GPB Bass pickguard compatibility

i decided i wanted to go with a different pickguard after receiving the kit so i ordered one from an online vendor. when it arrived i noticed it didn't fit the kit correctly. when properly aligned it leaves part of the control cavity showing. the jack hole is also drilled lower and with the jack installed it doesn't fit into the cavity. thinking the cheap guard was just poorly made i ordered another one from a different vendor which ended up having the same exact problem. i then figured pitbull but must be using a proprietary route for their cavity and a custom pickguard to match so i ordered a new pickguard from bitbull. when it arrived i found it was cut the same way as the other 2 that don't fit, not like the one that came with the kit.

has anyone else had this problem? Adam is looking through inventory to see what he can come up with but i'm wondering if there are other vendors where a compatible pick guard can be acquired. preferably stateside to avoid international shipping. i really never thought installing the pickguard was going to be the most challenging part of my first guitar build.

If the originally supplied pickguard fits perfectly you could consider getting a blank sheet of scratchplate material to your choice and fabricating a new one using the original as a template.

i've gone through some of the build diaries for this kit and the one person i found trying to replace the pick guard ran into the same issue. i also spent some time today going through pick guard templates on the websites of custom pick guard companies and none of the templates match the guard in this kit. its really a shame because this is an otherwise great kit. the problem is in the way the control cavity is routed. i really hope Adam will look into this.

i did initially look into making my own and dismissed it since i don't have a router. now it looks like my only options are to have a custom one made or make my own so i'm putting that option back on the table. i'd have to make a lot of pickguards for the tools to pay for themselves. an excuse to build more guitars?

I'd imagine that the kit makers have to be careful not to copy bodies and necks too closely. If you want an exact P-bass body then you can always go for a licensed manufacturer's body like Mighty Mite or Warmoth. Making them look similar but having control routs incompatible with standard pickguards is one way to avoid any chance of legal action.

I want to make a couple of pickguards myself, 3-ply rather than the single ply as the kits came with. I'm just waiting for the ply sheet to arrive. I really need to work out the best way to do it. I may have a go with a router, though I really need a proper router table to do it properly (which I don't have so I may have to bodge one together), or I may mark the shape, cut it out crudely and try and finesse that using a Dremel with a sanding drum. Or I may think of something else. It's less the curves, and more the straight lines, which are very easy to spot if they aren't straight.

router seems the way to go. i have my eye on a nice bosch one complete with a table. i have no problem dropping money on tools if i'm going to use them in the long run so i just have to figure out what projects i'm going to be able to put it to work on. i'm also looking into the feasibility of running a router bit in my drill press. while mulling all that over i realized i have a nice sheet of stainless steel kicking around so i might try to fashion one out of that first and see how it comes out. i'd be interested in seeing what you come up with if you go some direction other than a router.

My pickguard sheet arrived today, so when I've got the time, I'll give it a go. Big sheet, so I can afford to have a few goes for the two guitars that need them soonest.

Trouble with pre-cut pickguards is that one small alteration and it's FUBAR.

As has been pointed out the kits 'resemble' brand name guitars but with slight deviations.
Or major deviations in regard to the Telecaster.

I do quite well simply using a jigsaw, files and sandpaper.
Straight edges can be accomplished with a flat ruler with sandpaper glued on.

Like most tasks, you approach it with trepidation, however once you have a few under the belt, it's like shelling peas.

cheers, Mark.

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Originally Posted by king casey

...it's like shelling peas.

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Hmmm. I spent a good portion of my youth shelling peas on a machine like this one...

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It was easy, but you'd need a really big garage.

I have routed back covers for with a plunge router before I had a table. It worked just as well. It was just more trouble to set up. I made a template that was exactly the form of the back cover. Then I made a something to go around it that was the same thickness as the template+pickguard material. Since the router bearing/bit only touches the template, you just need to create a channel around the template that is a little wider than the bit. The idea is to have most of the base of the router supported at all times so that it does not wobble when cutting the pickguard.

I won't say it's easier to use a plunge or fixed base router for this kind of work than to use a table...but I have made less mistakes with with my plunge router than table. I think the reason may be that I am much more careful with the setup when I use the big plunge beast. I also think that the same thing that makes it unwieldy--it's size and weight--make it more stable as long as you take your time setting up the template.