First build, J Bass - Pickguard / Control Plate not compatible

[mo_ruiz]

Hi guys!
I just finished my first build a couple of months ago. Before I get into what's keeping me awake at nights, I'll tell you about the build itself:

Body:
Solid Alder
Black Yellow Red Sunburst finish
70's position bridge pickup
B-W-B pickguard

Neck:
Maple - Indian Rosewood
Vintage Satin Nitro finish
20 - 6150 Frets

Fender Custom Shop J pickups
Gotoh 201 bridge
Hipshot American HB2 tuners
Hipshot 3 string retainer
No load F tone pot
CTS 250K Volume pots
Tropical Fish 0.047uF capacitor

--Pics Attached--

The one thing that's just not right, and you can notice in the front body picture, is that the Warmoth pickguard and the F brand control plate are not compatible at the joint (angles are not the same), so it looks misplaced and it makes the build not 100% cosmetically correct. Don't get me wrong, but you spend 1500$ building a guitar that plays beautiful and you also want it to look as it plays.

Of course, I should replace either of them... and that's why I wanted to know if any of you has had the same issue. I live in Australia, so return parts is pretty difficult and time consuming.
I could get the Warmoth control plate or the F brand pickguard but, since I am left-handed, the best option should be replacing the control plate.

Any thoughts or comments about this?
Real help will be surely appreciated.

Cheers,
mo

 

[bob7point7]

I had the exact same problem with my J bass. I used a Warmoth short scale J pickguard and the control plate that came with my Audere preamp, and the fit initially looked just like yours. I used a file and some sandpaper and reworked the pickguard until I got a nice tight fit. It ended up looking better than the fit on my Fender Jazz when it was done. This is just one of the things you have to deal with sometimes when building a custom instrument - things may require a little fitment. Here's what I did specifically:

1. Put masking tape across the back of the pickguard.

2. Lay the control plate on the masking tape so the outer corners of the plate line up with the outer corners of the pickguard.

3. Trace the shape of the control plate onto the tape.

4. Use a round file to file the pickguard down to the line on the tape. Make sure to keep the file perpindicular to the pickguard. It's also a good idea to protect the front of the pickguard with tape while you do this.

5. Smooth the edge of the pickguard with some fine sandpaper.

6. If you've already mounted the pickguard and control plate, glue toothpicks into the control plate mounting holes and cut them off flush. Then redrill the control plate holes so the plate fits tightly against the pickguard.

Good luck - hope this helps.
-Bobbie

 

[Wyliee]

My personal experience is I've seen more than a few control plates with slight variations in the shape.  Everyone seems to have their own source overseas and they can vary from batch to batch.

 

[SoundAsAnOldEngineer]

I have the same problem on a J-Bass project, with a standard Fender control plate and a Warmoth pickguard. I didn't expect such a big difference between these two parts. The fit of the pickguard on the heel of the neck and on the neck pickup is really precise, so the "V" shape is not just sloppy manufacturing.

I could buy a Fender pickguard, but they are really expensive in the UK. Can anyone tell me if the Warmoth control plate is a good fit with the Warmoth pickguard?