Reproduction Pickguard and Control Plate
Posted: Wed May 19, 2010 9:48 pm
I kinda think of myself as a handy girl. I have tools and know how to use them. Since working so hard on my Celebrity website and watching people dismantle Mosrites for profit I thought that perhaps what's needed is a place to get reproduction parts to restore guitars rather than tear them apart. There seems to be very few places other than eBay and the places I've seen are very expensive.
So, I've decided to see if I can fill this void in some way. To start with I'm going to make exact copies of Mosrite pickguards, control plates, and truss rod covers. Since I have two Celebrities to use as templates I will start here. If it proves successful then I will ask (or beg) others for templates of their items so that I may offer them. For example, you may not know this but I've identified seven different pickguard shapes used on the Celebrity models alone. I've seen two different truss rod cover shapes, two different control panel shapes, and jack plate.
I recently picked up a Dremel scroll saw and a two wheel grinder (with a light!). I already had a small drill press that I use for wood crafts. Tomorrow I'll pickup a nice bench belt sander.
To begin this project I did not want to experiment with expensive tri layer pickguard material. So, I went to Staples and bout a couple of clip boards made of masonite and one of clear plastic. They are about the right thickness and only a couple of dollars each. My plan is to make a couple of masonite first, then with the clear plastic, and then the W/B/W pickguard material. So, here is step one and step two!
Step one
Step two

These are in the raw state as I also realized that I should pick up a few nice files as well as the belt sander. I did not put the beveled edge on the masonite, but I will on the plastic ones. This is my first attempt so I do expect to get better results as I gain skill.
So, I've decided to see if I can fill this void in some way. To start with I'm going to make exact copies of Mosrite pickguards, control plates, and truss rod covers. Since I have two Celebrities to use as templates I will start here. If it proves successful then I will ask (or beg) others for templates of their items so that I may offer them. For example, you may not know this but I've identified seven different pickguard shapes used on the Celebrity models alone. I've seen two different truss rod cover shapes, two different control panel shapes, and jack plate.
I recently picked up a Dremel scroll saw and a two wheel grinder (with a light!). I already had a small drill press that I use for wood crafts. Tomorrow I'll pickup a nice bench belt sander.
To begin this project I did not want to experiment with expensive tri layer pickguard material. So, I went to Staples and bout a couple of clip boards made of masonite and one of clear plastic. They are about the right thickness and only a couple of dollars each. My plan is to make a couple of masonite first, then with the clear plastic, and then the W/B/W pickguard material. So, here is step one and step two!
Step one

Step two

These are in the raw state as I also realized that I should pick up a few nice files as well as the belt sander. I did not put the beveled edge on the masonite, but I will on the plastic ones. This is my first attempt so I do expect to get better results as I gain skill.