pick guard tan lines

[Earl]

I finally got tired of the edges peeling up around the original pick guard on my 2001 vintage 410.  I removed it with the help of some slow and gentle peeling pressure, elbow grease, and naptha to remove the residue.  While the edges were peeling, the adhesion in the body of the pick guard was still pretty strong.  The first photo shows the tan line, and the speckles were caused by the semi-transparent parts of the tortoise shell pick guard.  The second picture shows the masked-off guitar sitting in the sun, trying to even out the tan lines.  The old pick guard is #3, and you can see the clear areas.

I'll follow up on this as it progresses.  Worst case, I'll get a black Taylor pick guard (which I prefer over tortoise anyway).  And don't worry - it is sitting in the sun, but not for that long at a time and not in extreme heat or very dry conditions.  I follow the rule that if I am not comfortable, the guitar isn't either.

[TaylorGirl]

That's a great example of how much a guitar top darkens. My 2002 414 has darkened in a similar way. I'm toying with the idea of removing the tortoise PG on my spruce GSM, so I can replace it with a black one. Is there a risk that the wood would start peeling up on a 2011 GSM, with the thin finish? Not sure if I should risk it. What do you think?

[Earl]

It was more of a contrast than I actually expected.  After 15 years, some tan line is normal, but this was a lot.  This 410 came to me used in a trade a couple of years ago, so I don't know its history of prior sunlight exposure.

Just go very slowly and don't be aggressive about pulling upward away from the spruce top.  Work in a way that peels it back on itself, rather than lifting away from the top.  Try to use shear against the adhesive, not lifting force.  Go slow and easy - don't force anything.  I use a similar technique to remove stickers or price tags, trying to let the peeling process take the adhesive with the thing being removed.  Young spruce can pull up strings of fibers, but after a few years it should not be an issue.

Several years ago, I spoke with customer service about pick guard removal on a relatively new four year old 414 that was already peeling up at the corners, and they sent me a tech sheet about removing and reinstalling pick guards.  (This tech sheet no longer appears on their web site.  They would rather you have your dealer do this work, but I convinced them I was a handy guy).  They recommend using moderate heat to soften the adhesive.  When the material softens and the wood grain starts to "print" through the PG, then it just peels right up, easy-peasy.  I first started this project by trying heat, but the only hair dryer I could find around the house did not get very warm.  Then I went looking for a hot water bottle, with no luck.  Heat would have made it all go easier I'm sure.  There are other tricks, like using dental floss to "saw" under the PG and lightly flooding the lifted area with some naptha (I used Ronsonol lighter fluid) to soften the adhesive at the edge that is being peeled up.  Ronsonol also helped clean up the leftover adhesive residue.  Unfortunately in this case all of the adhesive layer stayed stuck to the guitar and was a mess to clean up.  The removed pick guard is very clean on the back side.

Having seen that tan line, I now really wish that I had removed the pickguard on my all koa 424 right away when I got it.  It was already two years old then, and is now nine.  While it has not seen much daylight exposure, but I'm sure there is still some tan line.  If I could convey one wish to the factory, it would be that new guitars come with the pickguard unattached in the case, rather than pre-installed on every guitar.  Bad enough they cover nice spruce, but it borders on criminal that they cover up gorgeous top woods like koa or quilted anything with opaque pick guards.  Ask me how I really feel about this topic.....   

[TaylorGirl]

Thanks Earl, your post was very helpful. 
Let us know how your experiment goes. And, I agree, covering up a koa top is bordering on criminal!

[Strumming Fool]

None of my guitars have pickguards. I've never liked the look, even on classic Martins. Taylor's resilient finish has convinced me that I don't need one with my moderate pick/strum style. Good luck with your experiment, Earl. I'm sure the guitar's overall appearance will improve once you're done.

[Earl]

Thanks, SF.  I'll give it a few weeks.  As I said in the original post, the worst case is the tanning doesn't work out, and I put on a black Taylor PG to cover the tan and freckles.  I'm not wild about that either, but it would be better than the reddish-brown faux tortoise ones they use standard.  Yuk.  The is the 410 that I plan to sell, so the peeling pickguard needed to be replaced anyway.  Why not take the opportunity to experiment?

I actually put a *clear* pick guard on my koa GS, because friends kept wanting to try it.  It is pristine despite a lot of playing hours, and I did not want a friend to put the first mark on the top during a jam.  My technique is roughly 55% fingerstyle and 45% strumming, but I have good control over the pick and don't scratch up tops.  So pick guards on my guitars don't even get used.

[Guitar Cowboy]

I hope the tanning works for you. You said you are not really thrilled about a black pick guard , but its an acceptable fallback and preferred over the tortoise shell. I agree. If there is one thing I could change on my 816 its the tortoise shell pick guard.  I had the top of my 800 refinished after a bad scratch and I wish I would have taken the opportunity to upgrade the pick guard , but it never occurred to me at the time. Have you considered something other than black? ... like maybe a wood pick guard like the new 800 or 600 series. I wasn't initially a fan of the rosewood pick guards on the 800s, but really like the stripped ebony on the 600s

Looking forward to seeing the progress . Hope it works for you !

[Earl]

Cowboy, I really really REALLY prefer no pick guard at all, if I the tanning process works out acceptably.  My distant second choice is the black one, and I might buy two and just replace the tortoise on my favorite 414ce.  My 414 is the same age, so I presume it will have the same "tan line" issue.  I've never really been a fan of the Taylor pick guard shape in any flavor, including the new wood ones.  If it must have a pick guard anyway, the Martin style teardrop pick guard is more aesthetically pleasing to my eye.  I also suspect that if a corner ever starts to peel up, the wooden pick guards will be a real problem to remove.  They won't just soften with heat and peel up like the plastic ones.

So far the guitar has been masked off and out in the direct sunlight for about 8 hours total (I am keeping track).  It's cloudy today, but I will set it out anyway.  I figure that 75% sun exposure is better than none.  There is no hurry.  If I had a good UV light, it would just go into a closet for a few days on a timer, but I'm not going to spend money on the project when sunshine is free.

[Frettingflyer]

Interesting post Earl. I had the pick guard removed on my cedar/RW 314ce right away, almost imperceptible tan then and none now(just finished playing it). I wish I had had the others removed as my pick never scrapes it and I am playing about 70% finger style these days. Very interested to see how this works out, I might take a couple off, but leave a couple for when my kids get old enough try them. Thanks for sharing.

[autovon]

Hey Earl, any progress? I'm interested to see if it makes a difference. Seems to me masking wouldn't make much of a difference since the rest of the top darkening likely has slowed down and the lighter area would just catch up. But I've been wrong before. Any before and after pics?