Dakota Red Strat - Pickguard colour combination

[JohnnyHardtail]

I'd like to ask opinions about the best colour combination for Warmoth's Dakota Red on a Strat.

I haven't decided If I will go for HSS or SSS pickups, so lets consider the visuals for the moment.

Pictures of completed guitars are welcome, but obviously they need to be Dakota Red.

(Attached images were created on the website of a custom guitar builder)

 

[cuthbert]

Mint green or white.

 

[JohnnyHardtail]

To imitate a vintage Strat I would choose a plain colour pickguard. However my plan is for a Warmoth 7/8 Strat. Partly due to the design differences and shorter scale length, vintage Strat styling is not a priority for me.

The choice of patterned pickguards is influenced by other Fender guitars from the 70s and 80s, and also Valley Arts guitars. It was Valley Arts who commercialised the 7/8 size guitars in the 80s.

 

[MikeW]

I went with vintage pearl and black hardware but YMMV...

 

[Rick]

I went with vintage pearl and black hardware but YMMV...

View attachment 62786

 

[Rick]

I want to vote for two. Classic = white
Modern = dark tortoise

 

[ejphotos]

Mint green on solid red is fantastical

 

[joesatch]

i vote parchment

 

[JohnnyHardtail]

Thanks for the comments and photos so far. Joesatch gets bonus points for the hardtail bridge.

Parchment with matching p/u covers looks cool. Incidently, I found that genuine Fender "parchment" knobs are whiter than the Warmoth ones.

 

[Strat Avenger]

I like the black pearl and the white pearl. I've never understood the appeal of tortoise shell pickguards.

 

[JohnnyHardtail]

It’s interesting to see so few responses in favour of tortoise. Since posting this poll I also changed my view. I thought tortoise would be a decent choice with Dakota red, but I since decided it doesn’t work for me visually. I’d go for tortoise on a vintage white body but otherwise, probably not.

 

[Scab Pickens]

I dig the pearl white on that one. I wonder what pearl red would look like though ...