today it hit me ,,, every time i buy a guitar the first thing i do is take off the pickguard ( hate em ) except for Gretsch guitars and i think the simple reason is because they say Gretsch ,,,, now i am obsessed with these pickguards ,,,, oh the only other guitar imo that has the coolest of pickguards are Rics

what about strats/teles ?

well on my strats and teles , i take the pickguard off still , and use tape to hold everything toghter lol ,,,,,, i should said , excluding said guitars lol

I'm quite the opposite. I love pickguards from both a functional and aesthetic standpoint . . .the pickguard shape can make or break a guitar for me. A guitar w/o a pickguard looks naked.

I love the pickguards on Gretsch guitars, it's just more comfortable to play without one. I take them off.

yeah ,,,,,, see Uncle Grumpster is like me lol

PS , how is that pickup working out ??

i'm totally the other way 'round...i don't feel comfortable on guitars without pickguards. perhaps it's because i started out as primarily an acoustic guitarist (i played acoustic for 5 years before i owned an electric), and was accustomed to the flat top. or perhaps it's that my only electric for the next decade was an ES-335.

To me, a guitar does not look complete without a pickguard. I had a Danolectro Hodad and a Carvin DC127 and both of these guitar come sans pickguard, so I had some made.

Yup, I'm with Bear. I like the looks of a pickguard on a guitar. Especially Gretsch guards. Here are two of my favorites.

Like the look, hate the feel. They come off.

PS , how is that pickup working out ??

Very good. I like it. I'm no player but I posted a sound sample.

http://gretschpages.com/for...

Personally I have to have guards and couldn't imagine playing this without one.Hard player I am.

I love this one on my 5120. Another Paul Setzer Masterpiece.

And the one Paul did for my Ibby...

But this is still my favorite...

I wasn't quite happy with my Billy Bo until I got the pickguard dialed.

Still waiting on mine from Paul for my pro jet. He had a few people in front of me so wait I shall. I am sure it will be awesome and look great on my guitar. The jet is getting new pickups installed anyway, so I couldn't put it on right now.

Tried them on,tried them off.Like them on.

I thought a pickguard looks great on my WF. BUT the Bigsby sits too low for my taste, I thought I should change the springs.

Then...

I removed the pickguard. No cost and now it's easier to play.

Pickguard on guard. Always...

I like em off - they get in the way of my ham-fisted playing. I like the LOOKS of them on, though.

I prefer my Rose without a pickguard, even though I had covered it with an image I love. It doesn't make a difference to me for playing. And the angle/height of the strings makes it highly unlikely I'd ever scratch the finish even when strumming with full vigor. I think GreTscH guards look good (except for the Baldwin era ones) but the wood, color, and f-hole of the T-Rose is even prettier without it.

I took the silver guard of the Duo Jet and it did look cool but I didn't like it that the screw holes were visible. I wonder, has anyone ever put a customized clear guard on a black Duo Jet?

I took the silver guard of the Duo Jet and it did look cool but I didn't like it that the screw holes were visible. I wonder, has anyone ever put a customized clear guard on a black Duo Jet?

Don't know but it probably would look good.Or even black?

I took the guards off both my 6128 and 5129. They just got in the way, but luckily I know where they are stored. Which of course is way more organized than all the random buttons, whammy bars for all my other gear. Lord knows were all that stuff is...

Here's my Naked Jet. Excited for my new Silver pickguard to come from Paul Setzer. I actually have gotten used to the naked look. When I eventually get a hollow body it will be Naked. Too much beauty to cover those babies up. Love the F holes and the Cat's Eyes.