A little work on this peach of a vintage archtop, a 1955 Gibson ES-175 Double. Itās in for a new pickguard, since the original one has warped over time. What a lovely guitar to play. š¤¤ The neck feels like a stick of butter. The two P-90 pickups sound straight out of the 50s. Nice case too!!
FOUR DāAngelico pickguards š„µ these things are tough to make, but the result is always worth it. The art deco stairstep shape really looks cool on the guitar too. I like that DāA guards always have interesting binding schemes. Really takes them up a notch in the ācoolā category.
Added the Gold Epiphone Emperor Regent āES-395ā guitar to the shop š I went with the Floral Gibson ES-295 style pickguard. Really stoked on how this turned out; itās been in my head for years.
The idea is to cross the look of the ES-295 with some of the fancier appointments of an L-5: the larger 17ā lower bout with Venetian cutaway, multiple layers of binding, floral pickguard with 5 layers of binding instead of the 295ās no-binding guard. This is a very early Peerless-made 1994 guitar (is 32 years old considered vintage yet?) š¬
Definitely one of my favorite archtops Iāve modified. It sounds and plays as good as it looks too. Got that early Country and Rockabilly sound, and a really nice Jazz tone from the neck pickup. Never seen another Gold (GD) Emperor Regent before or since.
Which pickguard would YOU choose? It seems like everything looks good on gold.
Iām almost finished modifying this Epiphone Emperor Regent, the only Gold (GD) one Iāve run into. Big 17ā archtop guitars donāt usually come in funky colors, but the Emperor Regent sure did!
Now itās time for my favorite part of any guitar build: adding the pickguard. š The color of the pickguard really changes the look and vibe of a guitar. Gold happens to take on pretty much any color well. š
Some recent archtop pickguards I made worth taking a look at! A bunch of different guitar models represented here, most for vintage examples. Not quite sure which of these is my favorite, I always like a good ES-150 guard.
A selection of recent pickguards that Iāve made, plus some newly available shapes! The Gibson Johnny Smith double is a big ol guard that you canāt miss. Also a fun custom shape in the mix too. Let me know what I can make for you!
#luthiery #guitarparts #archtop #jazzguitar
Made this pickguard for my personal acoustic archtop, this 1936 Epiphone Emperor. Can anyone spot the other āinterestingā features not typically found on a ā36??
The amount of binding on this thing is ridiculous. Itās a beautiful sounding guitar, and the one Iāve held on to the longest (so far). Itās a real lap harp for sure.
#jazzguitar #customguitar #vintageguitar #archtop #epiphoneemperor
Last minute entry for St Patrickās Day - this green-guarded Epiphone that I put together. I had a piece of 1920s light green pearl celluloid material that Iād been holding on to for the right project. Really dig how the green contrasts the warm orange sunburst hues.
This was my personal electric guitar for years before and after I added the Charlie Christian pickup. I shouldāve kept it. These 90s Epiphone Emperor Regent guitars make a fantastic vessel for the CC pickup. I prefer it to 16ā CC-equipped archtops like the ES-150. š¤
#stpatricksdayāļø #jazzguitar #hollowbody #boutiqueguitars
Once in a while I have folks ask me the difference between a hand bound pickguard and a beveled guard. Hereās an image of a bound tortoiseshell guard and a beveled 5-ply black/white guard. Gibson used the 5-ply beveled guards mostly on their ES guitars, while reserving their hand bound guards for L-5, Super 400, and other top of the line models.
There is a big price difference between the two guard styles. A hand bound guard takes much, much longer to create than a beveled guard. The difference in look is very clear, though beveled guards have their place.
I tried something new after chatting with @bfrankmccarthy of @thesodacrackers about the flashy pickguards from the classic country era. They were inlaid with mostly names and initials, but Iām more capable at drawing than at hand lettering. Practice!
The guard turned out pretty decent for a first attempt so I havenāt been discouraged away from it yet. The pearloid colors are a cool effect, and I have enough different colors to make anything. The rhinestones for the cigarette cherry glimmer at different angles š Iād like to include more rhinestones in future designs. As many as is allowed legally.
#pickguard #luthiery #guitarparts #inlay #vintageguitar
Howās it look?? Once in a while I have a pickguard request for a solidbody guitar and Iāll take on the simpler ones. This Les Paul Jr pickguard fits the bill and is head and shoulders above the guard from the factory. I pieced together the material from some white/black/white sheet and a nice piece of translucent tortoiseshell celluloid. I donāt mind the color of the original guard, but the tortoiseshell pattern leaves a lot to be desired. The new guard is a lot more vibrant and is also a much more lush pattern than other tortoiseshell solidbody guard materials available. Upgrade level: Solid š
#gibsonlespaul #lespauljunior #lespauljr #guitarparts #gibsonguitar
A collection of some @1929pickguards archtop builds, pickguards, and projects from the past couple years. Iām still a big fan of pearloid, and at this point Iād even request a pearloid casket. 2026 is off to a strong start, so hereās hoping things keep rolling š
Iād love to do more guitar mod builds this year. I have a few in the works with my remaining CC pickups from Pete Biltoft, bought prior to his shop closing. I may get into winding some pickups of my own. I also want to design and build an 8 string lap steel guitar. Like half my Gibson Console Grande. So I can play it. Iāll keep yāall updated on that.
#vintageguitar #jazzguitar #customguitars #luthiery
