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Thread: No nail - mintstrings pickguard/finger rest

  1. #1

    Default No nail - mintstrings pickguard/finger rest

    I am very close to purchasing a "the bottom of the top" mandolin. Problem is that it has some "worn to the wood" lacquer finish wear. It's not normal pick wear; it's kind of weird and it bugs me. There is another one that is $500 more with no such wear. Let's see -- I could have it refinished, which would bring the price way up and it would no longer be original. I could have it spot refinished, which would probably still cost a lot, would no longer be original, and it often doesn't work out anyhow. I could try to fix it myself -- brown crayon and I saw some guy on Youtube recommending rubbing a walnut on it......um, no.

    So there is the pick guard/finger rest alternative. That's okay with me. Except I don't want to put nail holes in this. SOOOOOO ---- does anyone out there have any experience with the Mintstrings mandolin pickguard/finger rests that do not use nails and instead use some kind of adhesive.

    It sounds SCARY, but from what I saw (admittedly on my laptop) the adhesive seems to be harmless.

    Anyone out there have a experience? Opinions are great also, but also looking for comments from folks with experience with this.

    Thanks!

  2. #2
    Mando-Accumulator Jim Garber's Avatar
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    Default Re: No nail - mintstrings pickguard/finger rest

    I am not exactly sure what you are saying but if this bothers you so much why not buy the one that costs a little more that doesn’t have that problem? Or am I not understanding?

    I assume by “bottom of the top” you mean a modest product of a top brand/maker?
    Jim

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  3. #3

    Default Re: No nail - mintstrings pickguard/finger rest

    Thanks for your comments. Basically, what I was asking (at the end of a ramble) was if anyone had any experience with the MintStrings pick guard/finger rest. It uses an adhesive, which is maybe a problem but it didn't look bad in the video. On the other hand, I don't want nails. The one without the wear jacks the price up $500 -- and some folks at the cafe have suggested that it could easily be hidden (for now) with a finger rest/ pick guard. So i'm asking about the Mint Strings version.

  4. #4
    Registered User Mandobart's Avatar
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    Default Re: No nail - mintstrings pickguard/finger rest

    I Googled "Mintstrings" and found their website. Interesting to me that in all my nearly 50 years of playing acoustic instruments I'd never heard of them before.

    I scrolled through all 13 pages (156 items) and did not find exactly the product you described. There are many guitar pick guards and armrests offered and some mandolin pick guards and arm rests offered. They look to be nice quality items made of a variety of different woods. It appears that some of their products use adhesive to mount to the instrument top like most flattop guitar pickguards or the John Pearse guitar arm rests.

    I've mounted the John Pearse arm rests on 4 of my guitars. I've also made my own rosewood mandolin arm rests and pick guards which I mount with hardware. My mandolin pick guard uses headless nails as locating pins in the side of the fretboard and a clamp screwed into the side (like traditional pick guards on mandolins and archtop guitars). I understand you don't want to go that route.

    However, IF their mandolin pick guard mounts directly to the top of an instrument using adhesive like a flat top guitar pick guard, I would be concerned with:

    1. What effect that would have on the tone

    2. What effect it would have on the finish if I ever decided to remove it

    IMO the two small locating pins (headless nails) and small screw hole for the side clamp for the traditionally mounted pick guard are a smaller concern.

    If I were in your position, spending (I'm assuming) at least $2500 on this mandolin I would spend the extra $500 on the mandolin that doesn't have the top finish issue.

  5. #5
    Registered User Bob Buckingham's Avatar
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    Default Re: No nail - mintstrings pickguard/finger rest

    There are electrostatic pick guards out there for guitars. They are in clear sheets. I've cut them down to fit a mandolin and used that. I removed one when selling a nitro finished mandolin after ten years and there was no indication it had been on. I kept the finish on the instrument clean and had no ill effects.

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  7. #6
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    Default Re: No nail - mintstrings pickguard/finger rest

    Quote Originally Posted by Bob Buckingham View Post
    There are electrostatic pick guards out there for guitars. They are in clear sheets. I've cut them down to fit a mandolin and used that. I removed one when selling a nitro finished mandolin after ten years and there was no indication it had been on. I kept the finish on the instrument clean and had no ill effects.
    I think the author of this post desires to obscure an objectionable aesthetic feature of the instrument...is this material available in opaque colors?
    too many strings

  8. #7

    Default Re: No nail - mintstrings pickguard/finger rest

    The mandolin I am considering is about $1500, so $500 more is a pretty big bump up. I don't mind the clamp. My very old Gibson has the clamp and it is nailed to the bridge--but not the body as far as I can tell. I don't mind a nail in the bridge but I'd like to avoid nails in the neck, if possible. Or maybe that's not a big deal?

    The Mint Strings mando pickguard/finger rest I was referring to is in this youtube video.


    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KjhZny3q37E

    The adhesive is in three spots and the finger rest would be elevated. It is not making full contact with the top like the electrostatic ones and probably wouldn't dampen the tone much.

    In the video, the adhesive does not seem to be destructive of the finish, but who knows? That's the first questions.

    The second one is whether it will likely slide around much. If someone has experience with this?

    Thanks again,
    Alan

  9. #8

    Default Re: No nail - mintstrings pickguard/finger rest

    I've had a Mint Strings guard on my mandolin for about 6 months. It has not moved.

  10. #9

    Default Re: No nail - mintstrings pickguard/finger rest

    Adhesive affecting the finish is going to depend on the finish. I would be hesitant to put any kind of adhesive on a nitro finish as it's solvent based and the adhesive might interact with it. In the price range you're looking at the finish is likely to be a poly so probably a none issue.

    A narrow finger rest is only attached to the bottom edge of the fretboard or fretboard extension support. There's no attachment to the rims or bridge. The holes wouldn't normally be visible when it's taken off and can be filled with wax crayon.
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