Stupid 8 hole pickguards! >_<

So I ordered a pickguard to fit the strat pup Im putting in the neck of my tele and after lots of searching the only one I could find is a modern 8 screw pickguard as opposed to the 5 screw pickguard on my tele.

My OCD would never let me not have screws in the additional holes, but, Ive never put new screws into a guitar before and well, Im scared ****less.

How would I go about this without ruining the finish, cracking the wood, or anything else that could go wrong?

Thank you. :grin:

Buy a warmoth pickguard

The damage is already done. :(
Its shipping right now.

Cut off the tips of the screws so they fit in the pg but don't drill in the guitar

Cut off the tips of the screws so they fit in the pg but don't drill in the guitar

+1 but use a white glue to hold in the screw heads, something that can be removed later.

You can decide if you like it; then later you can redrill the guitar for keeps. If it doesn't catch on, just use that 8 home pickguard as trade-bait.

Thats damn genius!

Now this may be a stupid question, but what would I use to cut the screws clean?

You could;

A) Return the 8 hole your just ordered and have Warmoth make you a 5 hole if their's will work on your Tele. They make very nice pickguards.

B) Do as Boris suggests although I can see where cutting the head of pickguard screws might pose a challenge. Perhaps he has a suggestion.

C) Keep the 8 hole your ordered and when you drill the new holes mark them through the pickguard on the body with a pen or the like then lay some tape over the mark before you set the pickguard back in place to drill the pilot hole. That should keep your finish from chipping.

As said above, put some masking tape under where the three new holes lay on the body and drill a pilot hole as straight as possible. A drill press is ideal but not necessary; anything with a 90 degree corner (like a picture frame) can be used as a drill guide to keep it straight up and down. As for the depth of the hole, put a piece of masking tape around the drill bit to mark where to stop. To prevent finish cracking, I follow up with a countersinking bit, but don't overdo it. Worst case scenario, a 5-hole guard will cover it all up (haha).

The screws are small enough to cut with wire cutters, crimping tool, dykes etc. Just cut as close to the head as the taper will allow (too far up and the cutters will slide down to where the threads start). I'd use a drop of clear silicone sealant to attach them to the pg. Easy clean up and grips well.

Self tapping screws?

Worked for me with the bridge, control plate and pickguard on my guitar

Honestly, I'd just drill the 3 extra holes for the new pickguard.

Well, really I'd get someone to make me the guard I really wanted, but we're past that :-)

Laying tape over the finish doesn't keep it from chipping, it just holds the chips in place. However, running the drill bit backwards a little bit will grind away the finish instead of cutting into it, and once you're through the finish you can drill into the wood normally.

If you've gone so far as to modify your guitar with new pickups, drilling 3 holes won't kill you. If you went back to a 5-hole later, the 3 extra holes will be covered up. No harm done. Makes more sense than cutting and gluing screws IMO.

Honestly, I'd just drill the 3 extra holes for the new pickguard.

Well, really I'd get someone to make me the guard I really wanted, but we're past that :-)

Laying tape over the finish doesn't keep it from chipping, it just holds the chips in place. However, running the drill bit backwards a little bit will grind away the finish instead of cutting into it, and once you're through the finish you can drill into the wood normally.

Koko you've done a ton more of this stuff than I have but I've drilled a hundred or more holes into finished wood surfaces, including furniture and guitars, and never chipped away the finish around the drill point as long as I laid a piece of thick tape over that drill point and drilled very slowly. Was I just lucky? :mrgreen:

1. Fill the extraneous holes with black plastic filler (I did that will those horrid adjustment screws with my, now wood-mounted, Strat neck pup.)

2. Send it back and enlarge the tele hole on a 5-hole pick guard. (This is what I'll do next time.)

3. Take the cover off of the Strat pickup, wrap the coils with tape or string, and it will fit in the Tele neck pup hole of your original pick guard.