Custom Pick Guard Questions

[electrodyne]

Hi everyone,

I was admiring various G&L SC-3 guitars online when I found this Strat-body style version with a custom pick guard.

http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=G%26L%20SC-3

Looking at this closer raised a bunch of questions:

- Can anyone with more discerning eyes tell if this is a brushed metal or mirrored pick guard?

- If it's a non-mirrored pick guard, does anyone know of have a guess as to what kind of metal or any other unique properties it may have? I e-mailed the Flickr user who owns this guitar and never heard back from them.

- Did G&L ever make black crinkle aluminum powder-coated pick guards as a regular or custom option? I've seen photos of black crinkle aluminum powder-coated control plates, but not so much with pick guards?

- Are there any small companies or custom parts luthiers who make black crinkle aluminum powder-coated pick guards or other parts?

- Why did G&L stop making the black crinkle aluminum powder-coated parts, and might this be something the current company may consider bringing back as a "custom shop / heritage homage" option?

Thanks in advance for your insights.

[Salmon]

That is definitely not mirror.

There was a member here who did special pickguards for G&L but he only does wholesale and larger quantities but I read it somewhere here in a late hour adventure through the archives so all I recall is that the name was Tone-Guards They don't show G&L so you may have to talk to them personally about having one made.

That looks like aluminum. I believe G&L did experiment and offer metal at some point during the early days.

I think the crinkle parts were impractical and they chose to offer chrome.

There are a few G&L experts here but I am only going by what I have read here and am not one of them. I just wanted to acknowledge your question. Good luck!

[LeeW]

I'll second that. It looks like aluminum, not mirrored.
Pickguard Heaven, which is an "original equipment supplier of pickguards for G&L instruments", offers a material called Brushed Silver. That might fit the bill.

[NickHorne]

Aluminium will definitely "smooth the tone", in a way I personally like.
Leo F used just .015" foil / thin sheet in the 50's, under plastic guards, which is my favourite. Thicker will get warmer sounding, and too warm is too much for me.

[electrodyne]

Thank you for all of the replies and insights.

Are there certain types of metal pick guards may help with shielding noise or are there any types of metals to avoid that would create noise?

[NickHorne]

All metal pickguards, and metal foils behind plastic, must be grounded (connected to the earth side of the guitar's wiring) or else they will add large amounts of noise, regardless of metal type. Provided this is done, no particular type of metal would add noise.