Replacing Pickguards

[nicfit]

Hi,

This is my first post, so bear with me if I break any forum rules or such.

I have a Fender P-Bass and would like to replace its pickguard. I have not done this before and am unsure as how to do it. Are there any websites that show a step-by-step instructional guide or anything of the sort? Also, are there any things I should avoid doing? Are the electronics and wiring actually attached to the pickguard?

Sorry for so many questions, hope anyone can be of help.

Thanks!

[rllefebv]

Hey nicfit, welcome to talkbass!

Yes, the electronics are attached directly to the pickguard, and there is also usually a wire running from the output jack to the bridge that will make things a bit tight... All in all, this is a pretty easy swap...

*Loosen the strings so that they are floppy, (or remove them altogether)

*Remove all of the screws holding the pickguard to the body and carefully pull the pickguard off. Remember, the electronics and pickguard will still be connected to the bass via the bridge ground-wire

*Remove the knobs... This will expose the nuts for removing the volume and tone controls.

*Remove the pickups, volume and tone, and output jack from the pickguard and attach them to the new pickguard.

*Re-attach the new pickguard, and viola!

Oftentimes, the ground wire is long enough to do this without removing the bridge or unsoldering any wires... Hopefully this will be the case in your mod.

Good Luck!

-robert

[tplyons]

Pretty much covered it, except one thing:

There are so many P-bass variations out there where the holes wont line up. Either you're going to have to move the holes on the pickguard or the bass. If you don't care about resale value and don't mind drilling your bass again, that generally looks a little better, but I prefer to take a dremel to the pickguard and widen the holes a bit to fit the screws. Doesn't look as good but you can return it to stock without any problems.

[rllefebv]

Originally posted by tplyons
Pretty much covered it, except one thing:

There are so many P-bass variations out there where the holes wont line up.

'Zactly! Thanks for covering for me!

-robert

[nicfit]

Hi,

Thanks for the replies.

What are the tools required for such a mod? Screwdriver, and? Also, what are the things to watch out for so as not to ruin anything heh.

It still sounds quite scary and hard to do, considering I'm completely foreign to anything to do with a screwdriver, but thanks for the help.

[tplyons]

If you plan on doing ANYTHING with your guitar, get a Dremel, with all the attachments there's almost nothing they can't do. I use a dremel with a drill bit to modify pickguards and it works surprisingly well. Dremel and a screwdriver should do the trick.