Pickguard warping Q

[daan]

OK so I have a parts-strat that's been done for the better part of a year now. It has a guardplate from GFS, just like all the other strats I have (currently, 3 different ones with the same standard black plate they offer)

A freind of my wife has a kid who wants to learn guitar, so I offered to loan them this thing to see if he likes it. It's been in its' case since early this summer, so no weird temp. fluctuations or whatever. Anyway I got it out of the case yesterday, and the pickguard is all warped. (Yes these are crappy pics, I'm sorry!)




It's so warped, the neck pickup is raised up towards the strings and tilted towards the neck. Weird. I have another guitar with the same guard (may have even been bought at the same time as this one) and that one is flat as can be, plus that one's been in and out of the house a few times, plus sitting out where the kids can abuse-I mean, play it 24-7.
I've never had a guard warp like this before, have any of you seen this before? I've heard of "vintage" (40-year-old, original plastics) getting wavy, especially if they aren't attatched to anything but never a new one screwed down to a body getting all humped like this. ???

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: Pickguard warping Q

I notice that the heads of the pickup height adjustment screws do not seem to be sitting properly in their countersunk holes. It is possible that they are butting against something in the pickup rout or that one of the pickup output conductor wires is not seated properly in its channel.

Vintage nitro pickguards can warp. I have seen modern pickguards curl but this is usually because they have been displayed in a shop for too long.

 

[AlexR]

Re: Pickguard warping Q

^ With a vintage s/c rout (which is tight), they might have been pushed that way due to the warp, not the warp happening due to this. Its pretty severe....almost like a heating duct has been nearby.

 

[Mincer]

Re: Pickguard warping Q

I've had it happen to me on a loaded pickguard that wasn't in a guitar, but in storage. Here is how I fixed it.