Grahambythesea Posted December 12 Share Posted December 12 On 10/12/2024 at 14:44, meterman said: I haven't got any decent pictures of it, but surely someone's going to post the original cut-down homemade bass that Bill Wyman made (Dallas-Arbiter with the frets pulled out?) in the early 60's that had a hilariously bad DIY pickguard. Same goes for some of the early (late 50's / early 60's UK made basses. And some late 60's or early 70's plywood MIJ basses too. The pre-lawsuit "we're not really sure what we're doing but we're doing it anyway" ones. Teisco were repeat offenders. Italian company Meazzi also made some pretty wild looking basses, the Jupiter models in particular. I sort of admire their Italian bonkers-ness in a way. Now those are really awful! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Browning Posted December 12 Share Posted December 12 Pretty much every Burns model. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twigman Posted December 12 Share Posted December 12 10 hours ago, MartinB said: As someone who mostly plays Jazz necks, the word I would use is "chunky" Thanks for that info. My #1 bass is EBMM USA Sterling and of my 4 precisions, 3 of them have J necks....I suspect then I wouldn't get on with the Eastwood. Saved me making an expensive mistake. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bolo Posted December 12 Share Posted December 12 This is turning into a "great scratchplates" thread. I love it! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE Posted December 12 Share Posted December 12 (edited) 2 hours ago, Bolo said: This is turning into a "great scratchplates" thread. I love it! This is one of my favourites 😬 Edited December 12 by RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tauzero Posted December 12 Share Posted December 12 3 hours ago, Bolo said: This is turning into a "great scratchplates" thread. I love it! There is no such thing as a great scratchplate, only a marginally less offensive scratchplate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichaelDean Posted December 12 Share Posted December 12 This one is bad. Hutchins Beachcomber. Nothing flows and the whole thing looks a bit lumpy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geek99 Posted December 12 Share Posted December 12 5 hours ago, tauzero said: There is no such thing as a great scratchplate, only a marginally less offensive scratchplate. Unless it is tort, in which case it is innately magical and brilliant 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRev Posted December 12 Share Posted December 12 On 10/12/2024 at 14:53, tauzero said: I like the Variax one. My own Variax is sunburst with tort though. I've also got a Ray5 which is very like the second one. None of the other 30 or so have pickguards. Still, to add to the ugly pickguards: and especially 10 years ago I'd have slammed me nadgers in a drawer rather than play a bass with a '51 style scratch plate, but now I quite like them. Especially when they're sexed up a bit like this: 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MartinB Posted December 13 Share Posted December 13 2 hours ago, MichaelDean said: This one is bad. Hutchins Beachcomber. Nothing flows and the whole thing looks a bit lumpy. Aside from the ugly tort, I think this one's pretty decent. It follows the outline of the body properly, unlike a lot of the disasters in this thread. Just needs a little tweak in the area next to the neck: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geek99 Posted December 13 Share Posted December 13 @MartinB “ugly tort”? You have less taste than Donald trump. Tort is fabulous 👍 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MartinB Posted December 13 Share Posted December 13 Don't get me wrong - I like a nice tort. That one just isn't a nice tort 😆. It's dull, and too red to go with the blue paint. I'd want a much darker brown with more pattern - but an off-white pickguard would be better still. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean-Luc Pickguard Posted December 13 Author Share Posted December 13 Beyond the shape of the pickguard, when talking about tort pickguards it is unfair to lump it all together as there is a huge difference between beautiful tort and fugly tort. Beautiful tort: Fugly tort: 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rushbo Posted December 13 Share Posted December 13 15 minutes ago, Jean-Luc Pickguard said: I think there should be a "Fugly Thumbrests" thread... 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geek99 Posted December 13 Share Posted December 13 21 minutes ago, Jean-Luc Pickguard said: Beyond the shape of the pickguard, when talking about tort pickguards it is unfair to lump it all together as there is a huge difference between beautiful tort and fugly tort. Beautiful tort: Fugly tort: Isn’t the top one “old tort” which contained horrendous chemicals and isn’t legal to make any more using those ingredients and methods? A somewhat unfair comparison I feel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean-Luc Pickguard Posted December 13 Author Share Posted December 13 29 minutes ago, Geek99 said: Isn’t the top one “old tort” which contained horrendous chemicals and isn’t legal to make any more using those ingredients and methods? A somewhat unfair comparison I feel I apologise unreservedly to all aesthetically challenged tort pickguards for the unfair comparison. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geek99 Posted December 13 Share Posted December 13 42 minutes ago, Jean-Luc Pickguard said: I apologise unreservedly to all aesthetically challenged tort pickguards for the unfair comparison. I wasn’t questioning your taste, and I’d agree however its not easy to make tort that’s quite as nice these days was what was made years ago Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stub Mandrel Posted December 13 Share Posted December 13 2 hours ago, Geek99 said: Isn’t the top one “old tort” which contained horrendous chemicals and isn’t legal to make any more using those ingredients and methods? A somewhat unfair comparison I feel Cheap ebay/amazon ones often look pretty vintage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean-Luc Pickguard Posted December 13 Author Share Posted December 13 24 minutes ago, Stub Mandrel said: Cheap ebay/amazon ones often look pretty vintage. I have one on my bitzer precision fretless that looks really good and was £10 delivered from China three or four years ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay2U Posted December 13 Share Posted December 13 I don't like pickguards. However, I do tolerate them on P-Basses, as they accommodate pots and socket. But NO tort, please! 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tauzero Posted December 13 Share Posted December 13 3 hours ago, Jean-Luc Pickguard said: Beyond the shape of the pickguard, when talking about tort pickguards it is unfair to lump it all together as there is a huge difference between beautiful tort and fugly tort. Beautiful tort: Fugly tort: You have that inverted. The first is hideous. The second is acceptable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodinblack Posted December 13 Share Posted December 13 2 hours ago, Jean-Luc Pickguard said: I apologise unreservedly to all aesthetically challenged tort pickguards for the unfair comparison. By its nature there is no such thing as a non aesthetically challenged tort pickguard, so it is a fair comparison! I assumed what you meant in your photos were 'ugly tort' and 'photocopy of an ugly tort' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reggaebass Posted December 13 Share Posted December 13 3 hours ago, Jean-Luc Pickguard said: Beyond the shape of the pickguard, when talking about tort pickguards it is unfair to lump it all together as there is a huge difference between beautiful tort and fugly tort. Beautiful tort: Fugly tort: Definitely, the depth of the colour in the 60s and early 70s ones is amazing when you look up close , the bottom one looks dreadful 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meterman Posted December 13 Share Posted December 13 3 hours ago, Geek99 said: Isn’t the top one “old tort” which contained horrendous chemicals and isn’t legal to make any more using those ingredients and methods? A somewhat unfair comparison I feel Same thing with certain vintage drum kits that came in amazing coloured wrap. Often the old wraps were beautiful, but also highly flammable, and the modern day equivalents are really difficult to match the old vintage ones. Especially the oyster pearl finishes, or moirés, even some of the Ludwig Strata or Slingerland Onyx finishes are notoriously hard to replicate. Decent vintage tort, however awful the chemicals involved were, can be spectacular when you find a good example on the right bass 👍 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stub Mandrel Posted December 13 Share Posted December 13 The originals were celluloid. It is highly flammable (inflammable in the US) and shtinks over the decades. There's plenty of nice modern tort out there. Cheap modern eBay tobreplace broken 80s Japanese: 2019 Fender roadworn: 1980s Hohner, has since faded to an amazing volour but don't have a photo: 60s Fender Fender repro of 60s, allowing for different light very close to the one above: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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