Thinking about a new pickguard..

..for my cherryburst Classic, pictured in another thread. The white is OK, but obviously pretty stark. I am settling in on the parchment/black/parchment material. I also am considering white pearl or aged white pearl, but I already have a Strat with white pearl, and I think the parchment/black/parchment will simply look the best. A few questions-

1. Any opinions, based on actual experience or otherwise, about the color combinations?
2. Is there any grounding/shielding issue in removing the aluminum guard? Lord knows that I do not want to mess with the sound this thing produces.
3. Any thickness/clearance issues with a .90 thickness? There seems to be clearance all the way around the guard, and I will send in a tracing.

Thanks in advance for any input!