Pickguard, on or off?

What do you prefer?

  • Total voters
    22
Wit
syscokid said:
Your pic proves my point. Look at the pickguard at the southwest corner again, which has the biggest gap between pg and the body. On my LP, that gap measures 3/8". Not 1/2" ... definitely not "inches". The pickguard is also parallel to the body's plane in between the pickups, or the center of the body. The pickguard has now changed the extended plane of the pickguard as if the guitar's body was a flat-top. Except that extended plane is now about 1/8" higher. Much like an SG with an angel wing pickguard.
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Regardless of how much it may be raised at any one particular section, the point remains. If you are likely to hit the body without a PG, you will hit it sooner with a raised PG, and it will impede your playing since your hand wants to go downward. How much it is raised is only a matter of how much it impedes. If your suggestion is that you should learn to play around it by making a 3/8", 1/2", or any other adjustment, why would you do this if you are content with your playing? The design lacks functionality.
 
Have you played a carve top with a pickguard? As for me, that pickguard does not alter how I strum or pick. I can't ever recall a moment where I have been playing my LP, with that dreaded disfunctional pickguard, and said to myself: "That damned pickguard is getting in my way!" I'm going to suck with it or without it... ha ha!

I'm very heavy handed. I will, in a matter of short time, start scuffing up the LP's pickguard, a Strats pg, an SG'S pg, anything with a pickguard. How about a carve top without a pickguard? Like my 3 Hammers? Yup... I scuff those, too, but not as much because the thickness of the body falls away from my strumming area.
 
syscokid said:
Have you played a carve top with a pickguard? As for me, that pickguard does not alter how I strum or pick. I can't ever recall a moment where I have been playing my LP, with that dreaded disfunctional pickguard, and said to myself: "That damned pickguard is getting in my way!" I'm going to suck with it or without it... ha ha!

I'm very heavy handed. I will, in a matter of short time, start scuffing up the LP's pickguard, a Strats pg, an SG'S pg, anything with a pickguard. How about a carve top without a pickguard? Like my 3 Hammers? Yup... I scuff those, too, but not as much because the thickness of the body falls away from my strumming area.
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Then you would not likely scratch your paint either. I am the same way. My point is, if you tend to hit the the paint, the PG is going to make it worse. Try holding your pick 3/8" above the strings or your palm 3/8" over the bridge. That is far! And regardless how you make the adjustment, it would be a significant one. So, for me, I almost always remove the pickguard on an LP, with the exception of the Historic Gold and Black LPs, probably because they are solid in color and there is nothing more see under there, and the PG actually dresses up
 
syscokid said:
Have you played a carve top with a pickguard? As for me, that pickguard does not alter how I strum or pick. I can't ever recall a moment where I have been playing my LP, with that dreaded disfunctional pickguard, and said to myself: "That damned pickguard is getting in my way!" I'm going to suck with it or without it... ha ha!

I'm very heavy handed. I will, in a matter of short time, start scuffing up the LP's pickguard, a Strats pg, an SG'S pg, anything with a pickguard. How about a carve top without a pickguard? Like my 3 Hammers? Yup... I scuff those, too, but not as much because the thickness of the body falls away from my strumming area.
Click to expand...

Yeah, the term "pickguard" is a misnomer on a LP. It's a "fingernailguard" more than anything. If your pick is hitting the finish on a Les Paul with the pickguard removed you've got bigger (technique) problems than some marred paint. On an carved/archtop guitar I would say the 'guard an essential pinky/finger rest. When I have played LP's with the 'guard removed, it not only looked dopey and naked (my opinion) but for passages when I needed to rest my picking hand fingers under the strings it caused them to be too low relative to the strings and in an uncomfortable and unnatural position. The pickguard brings that finger ledge up to the same height it would be on a lesser, non-carved top, guitar.
 
RVA said:
Then you would not likely scratch your paint either. I am the same way. My point is, if you tend to hit the the paint, the PG is going to make it worse. Try holding your pick 3/8" above the strings or your palm 3/8" over the bridge. That is far! And regardless how you make the adjustment, it would be a significant one. So, for me, I almost always remove the pickguard on an LP, with the exception of the Historic Gold and Black LPs, probably because they are solid in color and there is nothing more see under there, and the PG actually dresses up
Click to expand...
Wait a minute.... Does your technique actually change when playing your Gold and Black LPs?

You don't hold your pick 3/8" above the strings. You won't hit or hear anything. Ok, you might hear the swish of the wind generated by your strumming spasms... but that's it!

Me thinks you are grabbing at straws here to prove a point. How about a video of you playing your LPS with those pickguards from Hell?

I hope you know that I'm just effing with you... :victoire:
 
syscokid said:
Wait a minute.... Does your technique actually change when playing your Gold and Black LPs?

You don't hold your pick 3/8" above the strings. You won't hit or hear anything. Ok, you might hear the swish of the wind generated by your strumming spasms... but that's it!

Me thinks you are grabbing at straws here to prove a point. How about a video of you playing your LPS with those pickguards from Hell?

I hope you know that I'm just effing with you... :victoire:
Click to expand...
For starters, this is a lively debate between friends. I would never take offense. If I have offended anyone, they should immediately let me know and I will apologize. This may be a good time to reveal that EsgeE and I get along well. Also, dog ears, while antiquated and pointless, do not infuriate me (they just irritate the hell out of me)

Now, back to our debate:

No, I think you are missing the point. I do not hit the paint, I do not hit the PG, I do not have this problem. That is why I remove it. I leave it there only for aesthetics, if at all.

However, from a functional standpoint, if the PG is intended to serve its purpose...ie: "guard"...presumably it is because you would otherwise hit the paint. And if you are likely to do this, then you are more likely to come into contact if there is a raised object above the paint, and you will come into contact with something that much earlier. If the object is 3/8" off the body, your hand will be stopped traveling at that point, which is significant travel. Holding your hand over the strings or palm over the bridge was only intended to demonstrate just how far that is, from a playing perspective.
 
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I couldn’t resist @RVA :dood:
Those of us that like to anchor with a pinky or ring finger, or that tap out rhythm while picking, might like to have that anchor point to be set up much like a flat top guitar.(parallel-ish to the peak of an arched top)
 
Thatbastarddon said:
View attachment 12371
I couldn’t resist @RVA :dood:
Those of us that like to anchor with a pinky or ring finger, or that tap out rhythm while picking, might like to have that anchor point to be set up much like a flat top guitar.(parallel-ish to the peak of an arched top)
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Can you anchor on the pup ring? In any event, if it serves you well, that is good. I was just saying that if it prevents you from hitting the paint, which you otherwise would, it may be solving one problem but creating another, arguably worse, problem.
 
I don't have a strong preference either way.
I voted NO pick guard on the LP. Especially on the goldie.
I dont have a goldie.
I'd like a young or middle aged Goldie Hawn

I have LP style guitars that came with pick guard - and left it on.
I built 2 AXL LP style guitars from shell / husk and the flat top Jr. got the guard and the arch top didnt. I bought it and the bracket but ended up leaving it off.
 
RVA said:
If the object is 3/8" off the body, your hand will be stopped traveling at that point, which is significant travel.
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My point is: That doesn't really happen. My strumming hand is not impeded at all by the pickguard. The pickguard is only 1/8" thick. If the body was flat, there would be no gap between the pickguard. My hand as heavy it is, doesn't wander around where the biggest gap is. It's not a part of a natural movement. You never answered the question: Do you have to alter your technique to play your Gold or Black LP's? If you do, then that's is justifiable problem were you can correct it by removing the pickguard.
 
Didn’t the Knights Templar issue an edict on a Runestone that said the pick guard should never be removed from a Les Paul?

Also, the pick guard is shaped sorta like a flattened, offset pyramid, which, as well all know...brings to mind the Illuminati.

You wouldn’t want to offend the Illuminati by taking the pick guard off, would you?

Y’all can do what you want, but I’m not ending up in a shallow grave with a Grand Mason’s compass through my heart because I took the pick guard off my Les Paul.

No, sireee!
 
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For the record, I do have a carved-top guitar without a pick guard - my Jackson Dinky.

Yup, it has a carved top. That’s pretty cool, huh!

Anyhoo, the only difference I notice between playing that carved-top guitar and my Les Pauls with pick guards is that the Jackson has slight scratches from my fingernails, but my Les Pauls don’t.

I’ve never once felt like the presence or absence of a pick guard had either a positive or negative effect on the actual playing.
 
It doesn't matter because with or without the
pickguard I find Les Pauls to be uncomfortable.

They weigh too much.
They irritate my forearm.
They dig into my ribcage.
The cutout is poorly designed.
They have bad upper fret access.
The pickup selector is in a stupid place.
The front strap button is in a stupid place.

Removing or retaining the pickguard solves
none of these very serious design flaws.

Clumsy fat awkward boat anchors.
Every last one of them.
 
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Pickguards are sort of the bumperguard of the guitar world. For the most part, they make it look worse under the guise of protecting it's beauty. Also like plastic on couches.

bg.jpeg
455a33304c78e7eb3998f1bbcd98dd43.png
 
Isn't the couch plastic supposed to go on over the slipcover to
protect the slipcover while the slipcover protects the couch?
 
Tony M. said:
It doesn't matter because with or without the
pickguard I find Les Pauls to be uncomfortable.

They weigh too much.
They irritate my forearm.
They dig into my ribcage.
The cutout is poorly designed.
The pickup selector is in a stupid place.
The front strap button is in a stupid place.
They are lacking in the fret access department.

Removing or retaining the pickguard solves
none of these very serious design flaws.

Clumsy fat awkward boat anchors.
Every last one of them.
Click to expand...

See, Tony...I was really getting a kick out of that post, but that one statement just doesn’t fit well with the others. I think you have it in you to do better!

Let me help you out.

You should phrase it, “They have bad upper fret access.”

See how that flows better with the rest of what you said? It’s more consistent with the structure of the previous statements.

All the others are more active, emphatic statements. But, that last one is too passive.

No, no, no. You don’t have to pay me for this little tidbit of literary love. That was free.

Now, get out there and give ’em heck, Tiger!
 
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