• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join freeLog in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Brass vs Stainless pickguard screws?

To get the most out of the pickguard screws a mini torque driver ($79.95) is required. You need to alternate between 7 and 10 Lbs of torque. Of course if the screws are non US may need to look at the international SCREW torque guide to set them proper pressure. Uneven perssure can cause sympoms such as depresssion, loss of employment and even divorce! But as long as the torque is right you will be happy, keep your job and not need a divorce lawyer. My 0.2 cents! :)
 
To get the most out of the pickguard screws a mini torque driver ($79.95) is required. You need to alternate between 7 and 10 Lbs of torque. Of course if the screws are non US may need to look at the international SCREW torque guide to set them proper pressure. Uneven perssure can cause sympoms such as depresssion, loss of employment and even divorce! But as long as the torque is right you will be happy, keep your job and not need a divorce lawyer. My 0.2 cents! :)

Dont forget low resale value on your home.
 
hehh...great. :D Maybe it's just me,but I can't help thinking,that some of us Talkbassers are really serious about this topic. maybe I'm the dumbass,and everybody is just normal,but please let me know, to sell my basses and try the "handclapping" as an instrument. :)
 
Has anyone considered using glue for the pickguard? I like the added brightness and attack that you gain from pickguard screws, but I always feel like the sustain lost through vibration at the screws isn't worth it. I need my notes to sustain for at least 0.006357142 seconds longer than they are. Will gluing my pickguard rather than using screws help in this regard?
 
You need to alternate between 7 and 10 Lbs of torque.

He doesn't know what he's talking about. The units of torque are not Lbs, they are ft-lbs aka lb-ft. And 7 to 10 ft-lbs would be WAY too low for pickguard screws. They should always be torqued between 85 and 95 ft-lbs.

DUH!

(Disclaimer - don't try this at home. Torquing this severe should only be performed by a real loothier or someone else with real strong forearms, like Popeye.)
 
He doesn't know what he's talking about. The units of torque are not Lbs, they are ft-lbs aka lb-ft. And 7 to 10 ft-lbs would be WAY too low for pickguard screws. They should always be torqued between 85 and 95 ft-lbs.

DUH!

(Disclaimer - don't try this at home. Torquing this severe should only be performed by a real loothier or someone else with real strong forearms, like Popeye.)

95 ft-lbs for a screw? my girlfriend would be happy with that. im buying her a torque wrench.
 
I don´t like the look of pickguards on all my basses, so in order to maintain tone unaffected by pickguard loss on my 73´ Jazz, i decided to mount the pickguard on the back of the bass and in doing so i have reached these conclusions:

- To maintain tone and the back of your bass looking beautiful you have to mount a lefty pickguard if your bass is righty.

- The tone knob works just fine but now i have to use it the other way around (before: + treble move clockwise, - treble move counter clockwise) because the pick guard is mounted on the back.

- While waiting for the arrival of the new unobtanium pickguard screws (stole the idea from one of the posters on this thread) the pickguard was off and i developed a pretty bad base of eyebrow dandruff that magically dissapeared when the bass had it´s´pickguard installed again (your body will not notice if it´s in the back or in it´s usual place)

- Now i can use my Carrot King Big @ss Belt Buckle without fear of damaging the finish on the back of my beloved instrument.

If something else comes up i´ll be glad to inform.
 
"Does the color of my bass affect the tone?"

I have two Fender RB5's. One is metallic gold, the other is metallic blue. The gold one has a brighter tone than the blue one, even when both are freshly strung with identical string sets.

Coincidence? I think not!!! The only differences between these two basses is the color of the paint. Therefore, color affects tone!



:ninja:
 
hehh...great. :D Maybe it's just me,but I can't help thinking,that some of us Talkbassers are really serious about this topic. maybe I'm the dumbass,and everybody is just normal,but please let me know, to sell my basses and try the "handclapping" as an instrument. :)

Handclapping is a great instrument, but you have to be careful about what lotion you use, you might lose all your bottom end tone.