thegummy Posted January 11, 2017 Share Posted January 11, 2017 Anyone ever bought a blank sheet of pickguard material (such as the ones that WD Music sell) and cut their own pickguard? How would you go about doing it? What kind of place could you take it to to cut it for you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassassin Posted January 11, 2017 Share Posted January 11, 2017 I've done a few. Most recently I replaced the original white plate on a Yamaha SBV500 with a rather more vulgar pearl red. I don't have any power tools adequate for cutting scratchplate material (I have a scroll saw but it's far too inaccurate to do anything but rough cutting) so this was largely done by hand. I used the original plate as a template - using the screwholes on the original, I attached the old plate & the blank to a suitably-sized piece of wood so everything was clamped tightly together. Then I scored around the outline of the original, removed the old plate then drilled millions of holes around the shape of the new plate, as close to the score lines as possible. That made it quite easy to cut out the rough shape of the new plate using a combination of scroll saw & hand tools. Fortunately scratchplate material is quite soft & easy to work because then it was a matter of filing the rough edges to meet the score line & achieve the correct finished dimensions. I didn't trust myself to accurately shape a 45 degree bevel so I settled for a straight edge with the top rounded off a little. The plastic had a protective layer on it while I worked so most of it stayed intact, but any minor scuffs on the top surface polished out with T-Cut. I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out: [url="http://s1276.photobucket.com/user/LanterneRouge/media/Yamaha%20SBV500/sbv1200_zpsz09f6km4.jpg.html"][/url] This is the biggest job I've undertaken & it did take a good few hours - previously I've done a half-sized plate & various trcs so have got reasonably confident with the material. Planning a custom-shaped plate for a Rickenfaker project at the moment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Westenra Posted January 11, 2017 Share Posted January 11, 2017 [quote name='thegummy' timestamp='1484097030' post='3212720'] Anyone ever bought a blank sheet of pickguard material (such as the ones that WD Music sell) and cut their own pickguard? How would you go about doing it? What kind of place could you take it to to cut it for you? [/quote] I run the CNCs at my modelshop so I just slapped one on when there was no work on. Pretty fortunate in that respect! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thegummy Posted January 11, 2017 Author Share Posted January 11, 2017 [quote name='Bassassin' timestamp='1484139058' post='3212933'] I've done a few. Most recently I replaced the original white plate on a Yamaha SBV500 with a rather more vulgar pearl red. I don't have any power tools adequate for cutting scratchplate material (I have a scroll saw but it's far too inaccurate to do anything but rough cutting) so this was largely done by hand. I used the original plate as a template - using the screwholes on the original, I attached the old plate & the blank to a suitably-sized piece of wood so everything was clamped tightly together. Then I scored around the outline of the original, removed the old plate then drilled millions of holes around the shape of the new plate, as close to the score lines as possible. That made it quite easy to cut out the rough shape of the new plate using a combination of scroll saw & hand tools. Fortunately scratchplate material is quite soft & easy to work because then it was a matter of filing the rough edges to meet the score line & achieve the correct finished dimensions. I didn't trust myself to accurately shape a 45 degree bevel so I settled for a straight edge with the top rounded off a little. The plastic had a protective layer on it while I worked so most of it stayed intact, but any minor scuffs on the top surface polished out with T-Cut. I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out: This is the biggest job I've undertaken & it did take a good few hours - previously I've done a half-sized plate & various trcs so have got reasonably confident with the material. Planning a custom-shaped plate for a Rickenfaker project at the moment. [/quote] That's very impressive! I definitely won't be going the hand route but I'm impressed you've done it so well. Good job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thegummy Posted January 11, 2017 Author Share Posted January 11, 2017 [quote name='Westenra' timestamp='1484142383' post='3212975'] I run the CNCs at my modelshop so I just slapped one on when there was no work on. Pretty fortunate in that respect! [/quote] Are they laser cutters or do they use a blade? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T-Bay Posted January 11, 2017 Share Posted January 11, 2017 You could cut a pattern in wood and then attach the plastic to it and use a router with flush cut bit to make a nice edge. You would also have the benefit that it would be easy to make more than one if needed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thegummy Posted January 11, 2017 Author Share Posted January 11, 2017 [quote name='T-Bay' timestamp='1484171162' post='3213359'] You could cut a pattern in wood and then attach the plastic to it and use a router with flush cut bit to make a nice edge. You would also have the benefit that it would be easy to make more than one if needed. [/quote] To be honest I don't fancy DIYing it. Any idea what kind of place I could go to for that service? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T-Bay Posted January 11, 2017 Share Posted January 11, 2017 [quote name='thegummy' timestamp='1484172033' post='3213366'] To be honest I don't fancy DIYing it. Any idea what kind of place I could go to for that service? [/quote] Do you have any handy friends? It really isn't a complex job and a router isn't uncommon in a toolkit of people who dabble in diy. As for getting someone to do it for you, I would guess that most luthiers would do it, probably in a bandsaw which would be a quicker way to do it. And I would guess that most woodworkers would be able to do it but no idea if they would be happy to take it on (and good old fashioned woodworking places are few and far between these days and tend to do high end stuff so may not be cheap). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thegummy Posted January 11, 2017 Author Share Posted January 11, 2017 [quote name='T-Bay' timestamp='1484172413' post='3213368'] Do you have any handy friends? It really isn't a complex job and a router isn't uncommon in a toolkit of people who dabble in diy. As for getting someone to do it for you, I would guess that most luthiers would do it, probably in a bandsaw which would be a quicker way to do it. And I would guess that most woodworkers would be able to do it but no idea if they would be happy to take it on (and good old fashioned woodworking places are few and far between these days and tend to do high end stuff so may not be cheap). [/quote] Was just speaking to my friend who's a graphic designer and has access to automated routing machines and he said at first he'd do it but when I showed him the price of the blank plastic he said I should get it lasered cause he wouldn't want to risk it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manton Customs Posted January 12, 2017 Share Posted January 12, 2017 (edited) [quote name='thegummy' timestamp='1484175693' post='3213390'] Was just speaking to my friend who's a graphic designer and has access to automated routing machines and he said at first he'd do it but when I showed him the price of the blank plastic he said I should get it lasered cause he wouldn't want to risk it [/quote] Routers as Tbay suggested work fine. I would bandsaw close to the line, template rout, then rout the the bevel. Alternatively you could bandsaw/jigsaw up close to the line then lots of sanding! Have you tried "scratch it" they do custom jobs and would be cheaper than a luthier. http://www.originalscratchplates.com/ Edited January 12, 2017 by Manton Customs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thegummy Posted January 12, 2017 Author Share Posted January 12, 2017 (edited) [quote name='Manton Customs' timestamp='1484180901' post='3213426'] Routers as Tbay suggested work fine. I would bandsaw close to the line, template rout, then rout the the bevel. Alternatively you could bandsaw/jigsaw up close to the line then lots of sanding! Have you tried "scratch it" they do custom jobs and would be cheaper than a luthier. [url="http://www.originalscratchplates.com/"]http://www.originalscratchplates.com/[/url] [/quote] Wow this looks to be exactly what I want!!! Do you know if they'd be able to do a copy of an existing pickguard or even already have the template for a relatively rare shape like the Schecter Diamond J that I want? Never mind, I should have read the site before asking. Now that you've showed me this site I have to think if I want a custom print or just stick to tortoise! Edited January 12, 2017 by thegummy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcnach Posted January 12, 2017 Share Posted January 12, 2017 [quote name='thegummy' timestamp='1484183475' post='3213429'] Wow this looks to be exactly what I want!!! Do you know if they'd be able to do a copy of an existing pickguard or even already have the template for a relatively rare shape like the Schecter Diamond J that I want? Never mind, I should have read the site before asking. Now that you've showed me this site I have to think if I want a custom print or just stick to tortoise! [/quote] notice that they don't do 3-ply or beveled edges. It's a 2mm acrylic sheet with a design bound to it on the bottom. It allows you to have any design you like easily, but no good if you're after 3-ply or a bevelled edge is important to you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Westenra Posted January 12, 2017 Share Posted January 12, 2017 [quote name='thegummy' timestamp='1484170802' post='3213354'] Are they laser cutters or do they use a blade? [/quote] They use machine tools, for this specific job I used a V cutter so as to have a chamfered edge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcnach Posted January 13, 2017 Share Posted January 13, 2017 [quote name='Meddle' timestamp='1484254958' post='3214154'] I cut the pickguard on this bass: The workflow was reasonably simple. I traced an ES-355 pickguard onto a pickguard blank, then subtly reshaped it and re-designed the routes to match the pickup ring on the bass. I drilled out the two mounting holes first, and used these to screw the pickguard blank to a sacrificial backing board. I used my dremel, and a small cutting wheel, to rough out the outline of the pickguard. I then used some large files to dial in the outline better. As I got closer I used sandpaper on a sanding block (using the curved back on some sections and the flat front on others), and begin to put the bevel on the pickguard by angling the block. For completed sections I roughed in the bevel with a Stanley blade by hand. When I was finally happy with the shape I went around the edges with progressively finer grits of sandpaper to remove tooling marks. For the pickup route I simply drilled the corners of the route then used the Dremel and cutting wheel to cut out the rectangle I needed to remove. I cut out the area slightly too small, so that I could dial in the straight lines and get them to cleanly flow into the drill holes. I've simplified the workflow slightly, as I basically grubbed around my flat looking for things to stick sandpaper to for the correct radius etc. In total it probably took me a few hours to do. Tim at Scratchit! did make me a 3-ply non-beveled pickguard for a Mike Dirnt bass. I sent him the blank and he tried to cut it out with his laser cutter but it didn't work. He instead passed it along to a work colleague with either a CNC machine or a router (I forget which). This isn't Tim's normal line of work, so I don't think he offers it as a service. [/quote] great job! because of you I just ordered a Dremel and some pickguard sheets... I'll end up spending a lot of time on this and I'll make a mess of it, and finally I'll pay someone to make it but I've got to try! (I want a pickguard for my red Maruszczyk Jake... it looks a little naked without one) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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