comes to thinking about how to design the stuff I've worked on. (Almost everyone else here is an inspiration, too.)

[Dan Hulse]

Hi Harrison, I like the body design and could go either way w/ the pick guard although I am also in favor of a color contrast and following the lines of the lower bout. Or what about clear? The more important functional issue is that I would strongly encourage that you add a tone pot. There will be times that you just want to roll off a bit of the high end. Unless you're building this for Eddie Van Halen. : )

[Harrison Withers]

It has a stacked pot, vol. on top of tone.

[Bertram Henze]

My vote is against a pickguard. The wood's natural looks remind me of that episode where Robinson Crusoe builds himself an electric guitar out of driftwood to frighten the cannibals. If it has to be a pickguard, make it out of a white shoulderblade bone.

Either that, or I have watched too much Fred Flintstone :redface:

[Harrison Withers]

Bertram that a great story. I kind see that primitiveness in the shape especially in the raw wood. Funny thing is if it was painted it would look uber modern.

I think I am going to try some curly maple, but I may very well just put a mahogany veneer on the headstock and call it good.

[Bertram Henze]

Funny thing is if it was painted it would look uber modern.

Texture can totally change the outer shape. This was used in war to hide the shape of battleships:

http://www.matrixgames.com/forums/upfiles/14017/FB1BAEA42BE843649DCC2F0690D9B0A7.jpg

[Pete Jenner]

Texture can totally change the outer shape. This was used in war to hide the shape of battleships:

http://www.matrixgames.com/forums/upfiles/14017/FB1BAEA42BE843649DCC2F0690D9B0A7.jpg


Well it fooled me .. I thought it was a zebra.

[Steve Ostrander]

I think Eddie Van Halen has a guitar painted like that battleship....

I like the clear plex PG idea....let the wood show through. The pot can go through the PG.

[Harrison Withers]

Steve make the trip to muskegon and you can do your best EVH impression on it. I'll take the video. :)

[Harrison Withers]

I decided against the pick guard.
98793987949879598796

just waiting for a new stacked pot and a concentric knob set.

[jasona]

Nice looking results!

[Bertram Henze]

Beautiful. It has that woody look of a freshly peeled chestnut.