Flattening a Martin Pickguard - created 08-11-2004

Warshaw, Steven - 08/11/2004.20:51:58

Anybody ever had any luck flattening out the lower portion of a Martin pickguard after it's worked loose from the top and started to warp, enough to glue it back down securely, preferably without peeling it off the guitar?

The customer would like to preserve the original if possible, even though the model (1970 D-28S) doesn't really have any vintage brownie points and I have some beautiful old faux tortoise or could, of course, fabricate or get a replacement black one.

I've replaced many a warped pickguard, but have never tried to flatten one out.

Steven, I have flattened some of the celluloid tortoise guards, but not any of the black ones. The way I did it is to carefully clean the guard and place it between two smooth aluminum plates, clamp it evenly, and heat it to about 200F degrees for about 30 minutes. Let it cool completely before removing from the metal plates. They shrink a little bit but are now flat and re usable if you choose.

I have heard of (but not tried) dropping them in boiling water for about 15 seconds and then quickly removing and clamping flat. But on the guitar? Nah.

Steven, in my experience, you HAVE to take it off the guitar, it WILL glue back inside its' original lines, and you will not be happy with it though it will be the original pickgaurd and a replacement would be OH so much neater looking. I put an original back on yesterday after cleaning all the gooky stuff that had worked in under the loose edges, fixing the "Martinitus" cracks, and applying a coat of protective lacquer under the 'gaurd. THe pickgaurd was in from the edge line, maybe a sixteenth all the way around but it did have that nice old patina. Then again, you can make a new, slightly bigger pickgaurd and do a good fake job on the patina!

Thanks folks. About what I expected. The pickguard has already shrunk inside the original glue line a bit. I'll just have to talk the owner into a new one, if I can.

JFYI, after removing the pickguard I dipped it for just a few seconds in very hot (not boiling) water and it immediately relaxed. It was quite warped at the bottom but no prob. Clamped it between a couple of boards and it flattened right out. Removed the inevitable bloom with alcohol, using exactly the same rig as one would for spiriting off in French polishing.

Lacquered over the bare wood as per usual, reinstalled using a sheet of that double-sided 3M tape Stew-Mac sells, and repolished to the point where it looked good but not brand new. It did shrink a bit, but nowhere near as much as 1/16" inside the original glue line. Fudged the location to minimize the average amount, this was actually the trickiest part of the whole business.

Be difficult for anyone but a builder or repairperson to see, and from a foot or two away the difference is virtually invisible.

I'm a big believer in replacing warped plastic pickguards as well as warped bridges with fresh materials.

Lance, when you get into conservation of a very expensive vintage instrument you will have several conflicting considerations. First do no harm, and keep the instrument as original as possible. Then take the owner's preferences into consideration. It can be a difficult dance.

I agree that using new parts makes sense for function and financial expedience in many cases but generally not when dealing with valuable old instruments.

It is a very delicate line and learning what call to make is a huge part of the repair process.