zit removal

[Gibson]

This may be over-optimistic...

I have a natural wood-finish tele with a pickguard. I think it would look even better without the pickguard as the routing underneath is very clean. Short of refinishing the whole body, is there a way to effectively fill and conceal the screw holes to avoid leaving eight unsightly "pimples"?

[chickenpicker]

Hi Gibson (now where have I heard that name?). Welcome to the forum.

I'd be inclined to use something to inlay and decorate the area around the holes. Easiest way in this case is to drill to a set depth with a forstner bit then glue something round into the hole (like a coin).

Or you could use wood filler, then sand it down, then decorate with waterslide decals before clearcoating.

[all_identaties_taken]

Why not try a clear guard?

[Jack Wells]

I second the clear guard idea. You'd never be able to fill the holes and make it look right. And who knows .............. after some time you may want go back to the solid pickguard.

Problem: The clear guard would have to have the same exact hole pattern as your original. You might be better off ordering a clear guard with no holes so you could drill your own using your current guard as a template.

Here's a clear guard I made for an ASAT. The routing is pretty clean on these guitars also.

......

[Gibson]

Not a bad idea -- and that Asat is pretty too. Thanks for the suggestion, I'll get right on it!

[kidA]

just wondering, where'd you get the clear material for your pickguard? I checked out stew mac and they only have acoustic clear guard material.

[Jack Wells]

You can purchase sheets of clear acrylic at Lowes and Home Depot. It's available in various thicknesses.

[NewOldStock]

I personally like the clear option mentioned by the guys above.

I convert my teles to the hybrid(f-hole style) pickguards so I always have 2 screw holes to fill. When I fill holes I always use plug cutters and make plugs of the same species/grain/color as the body itself. After the finish is applied they're virtually undetectable.


Here's another idea bobkatstudios posted here last week-

[kidA]

ehhh, the screwguard isn't my fave, but to each his own.

As for the screw fillers, can't do it, i have a sunburst quilted maple top.

i'll stop by home depot and get on my clearguard asap, or i guess in may when i'm back home... i'm having serious tele withdrawal since i left it back home over spring break.