Gord's Guitar Pickguards
 

I had been lying awake tonight unable to sleep, pondering the Universe, when it hit me...what are those black dics on Gord's pickguards? I noticed them on his more recent still photos of live performances. Any guitar nuts out there with an answer? I need some sleep!

Re: Gord's Guitar Pickguards
 

Until we get an actual answer, why not try counting sheep???

Re: Gord's Guitar Pickguards
 

I actually asked the guy at Ring Music who does Gord's guitar work that question. The circles are there to muffle the soung of Gord's fingernails hitting the pickguard and being picked up by the microphone or pick-up. Apparently Gord tried doing the first modificatiopn himelf and they were later refined by this fellow at Ring Music (sorry I can't remeber his name)

Re: Gord's Guitar Pickguards
 

See bjm7777? there you have it! and now you can catch some Zs .

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I just rec'd a reply from Jason Fowler ( www.jasonfowler.ca) who is a fabulously talented guitartist/singer/songwriter in TOronto. He is the guitarist in the house band for the Lightfoot Tribute shows at Hugh's Room and performs and produces the Prine Shrine there as well. (april 11 at Hugh's) He has a new CD coming out and the release party is June 12 at Hugh's Room.
Jason is the fellow who has the stories of Gord boiling his strings when he first started out (Gord told him in January that he just buys new ones now) and Jason also tells the story of giving him a CD of his music and having to transfer it to cassette for Gord to listen to. Then Gord came back to the music store where Jason worked and had a list of thoughts on the CD.

I sent him the info in the posts above. This is his reply:

Hey Char,
yep, that's what those black circles are about.
Jason

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See.......I didn't make it up....lol

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Oh my gosh, what a relief! It was just one of those nagging questions, you know? Well, now I'm getting tired..."time for a Summertime Dream". Thanks, everyone.

Re: Gord's Guitar Pickguards
 

Hi banjobench12,

This topic is one that I've been interested in for a while and was unresolved till now.

The fellow at Ring Music is John Laroque. If you google "John Laroque at Ring Music" there is info on him there.

I recall several years ago when I was planning on installing a pick up in my Martin D18, a friend of Gord's, the late Jack Harper (Good Brothers Manager) referred him to me.

Jack lived close by to a local pub where I worked from time and we met and became became friends, so we shared info etc.

I didn't get to meet John Laroque at the time as I moved to Vancouver and had it installed here and it works great.

When I come to Toronto in November for the Massey shows I hope to connect with John and have him install those pickgards on my B45 and D18 as well.

Always nice to have a project or tow on the go.

Cheers, Ron J.

Re: Gord's Guitar Pickguards
 

Hi Ron

John, that is right. He is a great guy. I took my D-28 there a few years ago for some work. He said it would be a week or ten days. I kept calling week after week. It was a couple of months and finally it was ready. when I went to pick it up he said "no charge" as he was so sorry about how long it took.

I've been back a few times and most recently last May when i asked him about Gord's pick guard circles. He laughed and said Gord's first attempt worried him. Something about the adhesives harming the guitar so he took it on as a project.

He also told me a story about Gord asking if he wanted to go to a concert then taking him on the Leer jet to a show in the states and coming back to Toronto the same night.

He is an amazing craftsman. Saved my D-28 and last May sold me an amazing D-18 for my son..........which damn...........sounds better than the D-28.

Re: Gord's Guitar Pickguards
 

Great story banjobench12.
Isn't there just something magic about the sound of those D18's?
The one I have is from the sixties and I still have the receipt showing the price at $587.43. It was bought at Southdown Music Enterprises, Clarkson, Ontario. I think Clarkson is now known as Misissauga.

Several years ago when my talented friend Kenyon Wallace was here visiting and we had a wonderful evening playing Gordon Lightfoot songs. He picked up the D18, strummed it and said "Wow! Just like Old Dan's Records."

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a few pics of Kenyon, Ron and the guitars:

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Great pictures and good anecdotes. There are days when I think that I am the only Gordon Lightfoot fan I know, but I talked to a colleague of mine from the Lower Mainland the other day who also appreciates Gord's music and plays a D-16 with his buddies on Friday nights.
I can tell by the pickguards (there's that word again) that there are a couple of Gibson B45-12's skulking about. Like I said, great pictures.

Re: Gord's Guitar Pickguards
 

Small world Lighthead2toe. I live in Clarkson, now known as Mississauga.

Re: Gord's Guitar Pickguards
 

Just jumping in here: I used to live in Mississauga along Dixie between Burnhamthorpe and Bloor W., but that's aeons ago. Went to school in the area....Haven't been back since '86.

Re: Gord's Guitar Pickguards
 

i am 15 minutes (highway) to Missterssauga but for some reason it's a long distance phone call...

here pics showing the safety 'circles' on the 6 & 12

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In Calgary, after the show I asked him about the round circles that look like duct tape on his guitar.
He said they are to stop the clicking of his nails on the guitar.
I also asked him about the beat up guitar in the picture from the WestJet "UP" magazine. He told me it's the one he uses onstage - he fills in the scratches on the black area with magic marker.
lol

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I had noticed how well-weathered his guitars were the last time I saw him. Like the old saying goes .....'if it ain't broke, don't fix it'.

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I can imagine that Gord's "weathered" D-18 must have a wonderful sound. In an age of flashiness and "bling", it's nice to see real guitars doing real work, and showing it too - like the rough hands of a tradesman or craftsman. My girlfriend recently saw the picture mentioned earlier by others, and said that the guitar and Gord were a matched set.....

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yeah, well noted...hey, you caved...i thought you were on relationship sabbatical?

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jj, only you would remember such a thing........amazing.

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he's a freak.
;)

hey jj - canada post made the delivery today..ta.

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Horton & I have lots in common...eg) i hear little voices too

char, oh good... thank YOU!:)

btw, i found this shot in the long lost archives...hey, nice 'stach green top!...speaking of tops, could you send me the pic you were taking here, from your camera's Snoopy2 viewpoint? i want it as a sentimental keepsake...that little tuft of hair is now purely nostalgia

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I caved alright...but we're some distance apart and thus under separate domicile. Stay tuned........

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it might have been this pic..
(things have changed since that pic of the two of us..hair/weight..oh dear.)

Re: Gord's Guitar Pickguards
 

Just a follow up on this topic.

Last week while I was in Toronto I made a point of making my very first trip to "Ring Music" and I was very honored to meet John Laroque.

Gord takes his guitars there for servicing.

A very nice quiet spoken man he is and he gave me a generous amount of his time to just chat. As it turned out we both knew several of the same friends.

I was hoping to have John install similar pads on the pickguards of my guitars but he informed me that Gord installed those pads himself and made a point of saying what a professional job Gord did.

He should put a patent on that one! I'd be first on the list that's for sure.

Guess for now I'll try it on my own but I certainly will return to John and for his inspection next time I'm in town.

That visit sure was a big highlight for me over the last week.

Cheers,

Ron J.