Question about bakelite pick guards

[navvid]

I bought a bakelite pickguard for my Strat because I wanted a one ply black, and I like the old-timey appeal and brushed flat finish of bakelite guards. Because I refuse to make new screw holes in my beloved first lady, I paid an extra charge (for an item that took less tooling to make mind you) bringing the cost to around $50, and waited a very long time for delivery, so that I could drill the mounting holes myself to match my original guard.

So I get it in yesterday, and I noticed immediately that the edges are not chamfered like the standard PVC 3-ply Strat pickguards. I asked a friend who has seen the old ones, and he thought that thats how the bakelite guards were, edges unfinished. Can anyone confirm this? How are the edges finished on your old Tele's? I know that Strats didn't usually come with one ply or bakelite guards, but I have heard that there were some few variations that did. Anyone seen any of these?

 

[Tone2TheBone]

I think all single ply guards are unchamfered whether they're bakelite material or not. I know my matte black single ply Tele PG is. Mind you it's thick too...about as thick as a 3 ply guard. I think the reason the 3 plies are chamfered is that they won't look "so thick" around the edges. Having a tall edge like that with w/b/w around it would look funny...hence the chamfering.

 

[navvid]

Makes sense. Thanks Tone. Have you seen or heard of one plies on Strats from the factory?

 

[Tone2TheBone]

Makes sense. Thanks Tone. Have you seen or heard of one plies on Strats from the factory?

Single plies on factory Fender Strats? Yup, my Classic 50s Strat came with a single ply pickguard. Other factory Fenders like the American Vintage series Strats also come with single ply guards. None of which come chamfered.

 

[navvid]

Interesting... I was thinking of finishing my edges with a slight bevel, like the three plies, to give it a softer hand feel. I'm not sure how I would go about it though. I could do it on a pin router, but I don't have regular access to one. Also, I don't think bakelite cuts nicely. It appears to be brittle.

 

[duhvoodooman]

....It appears to be brittle.

Yeah, that's exactly what I'd worry about with Bakelite, which is highly cross-linked phenolic resin, i.e. pretty nearly one giant molecule. Good stiffness and dimensional stability, and very resistant to chemical/environmental attack, but very brittle. Grinding/abrasion would prolly work better than attempting to cut it cleanly.

 

[250Keith]

I,m a marble and granite guy, you can take it to any tile shop and thay will do it no problem, or use a small block of wood with 600 grit sand paper the wet/dry kind and put a small bevel on it, just a wet sand, pretty easy, go for it
Keith.

 

[ted s]

DVM (Cliff), you gotta start off replies like with ..
"it's a liitle know fact.." ..

 

[Tone2TheBone]

LMAO The Cliff Claven of Guitar Forums!

 

[LagrangeCalvert]

LMAO The Cliff Claven of Guitar Forums!

More like the Cliff of Plastics and chemistry.

 

[ted s]

Hmm, hope I didn't P.O DVM with my wisecrack ?

 

[Tone2TheBone]

Hmm, hope I didn't P.O DVM with my wisecrack ?

Nah he's a pretty resilient guy.

Tell us how your pickguard comes out navvid.

 

[duhvoodooman]

Hmm, hope I didn't P.O DVM with my wisecrack ?

Nah, hard to argue with the truth! What can I say--I'm a chemist by training and it comes out from time to time!

Hey, Tone! That guy up above in the US Postal Service carrier suit--maybe he's seen my Muff clone pedal! (inside joke)

 

[Tone2TheBone]

Nah, hard to argue with the truth! What can I say--I'm a chemist by training and it comes out from time to time!

Hey, Tone! That guy up above in the US Postal Service carrier suit--maybe he's seen my Muff clone pedal! (inside joke)

hahaha for all we know maybe he left it at with Sam!

 

[navvid]

Here's another question. Were the old bakelite guards shielded on the inside of the pot routing area? Should I shield mine? As a physicist, I am inclined to shield the whole back of the cover, but one thing I have realized over the years is that it is the subtleties and nuances of noise that give certain guitars their charm. By most electrical engineering standards, the superior guitar is the one with the highest gain and lowest noise (i.e. something with active EMG's), and certainly there is a market for that sound. I even dig it for some things, but what I really want right now is some old Sprague bumble bee caps. There are a lot newer, more advanced caps out there, but I am going for authenticity. But again I digress...

So shielding or no shielding - any opinions?

 

[Tone2TheBone]

What kind of pups are you putting into the pickguard? Were they noisy to begin with? I shielded mine on my MIM Standard only because the static off the top of the guard was annoying. I taped the whole entire back with aluminum tape I got from Home Depot. It eliminated the static but there is still some hum from the vintage spec pups (neck and middle)....I have a Dimario Virtual Vintage Blues pup in the bridge which is dead quiet. It's up to you...if you think it's gonna bother you then try it without the shielding first.

 

[navvid]

Cutting plastic sucks, and bakelite especially sucks. You have to use a high spindle speed, and make your cut quick and get out. Otherwise the plastic heats up quickly and melts. Also, most milling and drilling bits are up spiraled cutters. This means they want to lift the work once they make the cut. If you are drilling and you aren't careful to really hold down your part, it wil be jolted off the table as soon as the bit makes it through. I actually broke the edge of the pickup slot with the least clearance. Fortunately, it won't be noticeable when I put the pickup screw in. Still, it really pissed me off, and I put a scratch or two on my new guard. Was bound to happen eventually though, and now I know just how tricky bakelite is to cut. I'm just anal enough though that I'll probably buy another so I can get it perfect...