Carbon Fibre Pickguard? Who can make me one?

[Bassislife16]

Ok, so I’ve been pondering on this idea for the last 2 days, So I have a Sadowsky NYC Satin Deluxe 4, with a Mint green/off white pickguard which is my beloved. 

Obviously Sadowsky have their own unique pickguard shape so retrofitting & sourcing some form of Fender replacement is a no no.

Sadowsky pickguards are are insanely expensive and hard to come by, not to mention expensive to import, I’m not a fan of the whole carbon wrap/vinyl idea but  I’ve been mulling over the idea of a carbon fibre pickguard? Was wondering if anyone knows where/who could make me one and what sort of price I’d be looking at roughly? Local to Derbyshire if possible? 

 

Alot to ask ask I know! 

[AndyTravis]

@TimAl could do one which looks like carbon fibre. It won’t be anywhere near as expensive as CF and then if you don’t like it, you’ve not wasted vast amounts of cash?

[Bassislife16]

8 minutes ago, AndyTravis said:

@TimAl could do one which looks like carbon fibre. It won’t be anywhere near as expensive as CF and then if you don’t like it, you’ve not wasted vast amounts of cash?

As long as it’s not a plastic pickguard with vinyl wrap bound to peel off it I reckon that’d be brill

[AndyTravis]

8 minutes ago, Bassislife16 said:

As long as it’s not a plastic pickguard with vinyl wrap bound to peel off it I reckon that’d be brill

It’s clear acrylic with the image underneath (bonded, not like a crappy insert). But it gives you chance to decide at 1/3 the cost.

[itu]

Carbon fiber is so hard to cut, you need special tools or otherwise the tools will be short-lived. You can buy smaller plates from hobby shops but that big plate may be slightly harder to find. You may try race car shops or similar. The price may not be incredible but be precise on the measuring of the original. You do not want to make any changes to the ready part, as the powder coming out from machining is not very healthy. Those tiny carbon particles stick to your lungs etc.

The best machining quality I have seen comes from water cutting. You can even see the details of the different layers.

Edited March 22, 2019 by itu
details...

[Maude]

Carbon in resin sheets aren't really any more expensive than scratchplate material sheets and aren't that difficult to cut, a bit more care on the h&s front but a jigsaw or router will happily do it and tidy it up with files or sandpaper, you'll only be dealing with thin stuff after all. The big problem I predict is getting a nice edge as the fibres will look rough, the edge would need sealing with lacquer or resin to make it neat. 

The acrylic sheet with an image underneath sounds much neater to me and would look just as good from a few feet away. 

[Dan Dare]

Try Jack's Instrument Services in Manchester. They have an enormous range of materials they can make you a PG out of. As others suggest, best to use a carbon look-alike material. Carbon is harder to work and also expensive.

[edstraker123]

1 hour ago, Dan Dare said:

Try Jack's Instrument Services in Manchester

Just made me a purple pearl pickguard for a guitar - it was £75 but worth every penny. Would definitely use them again.