Or if you're British, you can make something called a "scratch plate." It's pretty effective for, you know, avoiding scratching up your guitar with your "plectrum."
When drilling the pick guard screw holes, how do you get the beveled edges inside the screw holes, so the screws sit flush with the top of the pick guard?
I liked everything about this video, except found it weird to watch a guitar building video, without guitar music. :). Seriously though, helpful video. Wish we could see how you cut the neck piece out so sharply though.
I never understood the reasoning behind slapping a garish piece of ~plastic~ on top of a beautiful piece of wood in the first place. When I get any type of 'rear-routed' guitar, I *remove* any pickguard it has. When I get any top-routed guitar (where the 'pickguard' is, practically speaking, the equivalent of 'pickup-mounting rings'), I use it for a pattern/template/stencil to cut my own out of 3-ply basswood, make it accommodate any wiring upgrades/control layout I might have done, and finish it in some manner that *goes with* the rest of the guitar~~~something that plastic 'mother-of-toilet-seat-cover' pickguards ~rarely~ do......
It depends on the guitar for me. I find a good pickguard compliments the guitar in a way that's better than plain. It almost accentuates the grain when done right. Kinda reminds me of an old vinyl top car. May not be the prettiest thing in reality, but it certainly compliments the rest of the vehicle.
@@salzulli6290 You're right in your car-simile; and that highlights the difference between 'art' and 'craft'. 'Craft' (and 'craftsmanship') totally works with Plastic ["NOS", right?!], and whether you're restoring the dashboard on a cherry mid-50s pickup truck, or Cleaning Up a pawnshop Stratocaster, plastic has it's Place (as an integral part of The Original, and its marriage of Function and Form). That said, the pickguards I fabricate out of wood aren't selected to "accentuate the grain"; I primer them and hand-paint either a picture, design, or 'texture' that will ~pop~ on a solid ash/alder guitar-body of whatever color.....that's 'art', and an entirely different approach and process than that which involves choosing/cutting an Appropriate-Looking polymer laminate. It was while assembling a Warmoth Strat (chambered black korina body w/ one-piece bubinga neck/board), and finding a 'tobacco-juice'-whorled pickguard-blank that suited it in the manner you describe, that I decided to start making my own, for solid-color finished Teles and Strats.....that I could paint and seal. I just finished a clouds/smoke textured pickguard for a Peavey Strat I put 'lipstick' s/c's in; the body's gloss black under laquer, so my pickguard automatically goes with it. I agree that although 'solid color' finishes benefit from ~hand-painted~ pickguards, they would clash with a beautiful 'natural finish' body.....that's why I typically remove ~any~ pickguard from rear-routed solid-bodies (LP, SG, Carvin, Schecter, et ai), as well; they detract from the nice-looking cap (or body-wood) figure/grain.
It would have been a lot more helpfull if you showed us how to make a pickguard WITHOUT a router. There are lots of video's on RUclips of how to make pickguards, and they all use routers. A lot of people don't have a router and have to do it by hand. A router makes it easy. In the last minute of this video you told us how to do it by hand. Well, please show us how that's done.
Again another video about making a pickguard. In every video about this on RUclips, people use a router and that's NOT what I want to see. Not everyone has a router. Please make a video making a pickguard WITHOUT using a router!
Hey man, imagine that you live in a ex comunist/socialist country as Serbia (like I am. Love her but it is bad here). Imagine that you have to think even abouth sand papier... But still I wach, lurn, and have a general idea that, one day, I will start working on my first guitar. I understand you (hope you did not get this as a hate comment, or bad critic.) I was truying to give you bust. And sorry abouth this spelling, my wife is an English language profesor so I get slaps on the hand every day. Wish you, and everyone all the best.
use a coping saw to cut out the pattern (or bandsaw or something that cuts lol)...and sand the edges to a 45 angle (you could make simple little 45 angle piece of wood and glue sandpaper to it).
@@BoudreauGuitars I don't have a router; I've been fabricating pickguards for years now out of 3-ply basswood. I cut the rough shape with a jigsaw, and then clean it up and put a bevel on the outside edge with a Dremel moto-tool. I drill starter-holes for the pickup cutouts, and then cut them with a Dremel bit. My wood pickguards are shielded, finished in a variety of ways, and come out looking both top-shelf ~and~ hand-made. You don't actually ~need~ a router to fab a pickguard, especially if it's not the only thing you do. If I ~was~ whacking them out on a production schedule or something, I'd probably appreciate having at least that plunge-router base for my Dremel, but there's really no need for one if you're just doing one or a few for your own guitars.
The pickguard looks great. Great video! Thanks for putting it together.
You make all that stuff look so easy Ken!
+Wicked Fester , a good teacher always does. ;-)
Good Video! Learned a few things! Thanks!
well done instructional video, now all I need is tools :-)
Or if you're British, you can make something called a "scratch plate." It's pretty effective for, you know, avoiding scratching up your guitar with your "plectrum."
but I'm not British so it's a pickguard, LOL
I'm British and I call the plate a pickguard and I call the plectrum a pick or a plectrum
spyroXcynder1000 cool story.
Whatever works.
Nice one Ken ,nice guitar collection at the start of the video,perhaps you could show us them,did you make them all ?
I'm favouriting this for sure!!!!!
awesome! incredibly helpful
Hello you said that you were going to hse 3ply but what material did you use for the oickguard?
Good process for making a custom pickguard.
What flavor of double stick tape is that? Mint?
Wow this is a great video
hey, great video, question: did you make the 3 ply or just source it as - is? thanks.
I believe I picked up this from Stew Mc
What model router do you have? Is it just a handheld router mounted upside down on that plate?
Shipwreck0316 yes i
Right on man!
When drilling the pick guard screw holes, how do you get the beveled edges inside the screw holes, so the screws sit flush with the top of the pick guard?
G Mattison www.homedepot.com/p/Bosch-1-2-in-Titanium-Countersink-Drill-Bit-CST1/203530165?MERCH=REC-_-mobileweb_pip_rr-_-100531905-_-203530165-_-N
Good stuff mang! :)
lets say I have a guitar I don't like the pickguard that's on it, would a dremel tool work just as well?
do you think I could do this with a hacksaw and a sander? What about those plastic cutters that look like scissors?
Hey, give it a try what do ya have to loose?
I liked everything about this video, except found it weird to watch a guitar building video, without guitar music. :). Seriously though, helpful video. Wish we could see how you cut the neck piece out so sharply though.
Thomas Robinson I traced it out using another pickguard as a template, then cut it out on the bandsaw
I never understood the reasoning behind slapping a garish piece of ~plastic~ on top of a beautiful piece of wood in the first place. When I get any type of 'rear-routed' guitar, I *remove* any pickguard it has. When I get any top-routed guitar (where the 'pickguard' is, practically speaking, the equivalent of 'pickup-mounting rings'), I use it for a pattern/template/stencil to cut my own out of 3-ply basswood, make it accommodate any wiring upgrades/control layout I might have done, and finish it in some manner that *goes with* the rest of the guitar~~~something that plastic 'mother-of-toilet-seat-cover' pickguards ~rarely~ do......
Subbed, though; I like your approach and shop-demeanor. Thanks for making these vids!
It depends on the guitar for me. I find a good pickguard compliments the guitar in a way that's better than plain. It almost accentuates the grain when done right.
Kinda reminds me of an old vinyl top car. May not be the prettiest thing in reality, but it certainly compliments the rest of the vehicle.
@@salzulli6290 You're right in your car-simile; and that highlights the difference between 'art' and 'craft'. 'Craft' (and 'craftsmanship') totally works with Plastic ["NOS", right?!], and whether you're restoring the dashboard on a cherry mid-50s pickup truck, or Cleaning Up a pawnshop Stratocaster, plastic has it's Place (as an integral part of The Original, and its marriage of Function and Form). That said, the pickguards I fabricate out of wood aren't selected to "accentuate the grain"; I primer them and hand-paint either a picture, design, or 'texture' that will ~pop~ on a solid ash/alder guitar-body of whatever color.....that's 'art', and an entirely different approach and process than that which involves choosing/cutting an Appropriate-Looking polymer laminate. It was while assembling a Warmoth Strat (chambered black korina body w/ one-piece bubinga neck/board), and finding a 'tobacco-juice'-whorled pickguard-blank that suited it in the manner you describe, that I decided to start making my own, for solid-color finished Teles and Strats.....that I could paint and seal. I just finished a clouds/smoke textured pickguard for a Peavey Strat I put 'lipstick' s/c's in; the body's gloss black under laquer, so my pickguard automatically goes with it.
I agree that although 'solid color' finishes benefit from ~hand-painted~ pickguards, they would clash with a beautiful 'natural finish' body.....that's why I typically remove ~any~ pickguard from rear-routed solid-bodies (LP, SG, Carvin, Schecter, et ai), as well; they detract from the nice-looking cap (or body-wood) figure/grain.
Thank you Gents!!
Ok, and what if you do not have a router ? How do you file the edges away nicely and get that 45 degree angle ?
MrShadowofthewind watch the end of the video, I told you how to do it 😎
Boudreau Guitars Oh shit i missed that part, thanks alot !
Have you ever made a steel or high mirror pick guard?
Where do U get that 2-Sided Sticky Tape?
I want to see you make the three ply from scratch ... not cut up a bought one. Not really making a pick guard from scratch is it??
Do you want him to make the plastic from scratch as well?
Making Plastic using resin is not that hard. No just correct the title ... "From scratch" does not apply.
Hey man, you are OK dude. At first I thought you are a bit grumpy guy, but no. oh,and thanks.
Can you use any bandsaw?
Michael H sure, but you do not want too aggressive of a blade though
@@BoudreauGuitars Ok, thank you very much😁
You don't buff abs compound the edge ?
Bruce Levine sometimes yes sometimes no
so how do you make the template lol
I have this weird jaguar/mustang/tele body that I'm trying to make a pick guard for, and i have no clue where to start
It would have been a lot more helpfull if you showed us how to make a pickguard WITHOUT a router. There are lots of video's on RUclips of how to make pickguards, and they all use routers. A lot of people don't have a router and have to do it by hand. A router makes it easy. In the last minute of this video you told us how to do it by hand. Well, please show us how that's done.
Again another video about making a pickguard. In every video about this on RUclips, people use a router and that's NOT what I want to see. Not everyone has a router. Please make a video making a pickguard WITHOUT using a router!
Hopfroggerz , Perhaps it's time to buy a router, Or borrow one from a friend or family member.
Then bite it to shape it
Hey man, imagine that you live in a ex comunist/socialist country as Serbia (like I am. Love her but it is bad here). Imagine that you have to think even abouth sand papier... But still I wach, lurn, and have a general idea that, one day, I will start working on my first guitar. I understand you (hope you did not get this as a hate comment, or bad critic.) I was truying to give you bust. And sorry abouth this spelling, my wife is an English language profesor so I get slaps on the hand every day. Wish you, and everyone all the best.
use a coping saw to cut out the pattern (or bandsaw or something that cuts lol)...and sand the edges to a 45 angle (you could make simple little 45 angle piece of wood and glue sandpaper to it).
@@BoudreauGuitars I don't have a router; I've been fabricating pickguards for years now out of 3-ply basswood. I cut the rough shape with a jigsaw, and then clean it up and put a bevel on the outside edge with a Dremel moto-tool. I drill starter-holes for the pickup cutouts, and then cut them with a Dremel bit. My wood pickguards are shielded, finished in a variety of ways, and come out looking both top-shelf ~and~ hand-made. You don't actually ~need~ a router to fab a pickguard, especially if it's not the only thing you do. If I ~was~ whacking them out on a production schedule or something, I'd probably appreciate having at least that plunge-router base for my Dremel, but there's really no need for one if you're just doing one or a few for your own guitars.
Dude, you have to work on your volume control between speaking and music. Very unprofessional, and its not difficult to accomplish.
Rich Piedra , this is a 4 year old video, problem solved a long time ago, thanks
14:56
Word.
Haassan1 that looks pretty damn good
Yeah, I know. 'Word' is an expression of agreement.
Haassan1 , ha! Sorry, bro I guess I'm showing my age....