DIY pickguard

[Alanko]

So I have a couple of Fender PJ Mustang basses. Aftermarket pickguards for these are scarce and expensive! I was looking for a tortoiseshell example, but these seem to be especially expensive. I wanted my white Mustang to look a bit more vintage to suit the aesthetics of my band, and to make me feel less bad about the MIJ Mustang I sold on a while back. That bass looked cool, but the tone was too delicate for me. My white PJ Mustang runs on a set of Dimarzio pickups which are more what I want to hear!

I've made a few pickguards before now, but I've finally got it down to something approaching a standard process. The obvious solution is to make an MDF template and use a router with a nice sharp 45-degree bit. Get the whole thing carved out in the time it takes you to read this sentence!

I have none of the above, so I have to use hand tools.



I cut out the basic shape using a coping saw. I dial in the shape closer using a rasp, flat, rounded and circular files, and sand paper.



The trick is to sneak up on the lines, which I draw on the pickguard material (silver Sharpie for dark pickguards, black Sharpie on white material). I've seen a lot of DIY pickguards online that simply look rushed and ugly, probably because the builder was in a hurry to get the thing done.

The cutaway outline is the same diameter as a jar of instant coffee (I trialed a lot of jars and tins in the kitchen), so I stuck 180 grit sandpaper on this and had at it!



The only truly problematic area is around the control plate. However I have two WD Music pickguards in my possession that are no better at this area:



I hand-turned each countersink for the screws. I've found that you can't do this cleanly enough with a hand drill.

The 45-degree bevel is carved on last. I colour the outside of the pickguard with black sharpie and then carve the bevel with a Stanley blade. I carve until the white of the lower layer appears from under the Sharpie. I also keep an eye on the black line in the pickguard material as this has to look even.

[Basvarken]

Looks good.
Well done!

[doombass]

Well done! Must have taken some patience.

[Pilgrim]

Tort on white is a wonderful, classic look.  I dig it.  And that's a pretty decent looking tort pattern, too.

[gearHed289]

Damn dude, that's some nice work! There's no way I'd have the patience to do that without a router.

[Daniel_J]

Great job! That bevel looks really nice!

The brown-ish switch tip adds to the look. I really dig the whole look.

[Dave W]

Excellent work!

I'll hold my tongue about the tort. 

[patman]

My Precision is Tort on White. I like the look.

[Dave W]

Tort allows the tone to leak out.

[Alanko]

Thank you all for the kind words! The pickguard blank was this: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/XL-Pickguard-Blank-Material-Electric-Guitar-Scratchplate-290mm-x-440mm-3ply/263684682877?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&var=562822410260&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

The top layer smelt like camphor when being worked, which makes me think it was cellulose? I've not poured acetone to find out, but at the cost I would be a bit surprised? It isn't the soupy tort of old Fenders and that Spitfire guy, but it is better than the deep brown pickguard on my old Mustang bass. Fender make them dark.

Apologies, Dave, for the Tort. I don't think it looks right in every application, and it is vastly over prescribed on other bass forums! I especially don't like the look of it on lake placid blue Fenders, or on any Fender with a maple neck. Just no!

Well done! Must have taken some patience.

I have it down to a four hour process, which I tend to split over two or three days. The biggest improvement for me was drilling a big hole in my workbench! This allows me to pass files through the top of the bench, and hold the pickguard up against this. It is cleaner than holding the pickguards over the edge of the bench and standing at an awkward angle. I can also stick a bin under there, which is handy as pickguard shavings get everywhere and I can't fob them off as being anything other than pickguard shavings.

Great job! That bevel looks really nice!

The brown-ish switch tip adds to the look. I really dig the whole look.

The switch tip is a Hosco brand 'amber' tip, I guess for Les Pauls and the like. I've shaved about a 1/4 off the length and also lowered the switch height slightly by adding a second nut behind the pickguard. I want that switch to be low and out the way! Nothing says 'import guitar' quicker than a big goofy switch reaching far out the face of an instrument. 

[Dave W]

Great idea about the hole in your workbench. That must make it much easier to be accurate.

[Chris P.]

Looks really good!

Although I dislike the looks (bridge, PJ too big) of the Mustang PJ, the P pickup sounds well in that bass. I never use bridge J-pickups. I decided to put a Nordstrand Mustang Pickup in my CIJ Competition and I like it. Still totally short scale and Mustang but a bit bigger sounding. Maybe a bit like the P in the PJ.

[dadagoboi]

Looks great! 

Try a utility knife blade to do the 45 degree bevel after you have the shape right.  Really quick and smooth. No sandpaper necessary for that part, it's like a hand plane, only freehand.  Points may require a file but you should be able to reduce your labor.

[Alanko]

Looks great! 

Try a utility knife blade to do the 45 degree bevel after you have the shape right.  Really quick and smooth. No sandpaper necessary for that part, it's like a hand plane, only freehand.  Points may require a file but you should be able to reduce your labor.

This is more or less what I do. I use the paper to remove any chatter the blade might have left behind.

The tip is about the only bit filed. In general the blade doesn't seem to work so well when you get it right up to the edge (where it meets the neck and the control plate). The blade will mess with the geometry of the pickguard quicker than add the correct bevel. A router is still king!

[Denis]

Well done, that looks great!