Peeling pick guard

Shea · #1 07-19-2001, 02:58 PM

Hey everyone. I have had my 514c for a few months now (I just love this guitar!) and I am having a problem with the pick guard. About 1/8 of an inch all around the guard has lifted up slightly. I keep pressing it down but it pops up again. When the light hits it right, it really stands out.

Is there anything that I can do to remedy this problem? Has it happened with your guitar? I would appreciate the input.

Shea

Noflatpick · #2 07-19-2001, 03:44 PM

The pickguard on my 615 started lifting at the point of it, just forward of the soundhole. It was a real pisser because I don't use a pick and when strumming with my thumb I would hook the loose point with my thumbnail.

My guitar was about eighteen months old when this started happening and I was just getting ready to send it back to the factory for a pickup installation. I mentioned the pickguard problem to Zack, the customer service guy I had been dealing with, and Taylor replaced the pickguard at no charge. That's been 3 years ago and I've had no problem since.

Call or e-mail Taylor customer service with your problem and I'm sure they'll take care of it right away. They will probably have you take it in to the closest Taylor authorized repair dealer and have them re-glue or replace it.

gmccall · #3 07-19-2001, 05:25 PM

Hi Shea,

You can have that problem fixed easily. Just take it to your dealor or authorized Taylor tech place.

A new pick guard will be installed.

As a matter of fact, I removed my pick guard from my 810B and reinstalled a speciallly made, clear protective guard, fashioned from the old guard.

Looks really kool on the Engleman spruce.

Later,
-grm

buddiesorg · #4 07-19-2001, 07:03 PM

Just so you know, Shea, it's a normal problem ... and an easy one for them to fix. Just remember to call in first since they don't take walk-ins anymore ... maybe if they give you another T-shirt, you can give it to me?

trombone · #5 07-19-2001, 09:42 PM

It must be a normal problem because I have noticed it on a lot of new guitars. Don't they know how to keep this from happening? I went to one shop and they must have had five or six lifting.

LarryH in Texas · #6 07-19-2001, 09:56 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by trombone:
<STRONG>It must be a normal problem because I have noticed it on a lot of new guitars. Don't they know how to keep this from happening? I went to one shop and they must have had five or six lifting.</STRONG>

Don't want to say anything bad about my favorite guitar company, but this sounds like a possible QC problem.

stevemc · #7 07-20-2001, 08:55 AM

Sure does sound like a QC problem. I minor flaw like that can really hurt customer satisfaction levels. Especially on an expensive product such as a Taylor! Hopefully, they have already recognized the problem and corrected it on the production floor. Sounds like they need to change adhesives.
SM

Shea · #8 07-20-2001, 12:35 PM

Thanks for the input everyone. I was hoping that someone had a quick home remedy so that I could take care of it myself. I just wanted to try and avoid having to make an appointment to run it over to Taylor. Oh well, I guess it's a good reason to go visit!

Shea

Arno Ehlscheid · #9 07-22-2001, 10:33 AM

Hi, with my `93 612C the pickguard started lifting approx 4 years ago in a similar way as Shea describes it. At one point of the pickguard it was more significant. I used a little piece double side adhesive tape from Tesa to stop the further lifting up. Sure, thats no perfect repair, but until today it works. One day ( if the lifting goes further )I´ll try to get a new pickguard from Taylor and exchange it. How to to this, one can read at
www.frets.com/FRETSPages/pagelist.html

Although I´m also the opinion, that this shouldn´t happen with a taylor guitar, beside better adhesives, perhaps it is a problem of the pickguard material themselves.

Arno

markh · #10 07-22-2001, 11:27 PM

I had this same problem with my '92 510. I started having problems with the pickguard almost immediately after I bought it. I lived with it for a while, then called Taylor. They sent me a new 'guard and included a letter of apology that said they had gotten some bad plastic from a supplier that hadn't been "seasoned" well enough - in short, it shrank while it was on the guitar. Well, the next one peeled too, but it waited about 5 years or so to start. I'm on my third one now. I agree, this really shouldn't happen. It seems to be a problem with the material.

kenliu · #11 07-23-2001, 01:14 AM

Hey, I noticed this on my two month old 810 this weekend as I was changing strings. I think I will call Taylor about it.

I took a look at that FRETS.COM page about removing pickguards. The guy uses Naptha to remove the leftover adhesive. Where can I buy naptha? Hardware store?

Ken

Barron · #12 07-23-2001, 11:32 AM

This may be a QC problem or, to think about it another way, it may be a result of owning a real wood guitar. As your instrument expands and contracts with humidity and temperature changes, the pickguard (plastic) will have a hard time staying in place....

[ 07-23-2001: Message edited by: Barron ]

buddiesorg · #13 07-23-2001, 11:55 AM

Just so you know, Shea, they don't do walk-in appointments anymore. You take it to the sales/shipping building and they send it over to repairs in order of receipt along with those guitars shipped to them. Wait is now 1-2 weeks.

You may want to have someone else do it (like Bill at BB) or do it yourself.

gmccall · #14 07-25-2001, 07:02 PM

Hey Kenilu,

I just want to mention that when I took off my pick guard from my 810B, I used a special product to remove sticky residue.

It was a product that is used in a hospital to get the tape sticky stuff off your skin, ya know what I mean? So that stuff seemed pretty easy on my guitar finish.

HOWEVER -- I have seen it dull the finish on a kitchen cabinet, but that finish was not a good one.

Anyway, I tested it before I used it.

I have heard of a product called "GOO-GONE" but have never used it. Might it be better than Naptha??

My concern is the Naptha...I'm a little uneasy about that on your finish, but I'm not saying it is bad.

But you might go to a drug store and see if you can get some of that special residue remover I mentioned above, or first check with a local luthier...

Later,
-grm

#15 07-26-2001, 10:44 AM

I don't think you would want to glue it down any more that it already is or you would wind up having it cracks in your top like you see on so many old Martins where they were really nailed down (the common old Martin B string crack). As Barron said, wood moves around quite a bit as humidity changes. Plastic also moves, especially when heated. You wouldn't want the two materials superglued together since with all of that moving around if there is going to be a failure between them, you want it to be along the adhesive and not through the wood. Taylor pickguards are free and very easy to remove and install.

Two things you cand do to eliminate or really reduce the chance of a curling problem are to keep the guitar properly humidified to stop the wood from moving around so much and don't leave the guitar in hot cars or direct sunlight or hanging above heating vents and such to keep the plastic pickguard from shrinking from high heat.