Has anyone here ever added a pickguard to an Eastman mandolin? I’m thinking of getting an Eastman F-Style and having a Cumberland Abbreviated Pickguard added.
Has anyone here ever added a pickguard to an Eastman mandolin? I’m thinking of getting an Eastman F-Style and having a Cumberland Abbreviated Pickguard added.
Eastman MD-514 (F body, Sitka & maple, oval hole)
Klos Carbon Fiber (on order)
And still saving my nickels & dimes & bottle caps & breakfast cereal box tops for my lifetime mandolin.
I added one, though not a Cumberland. I cut one out of a sheet of 3-ply "tortoise" (paid about $18 for a whole sheet from Amazon -- shipped from China) and used a standard mounting bracket. Of course, after using it for a while, I changed my right-hand technique, and took it off. I will, eventually, probably cut it down and mount it on my A8 -- just for looks
I've had added a couple to my mandolins though neither are an Eastman ..
but as they are Gibson-ish replicas, Imported to cut costs*, the brand shouldn't matter...
*or the builder is in another country working in replicating the established style that sells.
The pickguard/finger-rest fitting technique being similar...
writing about music
is like dancing,
about architecture
I installed a Cumberland abbreviated guard on a Weber F-5 a few months ago. The process should be the same on an Eastman.
A couple of holes will have to be drilled in the edge of the fingerboard to accept the mounting pins.
You have to make accurate measurements and have a steady hand with the drill.
It wouldn't hurt to mask off the top with a piece of cardboard in case you slip.
Depending on how handy you are, you might want to have a pro install it for you.
The process is pretty straightforward using the two pin method. Most of the Eastman’s I’ve seen and installed pg’s on had a cantilevered fingerboard. I’ve done it two ways. First using longer pins directly under the finger into the fb extension. Secondly with advanced notice and time I did not glue the pickguard mounting strip until I could custom glue the mounting strip under the fingerboard. Either way works, but I prefer gluing the mounting strip to fit under the fingerboard up against the extension. I can email you the instructions to help with your decision.
Shouldn’t be too hard, though I’ve not personally done it. I like the look but don’t like playing with them, so I took off the one that came on my Rigel CT-110. Two tiny screws, nothing to it. I actually put the screws back in the holes so I wouldn’t lose them, lol…
Chuck
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