Adventures in metal pickguards

Discussion of newer designs, copies and reissue offset-waist instruments.
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Beebe
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Re: Adventures in metal pickguards

Post by Beebe » Sun Mar 14, 2021 9:01 pm

More love here for the brown powder coat!
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rosecoloredboy
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Re: Adventures in metal pickguards

Post by rosecoloredboy » Mon Mar 15, 2021 12:33 am

that’s killer!! i love the off white with the brown guard, might have to steal that idea one day
i may only have one jazzmaster...

but i want more

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Re: Adventures in metal pickguards

Post by Beebe » Mon Mar 15, 2021 4:25 am

smjenkins wrote:
Sun Mar 14, 2021 5:55 pm
brown pickguard
Just woke up still thinking about this.

Are you willing to share the color codes you used?
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smjenkins
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Re: Adventures in metal pickguards

Post by smjenkins » Mon Mar 15, 2021 5:26 am

Beebe wrote:
Mon Mar 15, 2021 4:25 am

Just woke up still thinking about this.

Are you willing to share the color codes you used?
For sure:

Lentel Brown - https://www.prismaticpowders.com/shop/p ... ntel-brown
Manzanita Brown - https://www.prismaticpowders.com/shop/p ... nita-brown
Baja Burgundy - https://www.prismaticpowders.com/shop/p ... a-burgundy

From ordering about 100 different free samples from Prismatic over the years for various projects, the one thing I've found is that the photo on the website is not useful in evaluating what a color swatch will actually look like when you get it.

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Re: Adventures in metal pickguards

Post by Beebe » Mon Mar 15, 2021 10:17 am

smjenkins wrote:
Mon Mar 15, 2021 5:26 am
Beebe wrote:
Mon Mar 15, 2021 4:25 am

Just woke up still thinking about this.

Are you willing to share the color codes you used?
For sure:

Lentel Brown - https://www.prismaticpowders.com/shop/p ... ntel-brown
Manzanita Brown - https://www.prismaticpowders.com/shop/p ... nita-brown
Baja Burgundy - https://www.prismaticpowders.com/shop/p ... a-burgundy

From ordering about 100 different free samples from Prismatic over the years for various projects, the one thing I've found is that the photo on the website is not useful in evaluating what a color swatch will actually look like when you get it.
Awesome! Thanks!
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Re: Adventures in metal pickguards

Post by smjenkins » Sun Jul 11, 2021 1:53 pm

More adventures!

I found a cheap aluminum strat pickguard and had it powdercoated brown. The guitar is a 50th anniversary strat deluxe in olympic white pearl I picked up way back in 2004. It was my first "nice" guitar after playing a Peavey Predator strat rip-off for 15 years and about 5-years before I fell into the offset hole. When I took off the pickguard today I saw that the finish had yellowed quite a bit. I'm kicking myself for not taking a photo under the guard.

Anyway, here's lousy modern Fender tort before and powdercoated brown aluminum after. I think this looks so much better now.

Before:
Image

After:
Image

Image

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adamrobertt
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Re: Adventures in metal pickguards

Post by adamrobertt » Sun Jul 11, 2021 3:54 pm

Yup. Looks great. Way better.

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Re: Adventures in metal pickguards

Post by ohm_mho » Tue Jul 13, 2021 12:55 am

That brown pickguard over blonde is sweeet

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Re: Adventures in metal pickguards

Post by SignoftheDragon » Tue Jul 13, 2021 9:24 am

algeriet wrote:
Thu Feb 18, 2021 12:43 pm
smjenkins wrote:
Tue Feb 16, 2021 11:25 am
I used Mail Order Powdercoating. Super fast turnaround and great communication. There's a local powdercoater I've used before for other stuff in Seattle, but they are considerably more expensive. Over 2x more.

Thanks! I wonder how it'll look in time with wear from playing. Post updates!
Powder coating should hold up pretty well to the rigors of playing rough- the coating is easily 1000x thicker than an anodized finish (which really only affects the top few layers of molecules- just what the anodizing bath can wet) and is pretty durable stuff- I imagine it could be marked/marred with enough abuse, but really it's BY FAR the most durable finish anywhere on any guitar that I'm aware of.

(My day job deals with lots of aluminum finishes- from polished chrome-plating to anodizing, painting, and powder coating for lots of exterior signs, etc.- but I haven't translated any of that metal-work into guitar building uses... maybe it's time to.)

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Re: Adventures in metal pickguards

Post by algeriet » Wed Jul 14, 2021 7:08 pm

SignoftheDragon wrote:
Tue Jul 13, 2021 9:24 am
(My day job deals with lots of aluminum finishes- from polished chrome-plating to anodizing, painting, and powder coating for lots of exterior signs, etc.- but I haven't translated any of that metal-work into guitar building uses... maybe it's time to.)

Go for it!

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Re: Adventures in metal pickguards

Post by pacemaker » Thu Jul 15, 2021 12:19 pm

Well damn, those look great – well done! Now I have a slew of new thoughts percolating in my head... in a good way!

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Re: Adventures in metal pickguards

Post by smjenkins » Thu Sep 16, 2021 10:35 am

Here's a few more powdercoated guard photos that I've posted in various other threads:

FMS AV65:

Image

Sonic gray AmPro body with Warmoth neck:

Image

Image

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Larry Mal
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Re: Adventures in metal pickguards

Post by Larry Mal » Thu Sep 16, 2021 10:52 am

smjenkins wrote:
Thu Sep 16, 2021 10:35 am


Sonic gray AmPro body with Warmoth neck:

Image
What a stunning guitar.
Back in those days, everyone knew that if you were talking about Destiny's Child, you were talking about Beyonce, LaTavia, LeToya, and Larry.

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Re: Adventures in metal pickguards

Post by smjenkins » Sun Sep 19, 2021 4:43 pm

Thanks Larry. I really love the monochrome body and PG combo with a maple neck. I kinda stumbled upon it, but I can't stop thinking about how unique it looks.

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Re: Adventures in metal pickguards

Post by adamrobertt » Sun Sep 19, 2021 4:51 pm

Really is beautiful. Not a combo I would have envisioned working on paper, either. But it just works.

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