Zulu - 9-6-2010 at 02:10 PM
My pickgaurd has completely peeled off my oud.
Upon examining it I found it was very brittle and snapped into many pieces; there is no damage at all to the oud but now I have no pickgaurd.
Can pickgaurd material be found online and purchased...if so can it be easily cut...also, what adhesive is used?
Anyone else had to deal with this?
Thanks.
DoggerelPundit - 9-7-2010 at 08:48 AM
Being that you are in Los Angeles, Viken Najarian would be an excellent choice for materials and, perhaps, assistance.
http://www.oud.net/
fernandraynaud - 9-7-2010 at 06:33 PM
I made a very nice pickguard out of 0.020" (0.5 mm) cherry veneer. Any veneer you like will do. Stain, thoroughly shellac and flatten the blank, sand
and buff as desired, it's easier then working on the finished shape. Maybe this is your chance to try your hand at inlays. If you use the remains of
the old one as a template, you can cut out the shape so it will fit, to perfectly cover any discoloration of the soundboard. Or you could make it
larger to actually protect the soundboard. Sand and seal the edges with stain/shellac. Prep the soundboard area, if varnished, with fine steel wool.
If the whole soundboard has been gifted with a cheap varnish, this is a good time to "take it satin" with light rotary passes of fine steel wool, as
per previous posts. Glue the pickguard down with Liquid Hide Glue, and roll or squeeze out the excess, but hide glue is not acoustically deadening. A
sponge under the strings makes a good "clamp" overnight. This is important so the edges don't curl up. Regardless of some doubts as to its strength in
load-bearing joints, Liguid Hide Glue is perfect for this application. It's acoustically sound, any bleed is easily cleaned up with warm water, and
it's easy to unglue if needed, like the next time you want to replace it.
Zulu - 9-8-2010 at 01:02 PM
fernandraynaud, I can't thank you enough for the valuable info you have given.
I know a lot of newbies ask questions that may be repetative; but it's people like you who make the big difference by your patience and willingness to
share knowledge again and again.
Once again...Thanks!