Pickguard Attachment?

[AdvenJack]

In the link I'm including you'll see an archtop with no visible means of holding the pickguard to the guitar.
Does anyone have pictures of how the builders are attaching the pickguards this way? Thank you.
2000 Tom Bills Natura Classic Translucent Green > Guitars Archtop Electric & Acoustic | Guitar Gallery

[jads57]

The attachment is probably to the neck,underneath the pick guard.

[Mick-7]

Looks like it may also be attached at the top of the f-hole.

[icr]

[pauln]

What is the thing sticking out of the bridge?

[Woody Sound]

What is the thing sticking out of the bridge?

Height adjustment, ala D'Aquisto.

[DawgBone]

It's luthier magic. That's how that's done. It's floating on the good vibes emanating from the f-hole.

[sgosnell]

A common method is to have a block under the pickguard at the neck, with screws horizontally through it and into the side of the neck. At the bridge end of the pickguard there is often a hard foam (or felt, cork, or whatever) block to hold it in place against pressure on the top of the guard. I don't know about this particular guitar, but that's perhaps the most common way.

[AdvenJack]

THANK YOU ALL
for answering my question.

[jazzshrink]

A common method is to have a block under the pickguard at the neck, with screws horizontally through it and into the side of the neck. At the bridge end of the pickguard there is often a hard foam (or felt, cork, or whatever) block to hold it in place against pressure on the top of the guard. I don't know about this particular guitar, but that's perhaps the most common way.

[Jimmy blue note]

What is the thing sticking out of the bridge?

The design of this particular guitar seems to pay homage to Jimmy D'Aquisto. On Jimmy's guitars, wood pick guitars were attached at a single point cantilever design to the neck/chin block. It' provided a very solid platform with no contact with the freely vibrating top.
Jimmy also felt that the presence of anything metal was a detriment to the purity of his acoustical concepts where everything contributed to a tuned unit. His final stage bridges were all wood, tuned for each player's preference (bridge and tailpieces acting as tunable "filters" that changed the character of the guitar) and height adjustment was achieved through an inclined plane wedge: As the wedge is inserted deeper, it raises the wood saddle piece uniformly so there is always a pure wood acoustical conduit between string and top at all times, at all heights.

[deacon Mark]

I think the consensus over the years is that type of bridge adjustment in concept is fine and cool but practically it does not improve the sound. It is also much hard to make adjustments. I think I read that in the end even Jimmy himself thought it may not be a good as the traditional bridge with post and wheels. With post and wheels you get much more fine adjustments at each end.

I remember Bill Barker on his own guitars he played always liked the action on the bass side at 12th a bit higher than many low action players. He did not like high action on the treble side but felt in a real acoustic archtop you did yourself much better favor going for medium action at the 12th fret on the low E. Just touch higher than 5/64 and his guitars were made with 24 3/4 scale so that a factor.

[yebdox]

It's luthier magic. That's how that's done. It's floating on the good vibes emanating from the f-hole.

Miniaturized pyramid power! Yeah, baby!

With quantum synchronization, you can play a gig on the other side of the galaxy in real time, no buffering required. Now, if they can just perfect smell-o-vision.....

[Jimmy blue note]

I think the consensus over the years is that type of bridge adjustment in concept is fine and cool but practically it does not improve the sound. It is also much hard to make adjustments. I think I read that in the end even Jimmy himself thought it may not be a good as the traditional bridge with post and wheels. With post and wheels you get much more fine adjustments at each end.

I remember Bill Barker on his own guitars he played always liked the action on the bass side at 12th a bit higher than many low action players. He did not like high action on the treble side but felt in a real acoustic archtop you did yourself much better favor going for medium action at the 12th fret on the low E. Just touch higher than 5/64 and his guitars were made with 24 3/4 scale so that a factor.

In full agreement here. I do like the wider base foot of Jimmy D's guitars but the pokey stick, very limited and cumbersome. I did come up with a two wedge system (two inclined planes, one treble one bass with shorter protruding ends) that worked nicely but thumb wheels are the decided winners in the end.
Jimmy did include the option of different angles for the wedge pieces, but yes, it's more of a stage in his evolving imagination than an ultimate design.

[GuyBoden]

In full agreement here. I do like the wider base foot of Jimmy D's guitars but the pokey stick, very limited and cumbersome. I did come up with a two wedge system (two inclined planes, one treble one bass with shorter protruding ends) that worked nicely but thumb wheels are the decided winners in the end.
Jimmy did include the option of different angles for the wedge pieces, but yes, it's more of a stage in his evolving imagination than an ultimate design.

In Ken Parker's 'Fitting the Bridge' archtop building videos he mentions how that bridge design came about.

Discussed in this video at 12:28min

[GuyBoden]

In the link I'm including you'll see an archtop with no visible means of holding the pickguard to the guitar.
Does anyone have pictures of how the builders are attaching the pickguards this way? Thank you.
2000 Tom Bills Natura Classic Translucent Green > Guitars Archtop Electric & Acoustic | Guitar Gallery

Pickguards that are fixed only at the neck can easily break in my opinion. The addition of a supporting felt pad at the other end is good option.

An idea, the pickguard could be made longer, so it is fixed to the neck at one end and then supported on the top of the bridge at the other end.

[floatingpickup]

I met Jimmy once and he let me play one of his Solo models, which had the bridge that adjusted with the wedges. I found that my forearm was coming into contact with the “stick” when I played. I told Jimmy that it seemed to be in a position that could be accidentally moved or damaged while playing. I asked him if he had considered reversing the design, so the stick pointed downward on the treble side of the bridge, where it wouldn’t be in the way. He seemed offended that I thought I could come up with an “improvement” over his design. I guess I should have kept my mouth shut.
Keith

[GuyBoden]

I met Jimmy once and he let me play one of his Solo models, which had the bridge that adjusted with the wedges. I found that my forearm was coming into contact with the “stick” when I played. I told Jimmy that it seemed to be in a position that could be accidentally moved or damaged while playing. I asked him if he had considered reversing the design, so the stick pointed downward on the treble side of the bridge, where it wouldn’t be in the way. He seemed offended that I thought I could come up with an “improvement” over his design. I guess I should have kept my mouth shut.
Keith

Ken Parker seems to think that solid bridges without adjusters have better sound transfer.

Most Gypsy Jazz guitars have solid carved bridge with no adjusters. They're a nightmare to setup the action.

[sgosnell]

Parker's guitars don't need an adjustable bridge, because the entire neck height is adjustable. On his guitars, the entire neck is raised or lowered using a screw, through the body, from the bottom. He really has redesigned the way the neck and body are joined. Some other luthiers are now building the way he does it.

[sgosnell]

Back to pickguards, I like the Benedetto method of attaching them. In this method, there is a shallow route in the underside, which fits over the pickup ring, and it uses the bottom ring attachment screws to hold the pickguard in place over the ring. There is also a felt block as in the above illustration. Using this method, there is no alteration of the guitar at all, no extra holes, nothing. If the pickguard is removed, the screws are just replaced into the ring, and there is no evidence there was ever a pickguard installed. Removal/reinstallation is quick and easy. For a two pickup model, there are two routes, and the guard is attached over both pickups.

[jazzshrink]

For those who have installed a floating finger rest (e.g., pickguard), have you ever seen or used this bracket or one like it?



According to the website, “there is room for some adjustment of the McCarthy finger rest bracket angle if required.”



"The finger rest floats completely free of the top and rim, but it is firm and stable, and has a consistent aspect relative to the strings."

[floatingpickup]

Ken Parker seems to think that solid bridges without adjusters have better sound transfer.

Most Gypsy Jazz guitars have solid carved bridge with no adjusters. They're a nightmare to setup the action.

Yes, I own a Dupont and it came with three bridges of different heights. Those bridges are also partly hollowed out underneath.
Keith

[GuyBoden]

No pickguard?

Floating top.

Tuning stability?

Cranmer Guitars Glasgow, Scotland.
Gallery | Cranmer Guitars









Below, Cranmer Guitars also made this beautiful Ken Parker type Archtop:

[AdvenJack]

Those are great posts; thank you!