Pick Guards

[Mr5150]

Newbie question.

Why have a pick guard? Pros and cons.

[Bill McCall]

Pros: Protect the finish from pinky planters. Or scratches. Or use it as a fence to help guide pick depth on the strings. Beautiful accent to the top. Tradition.
Cons: Blocks an f hole. Looks ugly. Don't plant a finger so don't need it. Have a flawless stroke, so don't need it.

[mandroid]

Pros I Like them

cons : been thru this question before .. look up the other times someone else asked

[Canoedad]

Pros: Protection, great looks (especially on an A model IMO)
Cons: Minimal purchase price

[Mr5150]

Pros I Like them

cons : been thru this question before .. look up the other times someone else asked

Thanks, I just did and found useful stuff.

But I suppose there would be 90% less threads and 95% less discussion if each question was only allowed to be asked once or twice.

On other forums that cover topics or skills of which I am knowledgeable or expert, I enjoy giving advice to the novice. Even when the topic has been discussed before. Sometimes fresh insight can be had or in some cases changes in equipment or tech could render a older thread not relevant. Please don't take my response as rude. Not meant to be. Personally I enjoy giving advice to those who ask instead of sending them away. But that is just me.

[Mr5150]

Pros: Protection, great looks (especially on an A model IMO)
Cons: Minimal purchase price

Noticed the looks on my friend's A mandolin.

[outsidenote]

One of mine has a pick guard and I like it although I'm not a pinkey planter. I sort of gently brush over the top and the pick guard is a nice tactile feedback. Looks wise, I like the small elegant ones like the Ellis mandolins and dont like the big ones on some gibsons.

[Zach Wilson]

Newbie question.

Why have a pick guard? Pros and cons.

Depending on how you play there aren't any pros or cons. It's all cosmetics.

[Austin Koerner]

Reasons to have a pick guard? They look awesome. I'm rocking an abreviated one but love a full size one on a classic looking f5. It's whatever you want though. If you like the look or not, if you think it changes sound, or if you like the idea of added protection.

[bobrem]

I had a high-end mandolin with no pick guard that I once let a fairly well-known picker use for a few tunes at a jam session. When he handed it back to me the top was all scratched. He was a finger dragger. I had the scratches buffed out, installed a pick guard and never looked back. I prefer the abbreviated (smaller) pick guards. I have this guy on one of my mandos and love the looks of it.

[Astro]

I have been playing about 3 years without them. I just had an abbreviated one put on both my A style and my F style.

Now I finally know what its like.

I love them. Love the looks. Love the feel. I think it makes me have better form by preventing me from splaying my unused fingers.

My avatar is old and doesn't show it. I'll get new pics soon.

[fentonjames]

here's a few guys that don't use them. good company!

[darrylicshon]

I have some with and some without it doesn't matter too much which, but i play one that doesn't have one the most.

[bobrem]

[QUOTE=fentonjames;1480235]here's a few guys that don't use them. good company!

What do these guys know anyway? Never heard of 'em.

[Ivan Kelsall]

This is almost a perennial question. I don't need a pickguard. I don't 'plant' or 'drag',& i'm nowhere close to the top - but i do like the look of a nicely made pickguard. The ones that Tom Ellis fits are plain & simple, & look nice because of it. I do like the faux t/shell guards & maybe if i could find a suitable one in the UK,i'd put one on my Weber. The actual Weber ones are way too expensive to import into the UK.
It's all a matter of personal choice - as usual,
Ivan

[Dave Hanson]

It seems to be an American thing, very few [ if any ] UK builders put them on their instruments and they are not widely available over here.

Seems mainly cosmetic to me, or this love that some people have of attaching things to their instruments.

Dave H

[noah finn]

Aren't they finger rests?

[Tobin]

here's a few guys that don't use them. good company!

Yep, and if you look at the tops of every one of those mandolins, you'll see the damage they did. Some folks think it's cool or trendy, or adds mojo or street cred. I can see that point of view, but I also think it's a crying shame to slowly destroy a mandolin like that when it is so easily prevented.

I don't finger-plant, and I did my learning on a mandolin without a guard/rest. But I do prefer to have them on there, and the biggest "pro" for me is that it helps keep my hand from curling around the treble side of the strings. I can lightly brush my unused fingers over the guard which helps keep my wrist motion in-plane with the mandolin top. Everybody has a different right-hand style, but this just works for me and was a big boost in my speed and accuracy when I adapted my playing to a mandolin with a pick guard/finger rest.

[JeffD]

A pick guard is a cool looking part of the mandolin. But I could live without it too.

The pick guard, or its absence, makes no part of my decision to purchase, and if the mandolin has one, I keep it. And if it doesn't I don't add one.

[fentonjames]

due to this thread, i'm trying mine out again. what do you think? with, or without? also, that's a '63 a-40. is that pickguard original? it's a 5-ply, black/white(creme).

[LongBlackVeil]

It seems to be an American thing, very few [ if any ] UK builders put them on their instruments and they are not widely available over here.

Seems mainly cosmetic to me, or this love that some people have of attaching things to their instruments.

Dave H

It's for protection. Again, look at Fentonjames post. All those players didn't use finger rests, and all of their mandolins have heavy wear where the fingerrest would've been. Some don't care, I don't care about the wear all that much myself. But it shows why the fingerrest is not just cosmetic

[WW52]

I take my pick guard off whenever I play out somewhere because my main mandolin is substantially louder and fuller sounding without it. I've also worn the finish off a small area of the top where my pinky finger rubs against it. I keep the nail trimmed back as far as possible, but the wear still happens.

[Mark Wilson]

The ones that Tom Ellis fits are plain & simple, & look nice

Here's the Ellis shop guard on my Pava



I don't plant but when I play a mandolin w/o the guard, I miss having the slight reference it provides.

[terzinator]

One of mine has a pick guard and I like it although I'm not a pinkey planter. I sort of gently brush over the top and the pick guard is a nice tactile feedback. Looks wise, I like the small elegant ones like the Ellis mandolins and dont like the big ones on some gibsons.

Yup. That's your correct answer right there.

[ralph johansson]

Pros: Protect the finish from pinky planters. Or scratches. Or use it as a fence to help guide pick depth on the strings. Beautiful accent to the top. Tradition.
Cons: Blocks an f hole. Looks ugly. Don't plant a finger so don't need it. Have a flawless stroke, so don't need it.

Blocking a tiny portion of the f hole is of no consequence whatever. A common misunderstanding is to asscoiate pick guards with pinky planting. In fact, planting is much more common without a guard - with guard the standard technique is brushing.