replacing pick guard question

[Von Luhmann]

Hello everyone I hope you are all well.

I was curious what suggestions you may have for me changing out the pick guard on one of my guitars. I have quite a few different types of celluloid materials relating to my company and thought I might replace the original with a differnt style pick guard. Is this completely reversible and if not what kinds of problems should I expect doing this. I am not normally the kind to play around with a good thing but I would like to try this if there is small to no risk. The guitar is spruce top and has the typical tortoise shell pick guard on it.

[Bob Gaddis]

I've been using 3M double-sided tape to apply pickguards. I don't know exactly what it's called, but I get it from Bicknell Supply in Elberton GA. I use it mainly for applying sandblast stencils to monuments. It's not really tape, it's an adhesive film on brown paper. . You apply it and peel off the paper, leaving a thin layer of sticky stuff. It's "permanent" until you don't want it to be, unlike contact cement. If your remove you old pickguard you need to exercise care that you don't peel any spruce fibers with it. A slight warming may help,

[Von Luhmann]

so are you saying this is pretty much fool proof? if the fool is careful?

[Ned Knepp]

For myself, it would depend upon the guitar. If it's fairly valuable, I'd probably stick with originality since this sort of modification may not be welcome to anyone else if you should decide to sell it later and going back to the original pick guard size and shape may not be so easy later.

If you want to change it, be aware that the area of the top under the pick guard is usually lighter in color than the rest of the top and that this will be exposed if a smaller replacement is used. A larger replacement may create problems with reversibility since the exposed top will, most likely, continue to darken. Also, some guitars I've owned had the guard installed before they were finished so that removing the guard leaves behind a ridge of finish where it was built up around the edges. This might pose problems getting a different shaped pick guard to fit flat on the face of the guitar.

One more thing to remember is that a larger, heavy guard may effect the sound of the guitar a bit by making the top somewhat less responsive.