Making a custom pickguard

[SkuttleFunk]

When you find yourself in the position of needing a pickguard, but nothing on the market of replacement parts suits your artistic needs ... it may be time to design and make one yourself  :blob7:

Start out by working the design with printer paper. I took this Warmoth Delixe 5 body and traced and offset from the edge to get my outer lines, and then found inspiration in a '51P pickguard for much of the feel of the remainder. Here you can see the test fit of the paper template on the body with some of the hardware set on for reference

Once I had the design right, I transfered it to a piece of 5/16 plywood and then rough cut this at a bandsaw

Some time with a drum sander finished off  the detailed pickguard template

I then gave it a test fit on the body to make sure everything was fitting correctly

Next I utilized a pattern bit on a router to cut the pickguard material ... o was it ever a messy job, as little plastic shavings were flying everywhere

And a test fit of the newly cut pickguard

If this pickguard would have been finished with a beveled edge, I would have swapped bits and beveled the edge after the pickguard was cut out. I have since added a router table to my shop, and the cutting process is significantly easier and safer

Here's the finished bass with its one of a kind custom pickguard

all the best,

R

 

[neil]

nice job....personally any guitar that comes into my shop,that i dont have a template for, I copy on to wall papper lineing papper and then cut a perspex template in down time.
Always good to be able to pull out of the hat at minimal notice...gets the repeats back.
Normally cut mine on a 3/4" block so i can change bits and finish the thing as quick as possible...hate the smell of plastic.
3/4 block allows me to template or even freehand if I have to.

Good work dude

Cheers
Neil