funkyjazz Posted November 6, 2021 Share Posted November 6, 2021 Hi all, I am in the process of restoring a bass and I am ideally looking for a vectorial representation of the pickguard of the 51 precision bass to be able to order one. Has anyone got it? Can anyone comment also on how thick would it have to be to be faithful to the original? I am only interested in the 51-54 (the original model without body contour). The bass will be butterscotch and the pickguard black matte. How should the finish/material be? Can anyone help me? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulThePlug Posted November 6, 2021 Share Posted November 6, 2021 Give Brian 'Earlpilanz' on the bay a try... https://www.ebay.co.uk/str/earlpilanz 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kodiakblair Posted November 9, 2021 Share Posted November 9, 2021 I loaned Brian the plate on my 90s MIJ reissue. If you don't want to buy one ready made just ask him for the PDF. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
funkyjazz Posted November 9, 2021 Author Share Posted November 9, 2021 do I have to buy the pdf from him or does he give it to me? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulThePlug Posted November 9, 2021 Share Posted November 9, 2021 (edited) This might help... https://www.greasygroove.com/will-it-fit Tele Bass, towards the bottom.... Profiles A B or C are all listed as 51-54 but i suspect one of them is prolly what you are after... Edited November 9, 2021 by PaulThePlug 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
funkyjazz Posted November 9, 2021 Author Share Posted November 9, 2021 wow this is right what I need! Many thanks! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ikay Posted November 9, 2021 Share Posted November 9, 2021 Here are some links to 51-54 pickguard templates (3 variants): https://www.greasygroove.com/mwdownloads/download/link/id/86/ https://www.greasygroove.com/mwdownloads/download/link/id/85/ https://www.greasygroove.com/mwdownloads/download/link/id/84/ According to http://www.guitarhq.com/fender.html the original material was 0.06" thick (1.5mm). Here's the extract: Pickguard Material Black pickguards: black pickguards were used from 1950 to mid-1954 on the Telecaster, Esquire and Precision bass. This material consisted of a fiberous bakelite, and was about .060 (inches) thick. The fiberous material was added to the bakelite to add strength (bakelite is too brittle and would crack at that thickness without it). Finally the black pickguards were clear-coated with clear nitrocellulose lacquer (top side only) to give them depth and shine. White pickguards (single layer): starting in mid-1954 on the Telecaster/Esquire and Precision bass, and from the start on Strats in 1954. Fender used a single layer white pickguard material made from ABS or vinyl about .060 (inches) thick. This relatively new material for the time was cheap, easy to work with, and somewhat flexible. Note bakelite was never used for white Fender pickguards on any model (though many people refer to white pickguards as such; but it's not bakelite). Fender stopped using the white material in mid-1959 except on the Telecaster, Esquire and DuoSonic/MusicMaster. In this case the single layer thickness increased to .080 (inches), and was used till about 1965 (Esquires till about 1967, when all old stock was depleted). 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
funkyjazz Posted November 9, 2021 Author Share Posted November 9, 2021 3 minutes ago, ikay said: ... .060 (inches) thick. White pickguards (single layer): starting in mid-1954 on the Telecaster/Esquire and Precision bass, and from the start on Strats in 1954. Fender used a single layer white pickguard material made from ABS or vinyl about .060 (inches) thick. Thanks this shades some light on the thickness but 0.6 inches is a lot more than I had imaged!!! I will post an image I took from a book which shows they are a few millimeters thick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
funkyjazz Posted November 9, 2021 Author Share Posted November 9, 2021 This is it! IMG_2175.HEIC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yorks5stringer Posted November 9, 2021 Share Posted November 9, 2021 (edited) 45 minutes ago, funkyjazz said: Thanks this shades some light on the thickness but 0.6 inches is a lot more than I had imaged!!! I will post an image I took from a book which shows they are a few millimeters thick It's 0.06 not 0.6!! Edited November 9, 2021 by yorks5stringer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulThePlug Posted November 9, 2021 Share Posted November 9, 2021 0.06" 1.5mm... 0.08... 2mm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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