Homemade Pick guard

themanthatwalks

Hay guys. wanting to make my own PG. Where can I find PG material? IS there something else I can use? Spesifically looking for something black or see through(that I can paint on)?

Manfred-Klose

You can take a template to a plastics factory, and they will cut it out to your template, and the type of plastic you want it.

Otherwise you can rely on stewmac:

http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Pickguards.html

Or buy a sheet and cut out your pickgaurd if it is a custom shape.

themanthatwalks

mmm sounds expensive. Is there anywhere is SA where I can get a sheet?

Manfred-Klose

Only pre-cut sheets. like strat and tele's.

You can make one out of wood? like maple or rosewood perhaps, and then you wont struggle with the painting part.

Attila

TMTW,

You could try Terry Distributers in CT check out thier web site http://terryd.co.za/gptspgds.html

I would go with Manfred and make one out of a good wood with a tasteful stain or varnish, it would be classy if thats your bag otherwise paint it black ("they" should make a song with that title)

Grab a template from these dudes http://www.redzline.com/

peace 8)

AlanRatcliffe

AFAIK, no-one locally sells the proper laminated ABS material and you have to be prepared to buy in very large sheets. The one you can get easily locally is the transparent acrylic (otherwise known as Perspex ?), but be aware that the acrylics crack and break very easily (ask any Jem owner) - a bugger to cut and file and if you tighten a screw too much and it breaks the pickguard...

As with everything else, I usually just order in. Most of the online spares supply houses have. Warmoth has the best range of colours but is a bit more expensive than most, so I usually only get the unusual ones from them (like the aged white pearloid I have on my Strat. If it's black, white or a normal pearloid I'll get from whoever I'm ordering other stuff from. Some of the proper celluloid tortoiseshell colours can only be had from specialised places like Pickguardian (IIRC).

Explorerlover

Resurrecting a old thread because I'm lazy, ?

Has anyone had any experience with the material sold by Guitar Fetish?

I need white pearl and they're the only ones that sell blanks large enough for a '58 Flying V pick guard. I know i can have one made through the likes of Pickguard Heaven etc, but really, I'm sure this is not that difficult when I already have the old one to work from.

Thanks

Manfred-Klose

i got a sheet from guitarfetish here and i still need to work through it, looks like a softer and easier material to work with.

Explorerlover

Dankie man.

deebee

I went into a cupboard making factory in Montague Gardens, CT, and the dude in charge gave me a big off-cut of perspex for ten bucks. I have made a few pick-guards so far. I have sprayed them different colours, and to date, the paint is holding well. B-U-T you have to cut, sand, and file, and drill VERY C-A-R-E-F-U-L-L-Y. You must cut with a hacksaw blade in whatever tool you use. He also gave me some smaller off-cuts thrown in with the ten buckeroonies. If you are making your own geetar from scratch, then there is no law that says that you have to follow any prescribed plan of design. Design your own pickguards. Put some see through plastic on the axe, and draw away, put your final design on a template. My templates are made of hardboard. For control knobs i have used toothpaste tube tops, washed out and sprayed in various colours. Just fill them in with an epoxy, and drill a 7mm hole, and the fit will be good. If loose, prestic works. I have just finished a bass guitar, and for the neck, i routed out a groove along the entire neck, then i inserted a 10mm stainless steel bar, bedded in with a two part epoxy. and so far so good. The neck is obviously not adjustable, but it has only bent very slightly, nothing that i can't get used to. I have 2 other geetars with the same design, one has the apex of an angle iron bar, slightly concave with epoxy, and for the last year it has been fine. There are no rules when building your own customized geetar.