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what to use as backing/stiffener for Tele pick guards?

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Hey guys! I need some options and opinions on what to use as a stiffener/backing for some Tele style guitar pick guards. My customer wants me to make him a sample and I want to use the right type of backing to prevent shrinkage (if any) and of course to stiffen the leather? Do I even need a backing? is there just a finishing technic I can use? My customer wants a batch of these...so I better make it right the first time, know what I mean?

thanks for your time!

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I haven't done it, but if were to do it.....

I would laminate the leather to a pick guard and maybe just use longer screws.

If that's too tall in relationship to the strings a piece of Formica could be substituted. 

.02

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Huh, something I actually know about... My husband builds guitars. Normally they are made of plastic. But I know some are bakelite. He buys from is a company called Stewart MacDonald... Here is a link: Pick guard materials

They are pretty thin, I would think any really thin yet rigid material would work. I can ask him tomorrow, when he is back from work, if just a piece of leather by itself would work. I can't remember if these cover up electronics or not. Well, he will know!

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20 minutes ago, bikermutt07 said:

I haven't done it, but if were to do it.....

I would laminate the leather to a pick guard and maybe just use longer screws.

If that's too tall in relationship to the strings a piece of Formica could be substituted. 

.02

 

4 minutes ago, HorsehairBraider said:

Huh, something I actually know about... My husband builds guitars. Normally they are made of plastic. But I know some are bakelite. He buys from is a company called Stewart MacDonald... Here is a link: Pick guard materials

They are pretty thin, I would think any really thin yet rigid material would work. I can ask him tomorrow, when he is back from work, if just a piece of leather by itself would work. I can't remember if these cover up electronics or not. Well, he will know!

Yeah bikermutt07 and HorsehairBraider, I thought about that, but it would be too tall. He gave me a .090 inch max height in total which is about 3/32nds and roughly around 6 oz. leather. I would like to keep the leather the thickest possible and backing be the thinner. Maybe if I find a cheap paper thin sticker type of pick guard?

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Well Formica is pretty thin. It comes in different thicknesses. Someone here posted a telecaster that had the entire body wrapped in leather. It was gorgeous.

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36 minutes ago, bikermutt07 said:

Well Formica is pretty thin. It comes in different thicknesses. Someone here posted a telecaster that had the entire body wrapped in leather. It was gorgeous.

I totally missed the Formica part of your last post. Yes, looks like Formica might just work! I will have to go check some out, thanks!

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Welcome. If you go that route, be careful. Formica can give some nasty cuts. You can use heavy shears to rough cut it. I would use a bench sander to finish it.

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I've made several, and I have never used any stiffenters or backing. I have put some on with screws and some on with double side tape. 

I've built a lot of guitars, and I wouldn't want a thick pick guard with a thick backer and leather. If anything, I would just line the back with brown paper sack material or packing tape. 

Edited by Colt W Knight

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Another option would be to use copper foil tape as a backer, that way if can shield the electronics from things like 60 cycle hum from electronice devices/fluorescent bulbs. 

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As CW Knight said, most pick guards are shielded from electrical noise. Why not kill two birds with one stone and cement the leather blank to some aluminium sheet? Doesn't need to be very thick to provide some additional stiffness.

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Ah yes! thanks for all the advise, I have some good options now to try. I am going to experiment with all of the above. 

 

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On September 21, 2016 at 1:04 PM, Colt W Knight said:

I've made several, and I have never used any stiffenters or backing. I have put some on with screws and some on with double side tape. 

I've built a lot of guitars, and I wouldn't want a thick pick guard with a thick backer and leather. If anything, I would just line the back with brown paper sack material or packing tape. 

Since you have experience making leather pick guards with no backing, So far none have curled or lifted when left with no backing?

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Nope

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