Why Didn't I Think Of That #1 -- Screwless Pickguards for Les Paul Guitars

I recently came across these Bobby Lee Signature Series screwless pickguards for Les Pauls on eBay -- 140345282784

Gibson currently sells some of their Les Paul models without the pickguard installed -- probably as a cost-saving measure. The pickguard, screws and mounting bracket are placed in the case's accessory compartment and left to the customer to install themselves.

One can only imagine the number of little disasters this has caused.

Bobby Lee, who works in plastic fabrication, has come up with a solution for the Les Paul owner who doesn't want to drill holes into his guitar.


To attach the screwless pickguard, the user has only to remove the two pairs of pickup mounting screws on the 'pickguard side' of the guitar. The four holes on the screwless pickguard are then aligned with the holes on the mounting rings and the mounting screws replaced.

A small silicon rubber grommet is attached to the underside of the pickguard which contacts with the guitar's top for added stability. Although according to Lee, only one of his customers has installed the grommet since the system is already very secure and solid without it.

And voila -- the pickguard is now attached without having to drill a single hole into the instrument. And the guitar is easily restored to factory spec by simply removing the pickguard.



The screwless pickguard is a great quick-fix solution for Les Paul players who rest their pick hand fingers on the guitar, inadvertently leaving a swirl of tiny scratches in the finish.

The pickguards are available in left-handed models and in a variety of colors -- cream, black, 'Robot' blue and clear (is that a color?) so that the full grain of that figured top is in complete view.

Lee's pickguards, recognized by Gibson as a qualified after-market accessory, fit Les Paul Standards, Studios and Classics as well as the Epiphone series of Les Pauls. As of this writing Lee's pickguards are being developed for the Historic-series Les Pauls.

You can check out Bobby Lee's website here:
http://www.bobbyleesignatureseries.com/

10 Things I Hate About the Fender Stratocaster

I've played Strats, or strat-style guitars for most of my career. And here are 10 things I hate about them:

• The 25 1/2"scale length is too long. This translates to higher string tension and necessitates using strings no thicker than what you'd find in a .010 - .046" set. Unless you have hands like a gorilla. Or SRV.

• A Strat goes wildly out of tune when you break a string, which means that it is usually wise to bring a spare guitar to gigs. If you're not in the habit of bringing a spare guitar, it helps to have a bass player that is capable of launching into a bass solo at the drop of a hat while you clamour to retrieve a new string from your guitar case.

• A Strat also goes wildly out of tune if you get too enthusiastic with the tremelo bar. Hint -- they call it a 'synchronized tremelo', which certainly doesn't promise anything close to 'vibrato'.

• The stock pickups are noisy and hum-inducing. Expect to spend another $200-$300 for a set of quieter pickups.

• The Strat's two tone controls are wired to only the front and middle pickups. The rear pickup -- which is the most shrill of the three -- is not wired to any of the tone controls.

• The pickup selector switch is situated too near the picking hand and gets knocked out of position easily.

• The bolt-on neck on the Strat needs to be shimmed so that the neck is at a more comfortable playing angle relative to the body.

• The bolt-on neck can shift in the neck pocket if bumped, causing either the 1st string or the 6th string to become misaligned and fall off the edge of the fingerboard.

• If you choose a vintage model Strat, expect all of the above in addition to small, thin frets and an overly-radiused fingerboard.

• Despite the imperfections you can't stop playing a Strat because it's always going to be the sexiest instrument in the world.