Believe me, knowing that leaving the bass naked was a strong possibility, it was hard not to just go with tort. I love that look - but I have one bass with that combination already (and with my sorry-assed finish, it REALLY has the stripped hippie look:-) This way, if I decide to go with black (which does look really nice) or almost any other solid color in the future I will still have the bling without having to pop for a second custom guard.