So...am I not a fan of pick guards on some Les Pauls is this cheating ...

[dspelman]

I'd be concerned with what happens if years later you want to remove that clear vynl. Will parts of it stick or leave residue? I agree LP's and most guitars tend to look better without pickguards though. I would just remove the guard and leave it at that.

There are clear acrylic or transit vinyl film pickguards that folks use on Acoustic guitars all the time. you can peel them off, stick them back on, pretty much as many times as you wish.

None of it leaves a residue or damages the guitar. I've got a three-grand Taylor that uses one; no issues.

 

[BornToLooze]

You, me and Slash are all in agreement. I think a pick guard on a Les Paul looks odd.

I'm more in the Doug Aldrich camp. I love how Les Pauls look without pickguards, but I rest my fingers on the guard enough I can't play a Les Paul without a pickguard.

I'm not worried about the pick scratches, I have more on the bass side of the strings than I do on my pickguard.

 

[Gitter]

I put the screws back in the hole.
One, I know where they are.
Two, to me, it beats having empty holes.
Three, you can make up all kinds of stories.

“What is that screw for?”

Oh, that is an adjustment for (make up random tales…)

Or tell them, “Oh, that one screw holds the whole damn thing together! Don’t touch it.”

I find when people put the screws back in the holes it draws more attention to the area(s). For one, the screw heads are larger in diameter than the holes. They also stick out above the wood and are metal. Doing this also deepens the holes in the body since they don't go in as deep when the pickguard is present. There's no right or wrong, it's all preference but I feel the tiny holes blend in better. I personally put the screws in a zip lock bag with the pickguard and keep it in the case (w/tape around the screws to prevent scratches/rolling around).

 

[Nintari]

I'm more in the Doug Aldrich camp. I love how Les Pauls look without pickguards, but I rest my fingers on the guard enough I can't play a Les Paul without a pickguard.

I'm not worried about the pick scratches, I have more on the bass side of the strings than I do on my pickguard.

Yeah, I suppose if I did that I'd want a guard on as well. But for me, I don't rest my hand on anything. It just stays above the strings the entire time. So a guard on my guitars are looks-only.

 

[ArchEtech]

So far after a couple months no issues with the clear pickguards on my guitars and protect nicely. I’ve left one on all the time and the other on off when I play. They are far less noticeable in person than they are in my pictures as well.

 

[Musha Ring]

Depends on your playing style. Many manufacturers don't have pickguards on their guitars. How many scratched up PRS have you seen?

I would imagine their poly coating holds up better than nitro?

 

[Musha Ring]

Static clear vinyl when I play .....

That is one kick ass looking LP! What model is it?

 

[ArchEtech]

Lol black PRS scratch too. You’re fingernails and sweat do more damage than the picking.

It’s a Made to measure one off custom order, not an off the shelf model. I think it was ordered through music zoo.

 

[screamingdaisy]

The only guys I’ve seen wear that area of a LP are fingerstyle (Jazz) players with long nails. Just about everyone else slings their guitar too low for the pickguard to matter anymore.

 

[moreles]

We seem to be in a world where guitars are supposed to be either untouched or massively reliced. Ordinary light playwear is apparently a hideous visual affront. It used to be that strummers and heavy players used LP pickguards to avoid inflicting excessive damage, while light pickers or those who do not contact the top could remove their pickguards to show off more of the top. Members of the latter group did not have to go into therapy if they occasionally inflicted a scratch; like headstock bumps and buckle rash, that was simply normal wear and tear. I don't damage my guitars in any of these ways, so this stuff is not an issue for me. I do think the LP pickguard shape (rocket fin) is ridiculous given the shape of the guitar.

 

[mgenet]

RE: pick guards...

over time I am not so sure it matters much...

 

[ArchEtech]

On a black guitar, you will have fingernail marks after one playing session. I do not obsess about it, but I like not seeing scratches all over my guitars.

For those that care, I have been testing the vinyl. I left it on for 2 months and it did lift the nitro a tiny amount (so you could see where the vinyl was). You never notice on a non black guitar. Microfiber abs buffing compound and all good.

Just be aware that I wouldn’t store the guitar with the vinyl on, and I was confident eventually it might react a little simply by trapping moisture against the nitro but I wanted to see how long it would take to react.

But in any case, I just take them on and off between playing sessions, since they don’t have adhesive. Risk averted.

 

[Great R8]

How will you get that cool Gary Moore wear if you leave your pickguard on?

 

[ArchEtech]

I’ll leave the relic look to my strats.