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Inset pick guards?

Conclusion:

Inset pickguards can be done with hand routers and templates, pin routers and templates, or CNC routers and digital templates. It's not real difficult to do, but it takes some extra hours to make up the tooling and get it all dialed in. And in production, there are problems with tolerances and paint thickness. For most manufacturers and small builders, it isn't worth the trouble and expense. I don't recall seeing any mass production bass with an inset pickguard.

Some small builders inset the pickguards on special customs, particularly with pickguards made of figured wood or fancy metal. Just to be cool and exotic. I made a few basses some years back which had fancy etched aluminum pickguards, and the customer had me inlay them flush with the body surface. I cut the recesses with a hand router and templates. It took a little fussing with the template to get the fit just right, but they came out fine.