Has anybody successfully removed Epiphone pickguard?

Brydon

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Got me a nice Epiphone Ukulele and it's fine, maybe need a tweak or two though. The only thing is the pickguard which looks chunky with rough edges. All tutorials i see are for thin type pickguard removal and not thick plastic like this. It's a shame to have the Vintage burst ruined by a rubbish pickguard which is pointless on a Ukulele anyway.
 
Yeah i know it's risky but i'm struggling with the demon on my shoulder!
 
I'd be on the side of not doing it either. Who knows what's under there and if it would even be possible to clean it up so it looked and felt nice. My thoughts are that if you are going to do it then be prepared to refinish the entire top.
 
Yeah i know it's risky but i'm struggling with the demon on my shoulder!

I would be thinking just like you. Stuff like that bugs me to the point that I can't resist. :)

Those Epi's look great, and they'd look even greater without the pickguard.

[I never understood pickguards, even on guitars. Totally unnecessary, and often detracting from the beauty of the instrument.]
 
One thing that is for certain is that the strings that she came with were awefull! Totally dead sounding with no ring to speak of. She was completely transformed when i changed her out to Aquila's... 10 minutes ago. Man they go out of tune fast when new!
 
I've just got some LWS to go on, once I receive the bone nut and saddle blank that's on it's way.

Totally agree that the stock strings sound completely dead!

As for the pick guard, from some gentle prying off of the edges, it seems to be stuck on with some rubberised contact glue, which should come away easily enough as long as you do it slowly.

Mine also has some shabby edges, so I plan to remove it, see what the finish is like underneath and then, if required, I can tidy the edges up and glue it back on - no harm done, but more aesthetically pleasing.

Let us know how you get on! :D
 
I've taken them off guitars. You should be able to get it off without any damage. I used a combinations of softening the glue with a hair dryer and then using naphtha (lighter fluid) to work off the guard. To get started, soak some floss in lighter fluid to work up an edge. However, it is very likely that you will be able to see a footprint from the guard. You can always add a thinner one if you are not happy with the result.
 
I've deliberately not played it much and kept it boxed so as not to get a tan line as I knew as soon as I saw it that it would keep bugging me. This is the perils of mail order, I probably would have thought twice about buying it if I saw it in the flesh so to speak.
 
I can confirm that it comes off without to much problems other than a bit o left over glue that came up with the lighter fluid. No tan line so i'm very happy with the result. I have a controllable temperature plastic welding air gun with a small nozzle though which helped keep the heat low and where i needed it. I'd be careful using a hair dryer to direct the heat away from the bridge area. I worked from that side so as not to affect the glue on the bridge. I had a bridge pop off my exotic mahogany Kala with it sitting doing nothing and i never tampered with that at all. Nothin some good wood glue couldn't cure though.

To Sum up, it can be done and be done well but i wouldn't try it with one that's been in the light for too long.
 
I forgot to say thanks for the advice, i know i didn't listen to some of you but i think you all knew i'd try it anyway.
 
[I never understood pickguards, even on guitars. Totally unnecessary, and often detracting from the beauty of the instrument.]

Hmm... have you seen Willie Nelson's guitar "Trigger"? And there is another guy that is MUCH worse. those are the reasons for pick guards, I think... :D
 
Hmm... have you seen Willie Nelson's guitar "Trigger"? And there is another guy that is MUCH worse. those are the reasons for pick guards, I think... :D

Yeah, I get a kick out of Willie Nelson's guitar.

But, those are the rare exceptions to the rule. Most guitars don't take a beating like that.
Personally, I think some scratches look great. It shows that the instrument gets Played, not stared at.
 
Hmm... have you seen Willie Nelson's guitar "Trigger"? And there is another guy that is MUCH worse. those are the reasons for pick guards, I think... :D

You mean this one?

TheHorse.jpg

It's Glen Hansard's Takamine.
 
I actually like the pick guard on mine it adds to the classic les paul look and plus I play on my les paul with a felt pick so it may help protect little Lester haha prob not but I think it looks nice
 
Nice problem to have, Brydon. Nice uke.
 
I know pickguards serve a purpose on some instruments but i can't see it on mine. I would have left it on but it was poorly cut and really detracted from the look of the instrument. Also i set this uke up as low G for an experiment. I'm not sure if i like it yet but it is growing on me.
 
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