Gibson Everly Brothers Pickguard Conundrum

[HarryQ]

I bought a Gibson Everly Brothers guitar needing repair. It's a pretty rare cherry sunburst model from 1994. The truss rod was broken and the top had multiple cracks, including along the fretboard extension, with shifting of the neck block area towards the sound hole. I've done all the necessary repairs, and the guitar plays and sounds excellent. I removed the large double pickguards to facilitate the repairs. My question is, do I reattach the pickguards for originality's sake, which will probably kill some of the sound, or leave them off, which will look strange, but sound good? Any advice is appreciated!

[bnjp]

I like the pickguards...and they might hide some of the repair work. But I guess it's ultimately up to the owner of the guitar.

[pickinray]

It's hard to tell without pictures, but here's my 2 cents worth. If it was my guitar and I was going to keep it and play it, then I would probably leave the pickguards off. If I was going to sell the guitar, then I would reattach the pickguards to make it look as original as possible. I'm not a fan of the double pickguard look, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Whatever you decide, you've got yourself a nice guitar!

[HarryQ]

Thanks, I'll probably do as you said. I was able to remove the tortoiseshell pick guards in good shape, and can reattach them with double-stick adhesive film.

[RRuskin]

Leave them off. The weight added by those big pickguards will inhibit the sound big time. You can always reattach them for authenticity if you decide to sell it.

[HarryQ]

Originally Posted by RRuskin

Leave them off. The weight added by those big pickguards will inhibit the sound big time. You can always reattach them for authenticity if you decide to sell it.

Yes, that's what I'm going to do. It's a shame that the signature feature of the guitar,(along with the star inlays), is a such a big tone killer!

[RRuskin]

Originally Posted by HarryQ

Yes, that's what I'm going to do. It's a shame that the signature feature of the guitar,(along with the star inlays), is a such a big tone killer!

I've mentioned this before. I friend took a horrible sounding Gibson Dove, removed the pickguard, original finish, & the 8-way adjustable bridge. He replaced the bridge with a Martin style belly bridge, refinished with a light lacquer, but never replaced the guards. As a result, the sound of the instrument was transformed into a real winner.

[John Arnold]

As a result, the sound of the instrument was transformed into a real winner.

In that particular case, I think most of the improvement was due to the bridge change. The reason I say that is that I have removed adjustable bridges and noted a big improvement. Also, I have played many guitars with large guards that seem to suffer very little in the sound department. The most critical area on an X braced guitar is just below the bridge.

[ArchtopLover]

Leave them off. They are tone/volume killers. Way back in the day. I had a 1994 Gibson anniversary J-35. It had a traditional small pickguard. The 3M adhesive loosened and the pickguard began to curl. It was easily removed with the aid of a hair dryer.

Sounded way better with it off, and I left it that way for a while. Put it back on, though just before I sold it.

[HarryQ]

Well, I wound up putting the pick guards back on. The guitar just didn't look right without them. The change in sound was subtle, a little like turning down the presence control on an amp from 10 to 6. It still sounds fine. I guess the increase in the cool factor was worth it!