Pickguard for Warwick Thumb?

[AndrewM]

Hey everyone!

So i recently purchased a Thumb off of a fellow TB'er, and i remembered a video i had seen of Warwick endorser Evan Brewer playing a thumb that appeared to have some sort of pick guard on it. Not only did I like the looks of it, but also sometimes the nail of my finger makes contact with the body below the G-string during faster slap and pop lines and a pickguard would prevent any sort of nicks in the body that could be caused by this. I had the same issue with my Corvette but after the dent was there, i wasn't worried anymore. I would just like to prevent this from happening to the Thumb.

I was just wondering where i could find something like this, as I've had no luck thus far.

Here is the video for reference:

 

[TechJunky]

That looks like more of a ramp than a pickguard to me. If you don't know what a ramp is, it's usually made of wood and is thick enough to match the height of the pickups and the neck, giving the player a flat, even playing surface under the strings to allow for consistency in playing. If you already knew what a ramp was, then, disregard the previous sentence. As for where to buy one, I don't think you'll find one off the shelf anywhere. They are typically custom made, so if you have a good luthier around, they could make one up for you. Or, check out how to build a bass ramp on youtube. There are many videos out there showing how to make one (Gary Willis has a pretty good video), so you could watch those, buy some wood that you fancy, and make it pretty easily.

If you just want a pick guard, same thing: either check out customer pickguard makers online or go on youtube, and I'm sure you could find one, but they won't be available ready made anywhere.

 

[AndrewM]

Thanks for the reply! After looking into ramps, it doesn't really sound like something I'd want, as I quite enjoy the pickup placement on the Thumb when it comes to playing. However, maybe i will consider a very thin matching pickguard for sometime down the line when I can afford it. I just can't seem to stop my fingernail from clicking against the body if i play quickly.

 

[Blankandson]

Just read your post. I grew up with Fender P-basses and they have a small piece of wood on the body just above the bridge pickup. I have created my own 'thumb holder' by raising the top of both pickups pretty high but leaving the bottoms lower. That gives me a 'hold' for my thumb which keeps my fingers in the same relative position for fingering. It doesn't do anything for picking unfortunately. But while removing the pickups for cleaning a few years ago I noticed that a device could be fitted to attach to the body using the top PU screw. You might look into trying to make something out of metal that will attach there. It could be any height so you could easily fit it to play with a pick.