This was a good story. But a tenor banjo in a bluegrass jam is just about as out of place as can be. Yechh.

PoppaGator, if you want to put on the tortoise guard for your own enjoyment, fine, but it will devalue your guitar.

Vintage guitars are best kept in their original state or have items replaced with genuine exact replacements or they devalue greatly. Modifications are frowned upon by the vintage collector world.

I believe though that the D-18s up until the mid '60s actually did have tortoise shell colored pckguards, but serial numbers don't lie.

I'm going to a huge bluegrass festival this week with my own D-18 (C1971). I really hope there or no tenor banjos or plectrum banjos there.