Where to buy Strat pickguard? (Cape Town)

henrebotha

My girlfriend has promised me a new pickguard for my Arctic White MIM Strat. I'm thinking black would be a good choice, but if possible I'd like to look at some other options in person.

Where's a good place to buy a decent pickguard for a fair price in Cape Town? Oh, and I want to buy on or before the 4th of Jan if possible.

makepeace

www.terryd.co.za

They're in Ottery. Can't remember offhand, but you can e-mail them for prices but I think their PG's are around R150. Don't go for the fancier ones like the tortoiseshell or whatever, they're the printed ones and look terrible (at least IMO)..

Hope this helps.

Norman86

+1 to terryd!
And if you're in CT, you can actually go in and check what they have, from what i understand!

makepeace

Yep its true. Just had another look, a 'tortoise' pickguard will set you back 100 ronds, so their standard items will likely be cheaper.

Bargain I say, although it won't be the same quality as an official fender item for R450. I could live with that though, at least for a while.

Here's their details:
Address: Unit A7, Prime Park, 11 Mocke Road, Diep River (Behind Direct Axis).
Tel: 021 705 0304

They also sell great strings (the SIT's) and they're pretty cheap.

Good luck.

henrebotha

Ta. Forgive the stupid question, but why get a more expensive pickguard? I'm just trying to think what could possibly be not cool about a cheaper/off-brand one.

chris77

That will be a bit like dressing up a lingerie model in a sports bra and bloomers. Might do it for some folks, but duuude, it can be so much better....

henrebotha

Ya but I mean specifically. Like, is the extra cash for a Fender original just paying for the brand name, or are there real reasons to use a Fender rather than, say, a cheapo off-brand one?

A pickguard just seems so uncomplicated, I can't imagine why some would be more expensive than others.

makepeace

*See Gibson vs. Tokai ?

I'd go for the cheaper one to start with. If it really offends you, you would only have 'wasted' a slight amount.

henrebotha

Again, I get that a Gibson is better than a First Act. This is because the Gibson uses woods that resonate better, pickups that are wound better and therefore create a more pleasing tone with less noise, higher-quality pots which produce less noise and preserve more high end, etc etc etc.

Now: why would a more expensive pickguard be better? There's no electronics. It doesn't need to resonate. It doesn't have moving parts. All it needs to be is a dumb piece of plastic that looks nice. So how on earth can one company charge more than another for a pickguard?

makepeace

henrebotha wrote: Again, I get that a Gibson is better than a First Act. This is because the Gibson uses woods that resonate better, pickups that are wound better and therefore create a more pleasing tone with less noise, higher-quality pots which produce less noise and preserve more high end, etc etc etc.

Nah, what I was referring to (and its kind of an inside joke on the forum I guess), is that in some cases the more affordable Tokai guitar is often reported to be as-good-as and in some cases better-than its Gibson counterpart. But, it doesn't say Gibson on the headstock..

As to this,

henrebotha wrote: So how on earth can one company charge more than another for a pickguard?

Its because the packet that it comes in says Fender on it. You're paying for the brand's assurance and everything that it stands for. The products might be identical down to the finest detail, maybe even made in the same factory, but whether or not either will do it for you is based on you.

AlanRatcliffe

henrebotha wrote: So how on earth can one company charge more than another for a pickguard?

Most of it is down to brand name as Makepeace says.

However, sometimes there is a little to do with quality of material (particularly with tortoise or pearloid) and the quality of the build too - I've used cheap pickguards and had holes the wrong size, countersinking not deep enough. One very cheap pickguard GFS) had the pickup holes in the wrong places.

Quite honestly, aside from the one custom guard I got from Terrapin (which cost me over R1K - but no-one else stocked the material and it was a custom cut for the bridge) or the ones I make myself, no-one does them the way I like them.

henrebotha

makepeace wrote:Nah, what I was referring to (and its kind of an inside joke on the forum I guess), is that in some cases the more affordable Tokai guitar is often reported to be as-good-as and in some cases better-than its Gibson counterpart. But, it doesn't say Gibson on the headstock..

Ah, okay, I get you now. My post count will tell you I don't spend a lot of time here ?

Thanks everyone!

DonovanB

There's nothing wrong with the tortoise shell PG from terryd. I bought one and the look was fine

Most pickguards will differ slightly, especially cheaper ones. The screws aren't always in the right place, an easy fix IMO and the neck recess or pickup holes aren't always exact. A little filing and you're sorted.

henrebotha

So Terry Distributors want R75 for a black pickguard... 8)

Nice. I'm going to swing by there in the next week or so with my guitar, and if it looks like a good fit then I'll be a happier, prettier guitarist ?

Norman86

enjoy!
I got my white pearloid pg from them and im happy with mine!

makepeace

Just a few words of enlightenment to avoid potential disappointment: a predrilled replacement Strat pickguards screw holes will almost never be in the same places as the holes in an already drilled body, so if thats the only worry, then don't worry about it. You'll most likely only get a couple that are off, but you'll resign yourself to drilling a couple of holes in your Strat body :-\

Good luck!