WHAT ERA IS THIS PICKGUARD?(FENDER EXPERTS?)

lowphatbass · #1 11-23-2011, 06:55 PM

I, know this pickguard is not original to the bass. It has some shrinkage and warping that seem honest, it also has signs of wearing a tug bar for a significant time.

Here's a few pics with under various lighting conditions.

Thanks!!

lowphatbass · #2 11-23-2011, 07:24 PM

BTW folks, this isn't any kind of test or trick or anything. I'm just wondering if anybody knows the age of this pickguard....my completely uneducated guess was late 60's.

johnk_10 · #3 11-23-2011, 07:47 PM

it looks like a late 60's/early 70's to me.

lowphatbass · #4 11-23-2011, 09:38 PM

Perfect! Thanks John. I appreciate your info and opinions very much, always educational.

Caca de Kick · #5 11-23-2011, 10:52 PM

+1 with John.
the narrow black layer, bevel, color.

Dark Horse · #6 11-23-2011, 10:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by johnk_10

it looks like a late 60's/early 70's to me.

Yep.

johnk_10 · #7 11-23-2011, 11:32 PM

IMO, the newest is could be is an early '73 since it looks just like the one on my all original '73 p including having the tug bar holes on the treble side........................

............, but they all had that color of tort from late '68 thru early '73. late '73's onward had the thumbrest mounted on the bass side until they started reissuing the 57/'62 reissue P's in '82, but by then the tort color was different and they had a thicker black lam layer.

lowphatbass · #8 11-24-2011, 11:55 AM

Thanks Gang, that's pretty much lead pipes it then!

Always cool to get example pics John, a picture can be worth thousand words.

This guard is the wrong era for this bass, but it seems to look good with the cream and has some character so I'm going with it.

Happy Turkey/Beer day!

tdizzle · #9 11-24-2011, 06:24 PM

That depth of color is unmistakable. I remember a thread about why the new pickguards don't look like the old ones. I remember the answer being that the way they made them was highly toxic and it can no longer be done by restrictions of law. Why the black layer is too thick and the bevel wrong (on the new guards) is beyond me.

Caca de Kick · #10 11-24-2011, 06:49 PM

Yeah, that's the mind boggler to me, and I know I've said it before...with all the advancements in plastics, why can't the great look of the vintage torts be done? They all miss it by a mile.

johnk_10 · #11 11-24-2011, 11:12 PM

i agree. when i need to use a new tort guard on a bass, i use fender's '62 AV RI, but i dye them more red and repolish them to get them a bit closer to the originals.. here's a pic of my most recent one:

tdizzle · #12 11-25-2011, 07:15 AM

I was going to mention the 62RI guards as being the closest thing, very reminiscent of the early 70s. I have a couple that are nice. Here is one.

The early guards had that beautiful blotch quality, while most of the new ones are all swirly. I don't ever recall seeing all that swirl back in the day.

Bongolation · #13 11-25-2011, 07:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by johnk_10

it looks like a late 60's/early 70's to me.

I'd say earlier than '70s. I'm looking at a '72 at the moment and the tortoiseshell looks absolutely nothing like that, nor have I seen any from that era that looks like that. It looks like yours does.