Does a pickguard deaden the sound?

[ikravchik]

Hi,

I've been off this forum for many a year living a life of peace and balance, but a recent acquisition of guitars has pulled me back into this acoustic madness...

Anyways, I bought a Sheeran by Lowden S-01 guitar (Cedar/Walnut). The cedar top is super delicate and hardly has any finish on it. For the first time in my life I'm considering installing a pickguard (I hate them by the way).

DOES a pickguard negatively affect the sound? Especially on a small bodied fingerstyle instrument?

[Hoyt]

Good question. Theoretically, it might well dampen sound a tiny bit. But, that doesn't necessarily mean it will sound worse.

I've made numerous mods to instruments that theoretically should suck, but don't.

[J Patrick]

I’ve added pickguards to some very lightly built small bodied instruments and have never heard any deadening….it might have been there but I didn’t hear it…..no doubt some people have better hearing than I do.

[donlyn]

Does a pickguard deaden the sound?

A sideline to this is does it matter of what material the pickguard is made?

My Taylor 818 has a thin rosewood pickguard as opposed to a usual plastic one.
Should /would that change the answer ?

For the record, I have exactly one guitar without a pickguard. All the others have one of some sort or other. Personally I fingerpick everything using my nails as picks, so I really don't need a pickguard. However there's always a chance someone might want to play one, and I feel better about it if it has an installed pickguard, as most people use external picks.

I play before pay, so I judge most of my guitars with the pickguard already in place.
My personal feeling is that it probably doesn't matter very much.

So I am very ambivalent about the whole issue, but still curious.

And about half my acoustics have no installed electronics.

Be well and play well,

Don
.

[Bowie]

No, for the same reason braces don't deaden the sound, and finish doesn't deaden the sound (when applied appropriately). You have to look at the bracing to understand how the vibration travels throughout the top. The area of the pick guard is not critical to the primary vibration of the top (at least, not to the extent that a guard ruins the vibration in that area).
The other reason is that the goal is not to have the thinnest freest top possible. It's about balance. Stiffening up a top favors high frequencies whereas a thinner, looser top favors bass. The builder can compensate for this minor additional stiffness.

Does it CHANGE the sound? Slightly. But, it doesn't "deaden" it. If anything, you could argue a little extra stiffness and mass brightens but, again, the builder only needs to make slight changes to compensate.

[KevWind]

Originally Posted by ikravchik

Hi,

I've been off this forum for many a year living a life of peace and balance, but a recent acquisition of guitars has pulled me back into this acoustic madness...

Anyways, I bought a Sheeran by Lowden S-01 guitar (Cedar/Walnut). The cedar top is super delicate and hardly has any finish on it. For the first time in my life I'm considering installing a pickguard (I hate them by the way).

DOES a pickguard negatively affect the sound? Especially on a small bodied fingerstyle instrument?

I have both with and without and the withouts are Western Read Cedar and Sinker Redwood. I flat pic but do not hit the sound board
Even so I doubt it would make any noticeable difference

[BoxCar_Joe]

put one on my 000 jr a few months ago.

no difference in sound.

[baseball]

Originally Posted by ikravchik

Hi,
The cedar top is super delicate and hardly has any finish on it. For the first time in my life I'm considering installing a pickguard (I hate them by the way).

DOES a pickguard negatively affect the sound? Especially on a small bodied fingerstyle instrument?

The saddest NGD I have ever had was one years ago when my new CEDAR topped Epiphone got dinged by a stoned friend...your post just brought back my Memory.

Cedar sounds AWESOME but I think part of the awesomeness is a little more ding-prone-ness.

Even if it stole a little , cedar is so loud and clear I don't think you'd notice...some of those ones that flamenco guys use are almost like film (Golpeador)...those guys POUND on their guitars and the stuff seems to work

[zuzu]

I take all the pickguard off my guitars, strictly for looks. The only ones I MAY have heard a difference in tone on are the Yamahas, which have a pickguard about as thick as a tire tread held on with glue like bubble gum. But, even so, any difference in sound is marginal at most, to my ears at least.

[JayBee1404]

I just put a Holter pickguard on my new McNally OM which came to me without a pickguard installed - absolutely no audible change in tone or volume whatsoever. And, FWIW, I love the look of the guitar without, and also with, the pickguard.

Before…

1000004113.jpg

After…

20240727_171432.jpg

[fitness1]

How could it not affect the sound?

You could always put a clear guard on it...they are thinner and you can't even see them unless you are up close.

[Wade Hampton]

Whether a pickguard will change a guitar’s sound will depend on both the guitar and the pickguard itself.

Many of the pickguards used by Gibson in the past were so thick and heavy that, yes, they killed some tone and probably some volume. The pickguards being used these days aren’t nearly as thick and heavy, though.

Some guitars are built so lightly that even lightweight pickguards have an effect on them. Those don’t tend to be factory-built instruments, though.

Lowdens are responsive guitars, but a thin, clear pickguard shouldn’t affect the tone. If you’re worried about its cedar top getting scratched, by all means put a pickguard on it, because cedar scratches and dents if you give it a hard look. Believe me, I’m speaking from personal experience there.

Hope this helps.


Wade Hampton Miller

[Charlie Bernstein]

Oh, man, someone asked that here pretty recently, and fur flew.

I think the majority felt that an ordinary-size pickguard's effect won't be noticeable. I have no idea, but I've sure heard plenty of great guitars with pickguards.

Anyhow, if you don't like 'em, don't put one on. Easy!

[Rudy4]

Originally Posted by ikravchik

Hi,

I've been off this forum for many a year living a life of peace and balance, but a recent acquisition of guitars has pulled me back into this acoustic madness...

Anyways, I bought a Sheeran by Lowden S-01 guitar (Cedar/Walnut). The cedar top is super delicate and hardly has any finish on it. For the first time in my life I'm considering installing a pickguard (I hate them by the way).

DOES a pickguard negatively affect the sound? Especially on a small bodied fingerstyle instrument?

My playing buddy grabbed my brand new cedar topped Lowden and played one song with metal finger picks.

The damage was done, but before I could put a .005" clear mylar guard on.

No, a small thin mylar guard does not change the sound and I normally put this type on most of my acoustic guitars.

[ikravchik]

Thank you all for your responses. I realize that I miss AGF because of all the helpful and knowledgable people on here.

I think I'll go with a thin Koa or Rosewood pickguard.