Official Luthiers Forum!

I'm curious if anyone knows how this pickguard would have deformed in this way? It's swollen and turned opaque. Heat? Previous attempts to buff it? Very vigorous strumming? If there's anything to be done I'd like to do it. But I don't want to make it worse, and am fine leaving it as is.

It's called outgassing. The plastic is getting old and is deteriorating. No - it probably can't be saved.

_________________
"Act your age, not your shoe size" - Prince

I have flattened warped pickguards by heating in the oven to about 200° F between a couple of aluminum plates. But that won't do anything for an offgassing nitrocellulose pickguard.

I suspect the light splotchy areas are from the PG separating from the top.

_________________
formerly known around here as burbank
_________________

http://www.patfosterguitars.com

I was outgassing in the shop a lot yesterday and nearly made Dave sick

What Chris said, it is what it is. Notably that Yam has had the pickguard distort and come loose but no top cracks! We very rarely see a cracked Yam and here we see homeless folks carrying them outside in the winter with no cases too.

Easy button is to take that old one off. Order this one and put it on. Those were not built for the long term

https://www.backwoodsguitar.com/fg-300- ... atrix.html

This ones got a plywood top, I'm sure that probably has something to do with the lack of cracks?

Had an early 80s yam dread in this morning- mid-range model, well over 35 years old. Lifting bridge (up 1/8" in the rear but hanging on) and two busted x braces forward of the bridge - cracked all the way through. Spruce bridge plate all chewed up around the pin holes. Way-too-thin saddle leaning at almost 45 degrees in its slot. But hardly any belly or deformation of the plywood soundboard in front of the bridge. Perfect neck-angle, great action, sounded fine for a plywood guitar

Told the fella to just enjoy it for however much longer it hangs together, then grab another one from the pawn shop. He said he's never spent a cent on it since new other than strings. He sure got his money's worth out of it.