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I'm building an OM with a western red cedar top. Is it absolutely necessary to put on a pickguard? Will I be sorry if I don't...?

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Steve Sollod (pronounced sorta like "Solid")
www.swiftcreekguitars.com

No. not absolutely. I have put out several without pick guards. That said they are being played by experienced players and mostly for finger style. Is WRC soft and fragile? Yes but not as bad as everyone makes it out to be Plus if you Stiff it with egg whites it helps a good bit. If I know it will be flat picked the I would more than likely add one but if it is for finger style the I seldom ad one.

I built a WRC topped Concert for Xmas delivery last year. I went with TruOil for the finish on the entire guitar (shown in my avatar) and I'm happy to say that it's more a durable finish than I thought it would be, but the owner is a flat-picker and there are DEFINITELY a bunch of "strum marks" that aren't gonna come out very easily...(just got the guitar back recently for buffing).

If it doesn't impede your "look", I'd suggest a clear pickguard....probably even with a nitro finish.

That's my two cents worth, anyway.

Think Willie Nelson's Trigger. That's one big ol' hole in his top whether it's cedar or not. No pickguard on his. To me, any player using a pick, needs a pickguard. Then there is Tommy Emmanuel, he uses a percussionists brush on one of his. I did a cedar dred and the owner loved the look of it without the pickguard. He played the fool out of it for five minutes and handed it back. One look toward the light revealed 135 pick mars across the top. He immediately agreed for the need of plastic on his guitar, so we slapped one on.

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http://www.dickeyguitars.com