Show me some creative pickguard SHAPES for a tele-ish guitar

[Dave Locher]

I am putting together a guitar with a gibson-style headstock and wraparound bridge, one humbucker, a telecaster body and control plate.
I need to make a pickguard to cover up the neck pickup route, the wiring route, and the area around the bridge pickup all the way to the bridge. Although I am very creative when it comes to the materials and colors of pickguards, I usually just copy or slightly modify a shape that I like. In this case, a standard Esquier/Telecaster pickguard just won't look right.
Anyone have any examples to show me of what might look really good on a Gibson-ish, Telecaster-ish partscaster?

 

[Dave Locher]

Re: Show me some creative pickguard SHAPES for a tele-ish guitar

I mean images like these two. (I don't love either of them, but they at least give me ideas.)
I have already google searched, but the problem is that most of the custom teles have no pickguard at all, or a small one that won't cover all the cavities I need to cover. And most of the "custom" tele pickguards are just standard pickguards made from non-standard materials. I'm looking for custom SHAPES, like these two:

 

[VinceT]

Re: Show me some creative pickguard SHAPES for a tele-ish guitar

Dave - take a look at the Reverend site - Joe Naylor does interesting things with pickguards that are referential but not slavish.


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[Dave Locher]

Re: Show me some creative pickguard SHAPES for a tele-ish guitar

Thank you, Vince. I checked out their website and they do have some interesting variations on the usual Tele theme.

Anyone else?

 

[Mincer]

Re: Show me some creative pickguard SHAPES for a tele-ish guitar

I mean images like these two. (I don't love either of them, but they at least give me ideas.)
I have already google searched, but the problem is that most of the custom teles have no pickguard at all, or a small one that won't cover all the cavities I need to cover. And most of the "custom" tele pickguards are just standard pickguards made from non-standard materials. I'm looking for custom SHAPES, like these two: View attachment 78566View attachment 78567

I really like that 2nd one. In fact, I like the whole design.

 

[Silence Kid]

Re: Show me some creative pickguard SHAPES for a tele-ish guitar

The second one looks really nice. The first one looks like what it is; a chopped up Jazzmaster pickguard. I'm sure it sounds awesome, but I'd prefer it with a Custom/Thinline/Deluxe pickguard...

 

[Rex_Rocker]

Re: Show me some creative pickguard SHAPES for a tele-ish guitar

The Tele-Strat looks absolutely killer.

It would be even better if it had a Tele bridge, IMO.

 

[rgand]

Re: Show me some creative pickguard SHAPES for a tele-ish guitar

Here's a mockup of what I'll be doing on my Tele one of these days.

 

[Dave Locher]

Re: Show me some creative pickguard SHAPES for a tele-ish guitar

That thinline is similar to what I have in mind. Thanks.

 

[VinceT]

Re: Show me some creative pickguard SHAPES for a tele-ish guitar

Oh, I should also mention the PRS Vela pick guard as an interesting Tele/Strat style

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[rgand]

Re: Show me some creative pickguard SHAPES for a tele-ish guitar

When you get it made, post a pic for us. :thumbsup

 

[Dave Locher]

Re: Show me some creative pickguard SHAPES for a tele-ish guitar

Funny you mention PRS, yesterday I realized my problem was that I have been searching for Tele pickguards. Instead I just did image searches for every flat top, front loaded guitar I could think of. Ended up with inspiration photos of two Godin, a couple Gibsons, and two PRS (Starla and S2, I think).
Hopefully I will have time to do a mockup or two soon so I can post photos.

 

[subanots]

Re: Show me some creative pickguard SHAPES for a tele-ish guitar

View attachment 78620
It's not too different, but it's something I came up for this dude a few years ago.

 

[GilmourD]

Re: Show me some creative pickguard SHAPES for a tele-ish guitar

I wish Nelsonic didn't disappear...

 

[Dave Locher]

Re: Show me some creative pickguard SHAPES for a tele-ish guitar

Okay, so I am not using the Tele bridge but I am using the tele control plate. I bought a 'regular' Telecaster body, which had the routing for the bridge pickup and the neck pickup and a wiring channel, all of which I need to cover up because putting the 24.75" neck on it moved the bridge and the bridge pickup closer to the neck. Here are some super-quick sketches I just did in about 30 seconds, while looking at a photo of a Godin Empire, a Telecaster thinline, an SG, and a Les Paul Junior. What are your thoughts? (See photos below).

The body is going to be black and the pickguard is going to be clear plexi painted silver from behind like an old Gretsch. Black humbucker, creme or parchment bezel. Knobs will be the very last decision I make.

 

[Dave Locher]

Rough draft attempts

Rough draft attempts

Took me two tries to get the photos loaded! You can see the routing I need to cover on my guitar body. That's dictating certain parameters for the pickguard, specifically that it has to extend behind the humbucker, which mounts forward of the factory route.
I cannot figure out how to rotate the images?

 

[Dave Locher]

Re: Rough draft attempts

Re: Rough draft attempts

Two more variations on the theme.

 

[akio]

Re: Rough draft attempts

Re: Rough draft attempts

This is kind of a combo of your A and B drawings, but maybe something like this:

 

[Dave Locher]

Re: Show me some creative pickguard SHAPES for a tele-ish guitar

Not bad! A little bit Strat, a little bit tele, and it goes all the way to the bridge. What is that guitar?

 

[akio]

Re: Show me some creative pickguard SHAPES for a tele-ish guitar

Oh, i just mashed that together in GIMP from Halo Guitars online custom builder page. Built a Strat and Tele with the same config, then pieced things together. Obviously you're going have to do some custom cutting.

Just had another thought, why not plane 1/4" off the top and do a custom laminate? Then you could do pretty much anything without worrying about the old routes.