What is the point of a pick guard?

[KaveKong]

I know the question sounds obvious, but I think pick guards are ugly and wonder why they are so common. I'm sure some people need them, but how necessary are they?

I think they ugly-up the guitar.

What do you think?

 

[Nicole_Rose]

i think that an acoustic looks naked without one. a strat wouldn`t look right without one, but yeah in a lot of cases a pickguard messes up the look of the guitar.

 

[pdadda]

They keep your guitar from getting all scratched up by the pick.

 

[famous beagle]

They provide a place for you to put a bunch of stickers on your guitar without worrying about messing up the finish.

Not to mention, on a Strat, they hold the electronics.

 

[espskully]

I took the pg off of my Les Paul Studio - looks better. I left it on my LP Custom though.

 

[true-eurt]

Depends on the guitar and the pick guard.

A few years back, a repair guy "lost" the pickguard on my Harmony Meteor. It looks naked now.

 

[gbondo9]

it "Guards" the guitar from the "Pick"

Pick......Guard

 

[tdukex]

i think that an acoustic looks naked without one. a strat wouldn`t look right without one, but yeah in a lot of cases a pickguard messes up the look of the guitar.

You think an OM or a OOO (both fingerstyle guits) look naked without a pickguard?

 

[KaveKong]

Well, I did state that I knew the obvious.

I KNOW what it's supposed to do, but man, you would have to beat the hell out of a guitar to really need it.

And, since it's covering the finish, you've kind of defeated the purpose of protecting the finish. It's like putting all that plastic on furniture (my grandmother used to do that, along with plastic runners across the carpeting and on lamps. Silly.


Some people have a really expensive dining room table. They put a rubber cover on it.

Go figure.



Maybe all the guitar manufacturers are getting advice from my grandma???

 

[ggunn]

Well, I did state that I knew the obvious.

I KNOW what it's supposed to do, but man, you would have to beat the hell out of a guitar to really need it.

http://www.mp3.com/artist/willie-nelson/photos/

Look at the photo near the bottom on the left.

 

[timthetortoise]

Well, I did state that I knew the obvious.

I KNOW what it's supposed to do, but man, you would have to beat the hell out of a guitar to really need it.

And, since it's covering the finish, you've kind of defeated the purpose of protecting the finish. It's like putting all that plastic on furniture (my grandmother used to do that, along with plastic runners across the carpeting and on lamps. Silly.

The guitarist in my band took his pickguard off right when he got his Les Paul. Now there's a fully exposed area of wood from his pick. He has never abused the guitar at all, so they really are useful.

 

[rayc]

To guard the pick from the ravages of the guitar.

 

[Henry Mars]

I have taken the pick guard off of every axe I own. When you use proper technique you shouldn't need it. I find them to be a pain in the butt.

 

[rayc]

Where do you put the guards, once removed, that they cause such pain?

 

[Reds Garage]

With the fender pick guards, you can stick picks under the edge for quick grabbing while playing if you drop your pick!! I've always found a peice of tape on the mic stand works for that too though, as I don't actually own a fender guitar. Not a real fan of fenders, but that's a different debate altogether!

 

[Richard Monroe]

If you play The Who, you better have a pickguard.-Richie

 

[GuitarDemon666]

I have taken the pick guard off of every axe I own. When you use proper technique you shouldn't need it. I find them to be a pain in the butt.

Proper technique??? What fun is that?

In all seriousness, there is no proper tehnique. whatever works for you.

 

[Jouni]

I've got a hungover.

If you manage to scratch your finish with a pick while playing you're one SLOPPY bastard.

 

[faderbug]

not just picks but fingernails scratch the finish

 

[gvarko]

Plastic pickguards = ugly

Wood pickguards = thing of beauty

You just haven't been looking at the right pickguards my friend:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...MESE:IT&viewitem=&item=170133604334&rd=1&rd=1

Tell me that won't pretty up someone's Strat.....