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Spitfire tort pics...
- Thread starter denton57
- Start date
Hey, when your OCD about tort like I am and search for early 70's or 60's Fender tort that hasn't shrunk and doesn't cost 2 x 3 times that, it's worth the cost. Not for everyone, that's for sure. But $160-190 for high quality tort for a $1500+ instrument is like buying a $60 Fender RI guard for a $800 roadworn.
I have to admit, thats the best looking repro tort that I have ever seen, the early 80's 62 RI OLY P that I had when I was a teenager (many years ago) had tort like that, and it really set that bass off. Man I miss that bass...
- Jun 30, 2010
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- musician/artist/owner - Gildaxe
A 60's vintage tort pg sells for as much as $500. The very least I've seen one sell for is $200. Every single current mass produced tort pg on the market regardless of brand or price is a photo (dot pattern) of stylized tort. (twice removed from real tort) Some look better than others, some cost more than others - but they are all texture with no depth and nothing like 60's (Fender) tort. Mark is an individual selling quality hand made tort pg's, each one unique with depth and richness of colour and frankly has a right to price them accordingly. If you want one, it's up to you to decide if the cost is justified, as with any purchase of any product.
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I hope I didn't come off as challenging anyone's right to produce this pickguard. Frankly the guy appears to be the only one with the ability to produce a tort PG that looks just like the originals. I applaud the fact that hes done this, and that there is enough demand for him to sell them. To be honest if I were going to spend $$$$ on a RI bass I might as well spend a little extra for one of these PG's. But I'd love it if some competition came along (for the life of me I cant figure out how someone else doesn't procure materials to do this) to drive this cost down, as 160 bucks for a pickguard is a hard pill for me to personally swallow. To the OP once again the guard looks great on your bass!
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- Jun 30, 2010
- 49,631
- 222,229
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- musician/artist/owner - Gildaxe
And this gets directly to the point. I've seen DIY people make (paint, with a brush/sponge etc) their own tort pg. They look ok at best (from a distance) but a Spitfire is as any pg as a final product; the top layer is plastic, shiny (or relic'd if requested) and every bit as durable as any pg then or now. And that's just functional quality. Most importantly there is also his artistic eye, deftness of touch and control of his medium. (each one is hand painted) The 60's vintage tort pgs were mass produced, and frankly I don't know the process but there are no screen dots. For whatever reason, this specific plastic (from sheets) is no longer available/made, at least as far as I know. I'm going to guess it was something that was on the market used for a variety of products in the late 50's/60's/70's, and Fender used it for pg's. If anyone has a factual account, I for one would be interested to hear it. Even the thin black middle layer pg material is rare or not available.
It's entirely possible that someone will attempt to produce a more authentic mass-produced tort pg but it will start with getting a plastics company to invest in whatever it took to make the sheets of plastic for those vintage pg's. I will guess that a large plastics company will not be interested in such a niche market, and even if so - you can bet it will will cost more than any pg other than Spitfire currently on the market.
There's plenty of new tortie guards that are real swirl. They're simply quite blotchy and very thin, offering only a little depth to them -- or, in the case of the tortie one finds on the Squier CV basses, solid swirl that IMHO looks ugly as sin (more like brown marble poo). It looks totally random and haphazard compared to the work of this guy.
I want to make my own because I find typical swirly tortie or the stuff he sells here isn't thick enough. Plus I want to make some with red, brown, yellow and even some white in it.
- Jun 30, 2010
- 49,631
- 222,229
- Disclosures
- musician/artist/owner - Gildaxe
- Jun 30, 2010
- 49,631
- 222,229
- Disclosures
- musician/artist/owner - Gildaxe
check this out - it was called Tiger Tort or something made by Boston Musical Products… I couldn't resist. (protective plastic sheet still on it - it's very vibrant) No dot screen pattern. Eventually I'll use it for some wacky project or another.
That literally is my next build. I ordered a Spitfire Vintage Burgundy subtle 60's Jazz yesterday with light relic, already have a US 62 RI neck and tuners, and am in the process of getting a Oly white nitro jazz body (62 RI or 64 RI) from Stratosphere.
Nice bass!
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- Jun 30, 2010
- 49,631
- 222,229
- Disclosures
- musician/artist/owner - Gildaxe
Thanks! Yep, that's the VB, no relic version. The dot&bound neck was made for me by Dan Ransom/SF and finished by Pat Wilkins. The body is a Fender MIM 60's vintage w/Fender Super 55 split-coil J's, Santellan Sounds Elek-Trix passive harness and LaBella flats.
