Pickguard affect tone?

[tjh]

O o ... this thread comes on the heels of the 'Whats under my Jazz pickgaurd" thread ...

I think we finally got to the bottom of "the Fender SOUND" ... its the deep cut subway routes under the 4 ply pickgaurd that is the secret ...

...finally exposed ... 'RESONANCE ROUTING" ... it is a strategic irrigational channel, travelling the length of the chain saw route and returning harmonically enhanced vibrations, reverberating onto the southern side of the perfectly designed multi layered faceplate that is responsible for that superior sound we hear from the current American Standard Series ...

... no wonder they are designed so that we cannot take the pickguard off ... it will throw the entire scientifically designed system out of whack ...

... too bad Leo didn't know about deep router cuts and CNC holes back in the day ... but what the heck would he know, he was only a glorified TV repairman ... besides, they probably didn't have chainsaws back in those days anyhow ... oh well ... thats technology I guess ..

... JM sarcastic HO ....

 

[ClydeMcAllister]

You guys, does finish color affect tone? I'm asking cause my red bass sounds more "angry" and my brown bass sounds "warm" and my black bass has a "dark" sound but I can lighten it up by putting a white pickguard on it it think.

I think it might just be a mental thing

 

[Chrisk-K]

The pickguard must affect the tone. Think about this. Unless you play the bass in complete darkness, the bass is bombarded with photons all the time. They influence the magnetic field around a pickup. The material of a pickguard directly influences the amount of photons interfering with the pickup magnetic field. For instance, a black pickguard reduces the amount of photons near the pickup, whereas a mirror pickguard increases it.

 

[zeroncali]

I would say a larger factor in basses with pick guards affecting tone it most of the time pick guards are put on to hide large routes in the body. IMO

 

[Chrisk-K]

What's the best pickguard for metal?

A depleted uranium pickguard

 

[Stilettoprefer]

On an acoustic, yes. Just peeled the pick guard off of my acoustic guitar today (it was pretty much just a sticker) and it improved the tone getting rid of the glue and chunk of rubbery plastic. On an electric, probably not going to change anything.

 

[bovinehost]

Is the pickguard magnetic? I think that would affect your tone.

Or also maybe if it were made of unobtanium.

 

[arsie]

Screw it down so it stops rattling.

 

[audiomitch]

A tort PG sounds dark, while a white pearloid sounds bright.

And no, I'm not being serious.

 

[darkstorm]

strats get their quack mainly from the placement of the mid pup and its voicing. Same sort of little tone change you get from mid position P pup as compared to neck position. Large swimming pool routes like fenders use for pups which cut out large chunk of wood could affect tone a little imo but not pickgaurd.

 

[Luckie]

At a certain level, it must affect it. Whether or not we can tell is another issue.

 

[810wmb]

yeah, tokk my pickguard off and sounds like my bass has a bitmore breathing room, im seein if anyone else agrees or if its just a mental thing, bitch

I LOL

 

[Munjibunga]

I find the tort guard on my Roscoe Beck V is a little more aggressive sounding than the white pearloid on my Lakland JO5.

 

[hypercarrots]

what happens if you put a fender pickguard on an ibanez?

 

[DenisKrestsov]

Do the lines in flame maple affect tone? If there are more lines is there more tone? and what about quilt maple, will it increase my midrange?

 

[EdHunter]

I put a mirror PG on my Black P and I immediatly sounded like Phil Lynott.

 

[KeithAlanK]

Disagree with me if you must, but many years ago I experienced something that has bearing on this subject.

I was making pickguards for several instruments of my own and those belonging to friends, and used some scrap plastic to clone the control cavity cover plate of my Ibanez Artist guitar.
The loss of sustain was the first thing I noticed, and the tone lost a lot of the magic, too.
Thinking it was something else, I put the original gold plated steel cover back on and instantly got MY sound back.

Pickguards are usually bigger than a control cavity backplate, so I'm a firm believer in the idea that changing materials of your PG (or anything else) can affect tone and sustain.
Maybe not as much as it'll change the looks, so it's your call.

 

[No Neck Shrek]

I wish I would have read this first ! !

Now what do I do ? ? ?

I just painted my white pickguard RED ! ! !

Hmmm.......I know, I'll try so pressure wounds to "brighten " it back up ! ! ! of course it is BRIGHT RED......

I'm so confused ? ? ?

 

[arsie]

Well, hypothetically speaking, if a bass has enough routing under the pg for it to take on a semi hollow dimension, then yeah, I can see how it might make a difference.

I suspect that might be what was going on in your control cavity. It must be big enough or have enough space that a less rigid cover causes some absorption of vibration.

But a pg covering the surface of wood, I doubt so.
y

 

[KNURRR]

jaco didn't need a pickguard (!)