Pickguard for an old Gibson style mandolin

[66BookMom]

We recently acquired an Eastman 604 (varnish) A-style roundhole mandolin for our 11yo son. We need to find the right pickguard. We are hoping to find something similar to the pickguard used on the old Gibson roundhole. Any advice on this is greatly appreciated.

(I'm a newby mom on the board supporting an awesome budding musician.)

[mandroid]

Cumberland Acoustics ... I got one of just the brown stuff without binding,

edge mounted and the pins to fit into the drilled holes in the fingerboard.

Steve will Fix you up.

[MikeEdgerton]

Darryl Wolfe makes them as well if I recall.

[jim_n_virginia]

You could also try and contact Eastman.

Also Janet Davis Music sells after market pickguards for mandolins.

http://www.janetdavismusic.com/manpikguards.html

[66BookMom]

Thanks so far. I sent a message to both Eastman and Darryl Wolfe.

The Cumberland pickguard seems one way to go...it seems to have only two pins -- no clamp. Is it "free-floating" and sturdy without a clamp?

http://www.themandolinstore.com/scri...idproduct=7372

[mandroid]

I got one made supplied with an edge bracket , all I had to do was ask,

I put in on my mandolin with tortoise-oid binding so the pickguard and the little piece that gets
attached to the edge was all the same color of stuff.

the 2 pins plus the edge thing are nice and sturdy.

[Dave Hanson]

You don't actually need a pickguard, mandolins play just as well without one.

Dave H

[66BookMom]

When/If I hear back from Darryl and Eastman, I will post the info for the files!

(We understand the pros and cons of having a pickguard. We are proceeding with a pickguard at this time for several reasons among which are that the mandolin has varnish, and it's for my 11yo son, who also wears a ring.)

[Bob Buckingham]

I have a pick guard off of an A 50. I could sell it pretty cheap. It is in a box of parts.

Contact me off list.

[Bernie Daniel]

66BookMom:The Cumberland pickguard seems one way to go...it seems to have only two pins -- no clamp. Is it "free-floating" and sturdy without a clamp?

Here is on that I made for my A-9 (made it from a piece of faceplate ebony) -- it is not too artistic but it IS free floating and attached with 2 pins and it works great!

[66BookMom]

I phoned Eastman --they do not make or sell them. They referred me to one of their dealers, the mandolinstore.com. :-)

I also emailed the mandolinstore.com to confirm the Cumberland A-9 was the correct pickguard for our model. Here is the response:

"That is the correct one - the pins hold it on so there is no need for additional hwde. I am not aware if any place to get the antique Gibson style clamp bracket."

[mandroid]

Mine is not a clamp on, [describing the mount] there is a bolt thru a oval shaped piece of the same plastic that makes up the pickguard , It screws into a block of wood that is glued to the underside of the pickguard,
and the other end of the oval shaped piece of plastic, which has a load bearing shoulder in it .
there is a small screw into the binding right near the edge which is backed up with the kerfed strip inside the mandolin.
this scheme has been used for decades to serve that purpose, on many Fine Mandolins

[66BookMom]

Update: We had a pickguard custom-made from a local luthier by the name of Vern Bryant in Springfield, VA. He required full payment up front and had no insurance. I was a bit nervous, but took a chance. We are pleased with the pickguard itself. We had to re-adjust the installation. His installation had a corner of the block of wood under the pickguard touching the top of the mandolin which resulted in a mark/scratch. We sanded down the small block of wood under the guard and also placed felt. For now, no one will see that mark--will worry about it if ever we use the mandolin w/o pickguard. It was difficult making this decision and hard finding a guard or a luthier! Even though we did not have a perfect experience with the installation, the price was not higher than ordering a standard pickguard from the mandolinstore.com.

[woodwizard]

The smaller abreviated pickguards are the way to go. Two pins hold it securly in place with no need for a bracket or any other hardware. Mine came with one and I really love it.

[MikeEdgerton]

I believe a child is playing this mandolin, the abbreviated pickguard may not have been enough. Then again the full sized pickguard may not be enough.

[woodwizard]

Looks good! Didn't see your pic before my last post.

[JEStanek]

My wife is a veterinarian and has Elizabethan collars in a variety of sizes.


FYI with that Eastman varnish, it will likely craze up some and get a cool vintage look over the first few years. My 814 had some crazing behind the scroll and I took pretty good care of it. The first scratch or ding is always the worst, and always inevitable if you're really using the mandolin to make music. Have fun!

Jamie

[MikeEdgerton]

OK Jamie, the cat is creeping me out.... that is a cat isn't it?

[JEStanek]

It's a pretty long haired with a lion cut! My guess is he had a lot of mats, mange or something to necessitate the full shave and keep it from licking/biting...

Jamie

[66BookMom]

Definitely think the cat is off-topic! ;-) But thanks for the varnish chat--it was a bonus for us and we love it. My son is loyal to the mando, and this will be his "forever" so we'll be able to enjoy the look and sound it will develop.