warped pickguard on a strat

[Selsaral]

I've got a couple of strats whose pickguards are bulging a bit. In fact, both of them bulge in exactly the same place, right beside the neck pickup on the top side. Is this normal? What causes it? Do most people live with it or replace the pickguard?

 

It doesn't effect the guitar really, but it still bothers me a bit, in a petty way.

[nanobug]

When what you described happened to my old affinity strat I just used the little gap as a pick holder.

[doc oc]

Pretty typical actually especially with the thinner 50's style pickguards.

You could get a thicker pickguard but sometimes it's simply a matter of backing off the screws a little. They don't have to be crazy tight.

[Selsaral]

When what you described happened to my old affinity strat I just used the little gap as a pick holder.

 

[Selsaral]

 

Pretty typical actually especially with the thinner 50's style pickguards. You could get a thicker pickguard but sometimes it's simply a matter of backing off the screws a little. They don't have to be crazy tight.

 

 

Ah interesting. Yeah it's fairly bad on my 06 MIM, and only slightly bad on my 1999 American Standard. I'm not sure what kinds of pickguards they have. I'll try adjusting the screws some and see if that helps, thanks.

[Stinkfoot]

This is how my Eric Johnson strat is. The thinner guards warp pretty often. It's kind of annoying in that it raises the pickup closer to the strings. But I'm too lazy to fix it. You could use the opportunity to get a new pickgaurd and spice up your strat. Maybe a different color scheme? Or just use it for your picks.

[Selsaral]

 

This is how my Eric Johnson strat is. The thinner guards warp pretty often. It's kind of annoying in that it raises the pickup closer to the strings. But I'm too lazy to fix it. You could use the opportunity to get a new pickgaurd and spice up your strat. Maybe a different color scheme? Or just use it for your picks.

 

 

I am actually kinda clueless about pickguards. What's an example of a thin versus thicker pickguard?

[bsman]

 

I am actually kinda clueless about pickguards. What's an example of a thin versus thicker pickguard?

 

 

Some of the older fenders (and recreations of these) have one-layer "parchment pickguards that are much thinner than the ones (usually w-b-w or some other three-layer color) on the newer and non-recreation models. For example, the Jimmie Vaughan strat has a very thin one-layer pickguard, whereas the MIM standard has a much heftier three-layer pickguard.

[Selsaral]

 

Some of the older fenders (and recreations of these) have one-layer "parchment pickguards that are much thinner than the ones (usually w-b-w or some other three-layer color) on the newer and non-recreation models. For example, the Jimmie Vaughan strat has a very thin one-layer pickguard, whereas the MIM standard has a much heftier three-layer pickguard.

 

 

Very helpful, thanks.