Pick guards

[Jomi]

I use fingerstyle almost exclusively when playing, is there any benefit to be had from removing the pick guard. By that I mean in terms of sound quality.
Has anyone tried it and noticed any improvement or is it all a bit pointless?
If there IS something to be gained, is it a job I could do myself?

Thank you,

John

[Jomi]

Thank you very much for the quick reply, yes, I play both guitars (just about every day), the A201 is in DADGAD and the L320 Rio is in standard tuning. I'm quite stunned and impressed that anyone would remember!
I asked the question out of interest rather than with any real intent, I'm not seriously thinking about doing it and I won't be taking any silly risks.
Still, it's an interesting area to explore.
Both guitars have clear guards so I don't think the colour difference would be an issue, but it was something I hadn't even thought about!
I think the issue arose from the huge amount of information we can access regarding tonewoods and their varied impact on sound. It does seem odd to use premium quality wood tops only to gum them up with a sheet of plastic or, as you rightly point out, sometimes two! Of course in most cases the guard is there to protect those valuable tonewoods.
I'd still be very interested to hear for anyone who'd done it and thought the result was worth it.
Thank you again for your reply,

Take care,

John

[Lentin]

Very old post.
I've got two Avalon.
L32 with pick guard and an A800 without it.
I specifically asked the A800 without it, since I didn't want to have anything covering the wood. It was (is) a Master Luthier model from Avalon.
I play fingerpicking directly with my fingers, no long nails, and I don't use the pick very often.
I cannot tell if there is any sound improvement since I already bought the guitar without it and the L32 (using pick guard) has an incredible sound, the best I've ever heard.
But I find it really beautiful. Probably more beautiful than with pick guard.

Cheers

[Riles]

I have an A330ce and recently inquired about adding a pick guard with the local guitar shop as I switch between fingerstyle and strumming with long nails and have noticeable wear. The owner of the shop said it would deaden the sound quite a bit and suggested that I do nothing-----guess I will have to go for the Willie Nelson hole in the guitar look.

Has anyone added a pick guard and noticed any difference in tone?