Where to get a pickguard?

thaichine · #1 09-24-2015, 08:04 PM

I recently acquired a used Martin OMCPA5. While I like the guitar, it did not come with a pickguard, and I would like to add one to reduce the noise my fingers make when they brush across the surface. So my question is, does anyone know where I can get a pickguard that will fit my guitar? I called martin customer service, they told me they don't sell pickguards for my guitar, and that I would have to get one custom made. If that is my only recourse then so be it, but I was wondering if anyone had any other ideas? Thanks.

rogthefrog · #2 09-24-2015, 08:06 PM

I just received and installed a clear teardrop pickguard by Pro Line. $5.99 with free shipping from musiciansfriend. Nice clear plastic, made in Korea. Works fine, looks invisible.

YamaYairi · #3 09-24-2015, 08:34 PM

Stewart Macdonald sells pick guards. Various shapes, sizes and prices. I bought their inexpensive fake tortoise shell pick guard for my Itzkin and I am very pleased with it.

Wade Hampton · #4 09-24-2015, 09:17 PM

Thaichine, Stewart-MacDonald makes some excellent yet inexpensive self-adhesive pickguards in the Martin teardrop shape:

I've put a couple of the tortoiseshell-colored pickguards on guitars, and found them to be of very good quality. Which for $8.92 is hard to beat. The black and clear pickguards cost even less.

http://www.stewmac.com/Hardware_and_...Pickguard.html

Something to be aware of going in is that many of the clear pickguards available on the market are made from vinyl, which can and will interact disastrously with nitro-cellulose lacquer finishes. Presumably your Martin has one.

But the clear pickguard Stew-Mac sells is safe for nitro-cellulose finishes. It won't cause the nasty-looking slow motion chemical reaction that putting a clear vinyl pickguard on a Martin will.

If you're looking for something a little more upscale than those pickguards, you can look for a Tor-Tis pickguard like one of these:

The main problems with Tor-Tis pickguards is that they're expensive and the supply is erratic. Lots of online retailers list Tor-Tis pickguards on their websites, but then when you call and try to order one they'll tell you, (sometimes after a long pause,) "Uh...well, we're kind of back-ordered on those right now...."

Meaning they have absolutely no idea when they're going to get their next shipment in.

So for God's sake, don't order a Tor-Tis pickguard from anyone without first calling, talking to an store employee and verifying that they actually have what you want in stock.

If they say: "Oh, we'll have those by the end of the month," don't believe them. Move on and look elsewhere.

My personal favorite Tor-Tis pickguard retailer is Luther's Mercantile International, because they post pictures of each individual Tor-Tis pickguard they have in stock, so you can select which one you think will suit you best. Plus, this way there's no back-ordering and waiting forever for the silly thing to finally show up.

http://www.lmii.com/products/mostly-...tis-pickguards

Hope this helps,

Wade Hampton Miller

lt20dbl · #5 09-25-2015, 03:07 AM

I've bought a couple from this guy on ebay. New old stock (discontinued) from Martin. He's good to work with. http://www.ebay.com/itm/NOS-MARTIN-O...3D191684303614

thaichine · #6 09-25-2015, 03:08 AM

Thanks everyone for the advice. I think I will just get a cheap black pick guard from either stewmac or musicians friend, and then trim it if necessary to fit my guitar.
Wade, thanks for taking the time for such a thorough reply. The top of my guitar is actually HPL, so I don't have to worry about damaging the finish!

SalFromChatham · #7 09-25-2015, 04:14 AM

I got new guard for my D35 from here:

http://www.guitargal.com/collections/pickguards

T Texas · #8 09-25-2015, 07:46 AM

wow, just a few months ago i was looking for an OM pickguard and had a heck of a time finding one, which I did thanks to a AGF member. LMII now has a lot of different options to choose from in the small teardrop department. Good to know.

Treenewt · #9 09-25-2015, 08:38 AM

I know the OP has decided, but for posterity I thought I'd add that Guitar Gallery in Nashville has a good supply of Tortis-style guards. I picked up a nice dark one for my Eastman a few weeks ago. No, it's not cheap, but I can't stand the look of a cheap guard myself. Just drives me nuts!!

Here's a link if anyone needs one:

http://www.guitargal.com/collections/pickguards

Mad Rose · #10 09-25-2015, 01:00 PM

Colette at Turtleworks makes the pkgds for Guitar Gallery & previously made them for LMI and others. LMI now makes the guards in-house, but Colette still supplies the sheet stock to both.

AFAIK; John Greven was the originator of the Tor-Tis material but quit making it. Whether Turtleworks now makes it or has a healthy sheet stock inventory, I don't know? Having just spoke w/ T-Works the other day & they said they still make guards or sell sheet stock to me. I used to deal w/ her directly years ago, but then she got swamped & deferred me to other retailers.

I like to make my own guards from blank stock & buying the larger 7.5x12 was the best way to go since I can get a few guards from it...if they don't shatter. :>( I recently bought guards from LMI, while they're OK, the cost has risen. They only show the smaller sheets (4x7) on their site now & most are quite sightly looking to say the least. Their inventory depletes quickly.

For those who think that Tor-Tis is too thick: I've sanded the backside to get them as thin as 1/64". IIRC, that's about 1/2 of it's orig thickness. Definitely has a lower profile.

Wade Hampton · #11 09-26-2015, 08:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mad Rose

Colette at Turtleworks makes the pkgds for Guitar Gallery & previously made them for LMI and others. LMI now makes the guards in-house, but Colette still supplies the sheet stock to both.

I didn't know about LMI making them in-house, but that makes sense.

After Treenewt posted a link to Guitar Gallery's website, I went and checked it out. They happen to be out of firestripe J-45 pickguards at the moment, so I ended calling and talking to Robin, who owns the business and runs the place, so far as I can tell.

Anyway, she told me that she gets the pickguards from the same source she's been buying them from for the last 18 years. She also told me that the D-28 dark tortoise pickguard and the firestripe J-45 pickguard are her two biggest sellers.

She warned me against excessive optimism but did say that she's supposed to get an order with several firestripe pickguards in it in about two weeks. But that doesn't mean she'll necessarily get it then.

So we'll see. I plan to check with her in two or three weeks and see if they arrived, and if so I'll post a new thread about it then.

whm

Treenewt · #12 09-26-2015, 09:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wade Hampton

I didn't know about LMI making them in-house, but that makes sense.

After Treenewt posted a link to Guitar Gallery's website, I went and checked it out. They happen to be out of firestripe J-45 pickguards at the moment, so I ended calling and talking to Robin, who owns the business and runs the place, so far as I can tell.

Anyway, she told me that she gets the pickguards from the same source she's been buying them from for the last 18 years. She also told me that the D-28 dark tortoise pickguard and the firestripe J-45 pickguard are her two biggest sellers.

She warned me against excessive optimism but did say that she's supposed to get an order with several firestripe pickguards in it in about two weeks. But that doesn't mean she'll necessarily get it then.

So we'll see. I plan to check with her in two or three weeks and see if they arrived, and if so I'll post a new thread about it then.

whm

Wade, I picked out the other best seller, the dark D28 and it looks fantastic on my Eastman.

Wade Hampton · #13 09-27-2015, 12:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Treenewt

Wade, I picked out the other best seller, the dark D28 and it looks fantastic on my Eastman.

I've got a couple of a couple of my guitars already, and have another guitar being built that will get another. I was buying them from another supplier, and the one I liked best was called the "50's Vintage 000," which I think is the same coloring as your dark D-28 pickguard but slightly smaller.

Anyway, the guitar being built for me is a 12 fret Triple O with a hand-rubbed chocolate brown sunburst like the old Cremona Brown finish Gibson used to do before switching over to spraying their sunbursts. The guitar itself is being finished in French polish, so it's nice match.

And the pickguard I have waiting to use on it? Yep, it's another "50's Vintage 000," just like the one I put on my Larrivée OM-03W.

It's a nice look.

Wade Hampton Miller