Tortoiseshell pickguard material that matches 70s Mosrite?

[sumlin]

Hi folks

Hitting a stumbling block in restoring my Brass Rail. I want to switch out the lower plate of electrics for a custom set up a little more like the Brass Rail Deluxe models. Plan is to keep the lower guard and assembly as it is and just swap a whole new one in for it utilising the same screw holes etc.

Original plan was to make a brass plate for the lower pickguard but as time has passed I'm really fond of the super dark tortoiseshell that's on it and I'd like to make a new lower pickguard out of something that matches (or nearly matches) the upper one. Does anyone know of a pickguard manufacturer that makes a tortoiseshell material that's this dark? I'm drawing a blank but someone out there must have restored a 70s Mosrite and faced the same conundrum surely?

Here's the Brass Rail so you can see what I mean:

[vibramutant1965]

oh boy this is no fun.First try to find some n,o,s, from one of the veteren mosrite guys on this forum, maybe they can help. I have made my own "mosrite" pickgaurd blanks by buying the thinnest black and white sheets for the bottom , and a thicker white top sheet. You then clean and scuff um up,(not the top) because you are going to glue up a sandwich with slow drying superglue. You will need to have a flat surface and wieght for clamping. For the tortise, just add a tortise top layer to the w/b/w sandwich. Now for the BAD news. The .020 blanks (bottom layers)are hard to find now, and you have to call the poeple at Tortoloid and beg them ($$$) to make a .020 tortise blank in the color sample you send them.

[sumlin]

oh boy this is no fun.First try to find some n,o,s, from one of the veteren mosrite guys on this forum, maybe they can help. I have made my own "mosrite" pickgaurd blanks by buying the thinnest black and white sheets for the bottom , and a thicker white top sheet. You then clean and scuff um up,(not the top) because you are going to glue up a sandwich with slow drying superglue. You will need to have a flat surface and wieght for clamping. For the tortise, just add a tortise top layer to the w/b/w sandwich. Now for the BAD news. The .020 blanks (bottom layers)are hard to find now, and you have to call the poeple at Tortoloid and beg them ($$$) to make a .020 tortise blank in the color sample you send them.

Kind of my thoughts on the matter and it's shifting me towards either a brass plate instead or just a single pickguard that replaces both the originals. Have messaged Andy Moseley and Artie at Front Porch. If anyone has any other suggestions as to someone who might have a sheet of this stuff kicking around then please let me know. I'd be very grateful.