holes from pickguard removal?

[Vince Pacific]

MAS is here once again, and some I'm interested in have a pickguard, which I'm not a fan of (for purely aesthetic reasons). They often have a full-size gibson style guard that is bound to the bottom of the mandolin with a bracket and screw (not an abbreviated one
attached to just the fingerboard). If I was to remove it, how big is the hole, and what should I do with the hole? Does the hole have any impact to the sound, or is it just the aesthetics of having a hole in the bottom?

thanks, hope everyone is staying healthy - and getting in some extra pickin' time!

[rcc56]

The hole will have no impact on the sound. It can be plugged, but unless you know what you're doing you risk making it look worse rather than better. And a time may come when you [or a future owner] might want to re-install the guard. Most people choose to just leave it alone.

[tiltman]

I took mine off 15 years ago (full size one on a Gibson mandolin). Pick guard in a drawer in case I every sell the mandolin.
The tiny hole is nowhere that it will ever be seen - not really a problem.

Kirk