Are you talking about key guards or a pants guard? They all came with key guards covering the key cups on the lower keys (Eb1/2 to Bb1), but only a few have an actual pants guard covering the rest of the mechanism. The pants guard is the bit that protects the rods from the spatula down to the bell keys and then connects to the key guards on the bell. It's curious omission that I can only attribute to cost avoidance during manufacture.
To solve this I bought some brass rod stock, had "Martin Mods" mill an acorn on both ends of two of them (to replicate the 'Crat Series 1 pants guard), and am having "abadcliche" bend the rest and attach everything to the horn. You should be able to get a good local tech to do this, as it's not particularly difficult or expensive to do, but it does make a world of difference keeping the C# and B keys open (or closed) when they should be -- standing or sitting.
I'm in LA now through the end of the week, but send me an e-mail through the forum and when I get back to NYC I'll send you the plans I sent to everyone to have this created for mine.
To solve this I bought some brass rod stock, had "Martin Mods" mill an acorn on both ends of two of them (to replicate the 'Crat Series 1 pants guard), and am having "abadcliche" bend the rest and attach everything to the horn. You should be able to get a good local tech to do this, as it's not particularly difficult or expensive to do, but it does make a world of difference keeping the C# and B keys open (or closed) when they should be -- standing or sitting.
I'm in LA now through the end of the week, but send me an e-mail through the forum and when I get back to NYC I'll send you the plans I sent to everyone to have this created for mine.
