Pickguard Warping On A New Tele?

[Sterling Indigo]

Is it common for single ply pickguards to warp or pull up near the bridge pickup?

I was wondering if it's just because it's a single ply, a design flaw/poor build or if the shop doesn't have adequate humidity or something. I've seen this twice now when shopping for new Tele's. One was on a 52 AVRI with a single ply blackguard.

Do the Custom Shop Nocasters have this problem as well?

[Jack Wells]

I noticed the other day that the single ply pickguard on my '50s Classic Stratocaster was humped up in front of the bridge. It's a relatively thin pickguard.

This is the most likely cause. The guitar is assembled in a relatively humid enviroment. Ensenada is on the Pacific coast. Corona is inland but gets coastal breezes. After the guitars spend some time in a dry enviroment ........ a heated store in winter or the high desert where I live, the body shrinks across the grain. The distance between the pickguard screw holes in the body gets smaller. The screw holes in the pickguard do not. Something has to give. You get a hump in the thin single ply pickguard. Simple solution............ enlarge the holes in the pickguard a little.

[stinkyrik]

Having the same problem on my 52 reissue,holes seem to have some room to move but I still have that 1/8" raised area near the cut away...maybe some 2 sided tape?
Rik

[Telephonist]

You don´t have to forget that the single-ply pickguards are fixed with 5 screws only (period-correct). So they tend to warp easier. That´s why Fender does fix the pickguards with 8 screws now on modern Teles, but if you want a vintage type of guitar you just have to deal with it, I guess.

Maybe you have to drill 3 extra holes, if it´s a big problem for you (but I wouldn´t do that) or put some thin double-faced adhesive tape under the pickguard.

Daniel

[nadzab]

Originally Posted by Telephonist

You don´t have to forget that the single-ply pickguards are fixed with 5 screws only (period-correct). So they tend to warp easier.

I think this is the primary cause of the problem, plus the fact that the single-ply guards are indeed usually thinner.

I used the double-sided tape trick on my Esquire; on my Tele, I live with the warpage and consider it "character."

[stinkyrik]

Ya I went with the tape and it works fine.