Plastic film on Guitar and Bass parts: Leave it on?

I've seen this entry's question hundreds of times, and have been asked about it many times: "Should I leave the protective plastic on my guitar/bass pickguard, back plates, and covers?"

Let's look at both sides of the answer, then I'll share my own answers...

On the "yes" side
• It looks nice when the protective film is on the pickguard/part. Especially if someone has been shredding heavily on the guitar... that way I know that when I take the film off, the plastic will look nice and new...
• If the pickguard really is new (not "It's new, I swear on my old dog Yeller's grave!" new..) I want to sell it as new and give the customer the fun and joy of "that new pickguard look" when they pull the film
• It's there for a reason: to protect the pickguard/part while it is in shipment, and possibly while it is in the guitar/bass store - folks kind of expect not to have a scratched pickguard when they buy a new instrument.
• I like the information stickers, like "Made in the USA!" and "Pull the tone knob for more sounds!" or "Inspected by Fred!".


On the "no" side
• If you leave the film on long-term, it leaves a hard-to-remove residue on the part.
• In some instances, the cheaper PVC-based films will actually eat into the plastic and leave etching in the part... not pretty, and very hard to remove...
• Some folks think that if they play a guitar for a year with the film covers on, they can sell it as "new."
• Enjoy your guitar/bass! Just enjoy it and don't worry about pickguard scratches. That's why the old-timers call them "scratch plates."

My Opinion
I have spent hours trying to remove the residue and etching from three-year-old plastic sticky film. There have been instances where the part/pickguard can't have the film removed at all - it is fused to the part...

If I have a brand new pickguard or part in a factory-closed bag, or if I have a pickguard or part that has just recently been pulled from a new instrument, I will leave the plastic/pvc protective cover on before I sell an item.

If the part is not new, or is not in its original packaging, I remove the plastic film. If the item is from an inexpensive guitar, I definitely take off the film. I don't want to leave someone else with the task of scrubbing the part or potentially having permanent etching in the part.

Fun With Pot (well, really - Opening up a Potentiometer)

I recently received a new CTS/Fender 250kOhm potentiometer via online purchase through the mail. Unfortunately one of the ears was broken completely off and was nowhere in the package. This particular pot would have been of no use to me. (Customer service sent me a new one right away, with no fuss. It was a wonderful experience.)

P.S. Don't try this at home with a good potentiometer, it might not work when you put it back together - disclaimer and all that.

So, just for fun and to show everyone what's inside, I tore it open and took some pictures - I thought the parts were very interesting.

First, pull back the little ears on the pot body to allow the potentiometer to come apart:




Now pull off the top bezel and the ear contact plate:




Now with most of the inside assemblies pulled apart:




And now a look at the insides and the back of the pot (with manufacturer, and date code):





I really like CTS pots for guitar and bass work. There are other good ones, too, but CTS seems to be very reliable and even supplies some pretty great guitar manufacturers with OEM pots.

I hope you enjoyed this little voyage into tone and volume control. More to come...