Who makes made to order custom guitar hardware?

Christian Jones

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Rutters is too busy at the moment. I need a nickel-plated bridge pickup mounting ring made that can mount a TV Jones Classic Plus bridge pickup in a full-sized PAF rout - something like this except done in nickel plated metal: https://www.stewmac.com/parts-and-hardware/all-hardware-and-parts-by-instrument/electric-guitar-parts/electric-guitar-covers-and-plates/tv-jones-em1-gibson-style-pickup-mounting-ring.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=shopping&utm_campaign=2021-02-gp&gclid=Cj0KCQiAyJOBBhDCARIsAJG2h5fBQa_wKWAgY9QzrIfcATW6rz6STnYJobWo_HEYFRNnHuw9QdTMdaYaArUzEALw_wcB

This would allow me to swap back and forth between the TV Jones and a PAF pickup in one guitar so I don't have to be married to either. Is there anyone who can make something like this?
 
Dangerous Doug creates items similar to these, and does fabulous work.  See his work here: https://www.unofficialwarmoth.com/index.php?topic=2754.3315  You will have to ask him what materials he works with.  I've seen him do stainless.

Another source might be https://fretsonthenet.com/  I believe he only works in aluminum, brass and pickguard materials.  No plating that I know of, but can do black anodizing.

Small batch plating seems to be a tall order.
 
Doug can machine pretty much anything, but I don't know if he has access to plating facilities.
 
Mayfly said:
Doug can machine pretty much anything, but I don't know if he has access to plating facilities.
Correct, i can make just about anything, but no plating. I can have it cerakoted in all kinds of colors tho... :icon_thumright:
 
I'm sure it's doable but do you want to? Humbucker is a bit longer than a filtertron, and a filtertron is much wider. A hole to mount either is gonna be huge. As in "what went here, a Kahler?"

I think I would pick one, and if I didn't like it, I would try to get a filtertron sounding pickup In a hb package, or vice versa.
 
DangerousR6 said:
Mayfly said:
Doug can machine pretty much anything, but I don't know if he has access to plating facilities.
Correct, i can make just about anything, but no plating. I can have it cerakoted in all kinds of colors tho... :icon_thumright:

I hope this stupid question doesn't annoy you, Doug, but why do workshops like yours find it OK to mill finely engineered parts but draw the lines at chrome or nickel plating the products? Does the machinery to do the plating costa  fortune or is it a closed shop thing where you have to licence the process?
 
Re-Pete said:
DangerousR6 said:
Mayfly said:
Doug can machine pretty much anything, but I don't know if he has access to plating facilities.
Correct, i can make just about anything, but no plating. I can have it cerakoted in all kinds of colors tho... :icon_thumright:

I hope this stupid question doesn't annoy you, Doug, but why do workshops like yours find it OK to mill finely engineered parts but draw the lines at chrome or nickel plating the products? Does the machinery to do the plating costa  fortune or is it a closed shop thing where you have to licence the process?
Well for starters, I'm just a guy with a machine in my garage at home, making parts in my spare time because I enjoy it. Plating shops are massive areas of tanks and chemicals and such. It's nasty and messy and stinks, and needs people of knowledge of such chemicals and electricity to make their magic happen.... :icon_biggrin:
 
DIY Nickel Plating kits are available in the UK where I live. Probably very very illegal in California! Other states might be a bit more sensible.
A biker mate of mine got excellent results. Me, I can't be bothered with such things so I always use stainless steel and have done with it.
Here's a link for you:-
https://classic-plating.co.uk/product/bright-nickel-plating-kit/

probably at least $200 by the time it gets to you.

Here's USA kit:-
https://caswellplating.com/electroplating-anodizing/nickel-plating-kits/nickel-electroplating-kits.html

I'm sure you can do a deal with DangerousR6 to do any nickel plating he needs doing in future!
 
DangerousR6 said:
Mayfly said:
Doug can machine pretty much anything, but I don't know if he has access to plating facilities.
Correct, i can make just about anything, but no plating. I can have it cerakoted in all kinds of colors tho... :icon_thumright:
Doug. questions about ceramoting:
1. Can you do gloss black?
2. Is it conductive?
Thinking of having this done to a Tele bridge plate
 
I used to work for a major tool manufacturer. We switched from hot blue to cold blue over chemical/cost of doing business concerns. And plating? That's a specialty.

My wife's uncle runs a small business some musicians may have heard of. I asked him once why doesn't do powder coating in house.  Instead he loads up a trailer with 3 months of parts and drives over to the next state. His answer, "I can't do it for what he charges me."

If you take your car to get worked on you'll quickly realize there are specific special categories of shops.

general mechanics
Exhaust
Transmission
Machine shops

I'd you're restoring cars you'll also soon find out that none of the above do welding or plating.

People who do plating tend to do nothing else.
 
I have a local metalwork house do all of my production stuff.  They have a big shop with a lot of big tools and a lot of trained people who know how to use them.  They can bend, machine, silkscreen, install stand-off posts, and pretty much anything I ask.

Except for finishes.  For anodizing, powder coat, and plating they send it out.
 
Mayfly said:
I have a local metalwork house do all of my production stuff.  They have a big shop with a lot of big tools and a lot of trained people who know how to use them.  They can bend, machine, silkscreen, install stand-off posts, and pretty much anything I ask.

Except for finishes.  For anodizing, powder coat, and plating they send it out.
Exactly, as do I, whenever I need a part chromed, anodized, powdercoated, cerakoted, I have peeps that do that for me. I'm a machinist, not a plater...Although I have often been intrigued about anodizing, I might dabble with that one day... :dontknow:
 
TBurst Std said:
DangerousR6 said:
Mayfly said:
Doug can machine pretty much anything, but I don't know if he has access to plating facilities.
Correct, i can make just about anything, but no plating. I can have it cerakoted in all kinds of colors tho... :icon_thumright:
Doug. questions about ceramoting:
1. Can you do gloss black?
2. Is it conductive?
Thinking of having this done to a Tele bridge plate
Yes it can be done in gloss black and no it's not conductive...
 
Guitar Fetish has some thin metal rings.  Probably chrome, rather than nickel. 

https://www.guitarfetish.com/Chromed-Metal-GFTron-fit-Pickup-Trim-Rings-matching-pair-with-screws_p_33499.html
 
An angle grinder can make an uncoated conductive spot in an inconspicuous place
 
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