Question: I’m from the UK and walked into my local guitar shop in Harlow, in Essex. I’ve fallen in love with one of your guitars. I noticed it doesn’t have a scratch plate. Can you tell me why some of your top-range guitars do not have a scratch plate? Is it due to sound? Aesthetic reasons?
Tich

Answer: Tich, it’s purely aesthetic. Nothing else. Most guitars don’t need pickguards, because most people don’t harm their guitar with a pick. We make thousands of guitars without them each year, and people don’t have trouble. Even those with pickguards have them for cosmetic reasons.