Pickguard or no pickguard?

[SharpCat]

No. PG detracts from the dual P presentation.

 

[ctmullins]

No pickguard.

Ever.

On anything.

 

[lowplaces]

Lose the guard or put a black one on it.

Jmo

 

[Ostie]

Yes to the PG

 

[Major Seven]

Would you have to add screw holes to the bass to add the pickguard?

This is the inverse of my situation. I want to leave the pickguard off but the screwholes are leftover and look terrible.

 

[Lo-E]

I can’t get anything under the controls because of the height of the control bushings. I’d need to route the inside of the cavity deeper which I don’t have the tools for, or find pots with a longer bushing, which I struggled to do.

Well, there you have it! The decision’s been made for you: no guard.

 

[el jeffe bass]

I was a guitar player who never cared about bass. I walked into a guitar shop in downtown Portland, I think that it was named something like Captain Wizeagles or something like that. Hanging on the wall was a black Fender Jazz bass with a tortoiseshell pick guard. It was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. Soon after I became a bass player, best musical decision I’ve ever made. I’ve never had a black fenders bass but they have always held a special place in my heart, especially with a tortoiseshell pick guard. But that having been said…… you do you. Can’t go wrong either way

 

[Polish Thunder]

I vote for the tort pickguard.

 

[micguy]

No pickguard, but with a satin finish, or (even better) a finish with visible evidence that the thing is made from wood. I'm not keen on gloss paint finishes.

 

[Pep]

I can’t decide what to do, what would you choose?

No pickguard.

 

[elgranluis]

No guard on this one! What does the headstock look like ?

 

[Malak the Mad]

My vote is to keep it clean and free of any pickguard. However, if you do decide to go with some kind of guard, please do not permanently mar that surface with a bunch of screw holes! Some double-sided tape should get the job done.

 

[Malak the Mad]

This is the inverse of my situation. I want to leave the pickguard off but the screwholes are leftover and look terrible.

It's not a 100% solution, but I did this "quick and easy" treatment to a Squier body that had a guard, but no bathtub routing. I took a black Sharpie marker and gently and briefly tapped the tip into the hole two or three times until enough dye coated the visible wood underneath the finish.

Is your bass in question black, too? If so, it's a fairly harmless DIY trick. If it's another color, you might want to reconsider, unless they're a good color match.

 

[GreyBeard]

Pick guard +

 

[Swamp_Ronin]

no pickguard says 1) 1980's and 2) Lots of 8ths notes

 

[Passinwind]

I can’t decide what to do, what would you choose?

Nein.

 

[cheddar]

Pickguard

 

[devnulljp]

I think you dropped some cheap salami on your bass.

 

[PennyroyalWe]

No PG

 

[Smallmouth_Bass]

I like tort on black, so I would vote pickguard. But, you'd need to clean up the cut/edges around the controls.