Pickguard on a natural body

[Blackie1956]

Aged (cream) White Pearloid.

 

[Coloradotwanger]

Tort

 

[El Tele Lobo]

I personally think black looks best out of those choices. I have a cream guard on one of my teles and really like it.

 

[Fullmoon07]

I like white on white. To me that is the classic Tele look.

 

[Captdan61]

I recently reassembled this guitar my Dad finished this summer with a new roasted maple neck. I'm really happy with how the guitar sounds and plays, but I'm not sure I like black pickguard as much with the darker neck. I'm considering switching it to something light, like mint, parchment, or white, or tortoise shell. What do you guys think?

View attachment 808130

Tort (this is routed for a Strat so I would need to order a new guard--but this gives you an idea):
View attachment 808132

Mint:
View attachment 808134

if you look online there is a company called something like black whiskey smoke anyhow they make pickguards for telecaster and Stratocaster some things but they're tooled-leather they look very nice

 

[Chuck Stoat]

I just generally prefer white vs black or tortoise pickguards.

I picked up a natural ash tele last year that came with a blackguard. My ideal would probably be like blonde with white, but I got a good deal on this one.

Initially put on a mint pickguard as I liked the idea of the vintagey vibe, but it ended up really bringing out the yellowish tones in the wood and making the whole thing look kinda dingy. I switched to white and am pretty happy with how it turned out.

Attached picture with white on the left and mint on the right to illustrate. Lighting differences magnify things but it still gets it across.

Anyway, my vote is for white or parchment obviously.

 

[DCCable]

Too bad the body's already routed. No pick guard works for me, which shows off more of the wood.

 

[bendercaster]

I just generally prefer white vs black or tortoise pickguards.

I picked up a natural ash tele last year that came with a blackguard. My ideal would probably be like blonde with white, but I got a good deal on this one.

Initially put on a mint pickguard as I liked the idea of the vintagey vibe, but it ended up really bringing out the yellowish tones in the wood and making the whole thing look kinda dingy. I switched to white and am pretty happy with how it turned out.

Attached picture with white on the left and mint on the right to illustrate. Lighting differences magnify things but it still gets it across.

Anyway, my vote is for white or parchment obviously.

View attachment 810124

Thanks for the visual. There is just something really clean and sharp about that white guard.

 

[bendercaster]

Too bad the body's already routed. No pick guard works for me, which shows off more of the wood.

My Dad is getting ready to make another one--I think he's going to use the Merle Haggard style pickguard to show off more of the body.

 

[Stinger22]

I recently reassembled this guitar my Dad finished this summer with a new roasted maple neck. I'm really happy with how the guitar sounds and plays, but I'm not sure I like black pickguard as much with the darker neck. I'm considering switching it to something light, like mint, parchment, or white, or tortoise shell. What do you guys think?

Just added an ebony neck to a '78 Custom that's been in the closet for years. It had a black but changed to tortoise shell but then I do that on about all my natural finish Strats and Teles. So you know what is my vote.

 

[Leofender55]

Nice Tele. When I built my knotty pine Tele I didn't want to cover one of the knots on it, so I went with a semi-transparent pickguard. It's the one in my Avatar.

 

[mmannaxx]

Not sure what looks best. Parchment, pale mint green, flat black, a complementary wood one, thin leather in some shade of brown. pale yellow, some kind of tort? hard to say.

 

[Jay Jernigan]

Of the options shown, I like the tort best.
Of course, flat black Bakelite is always in style.

 

[oregomike]

I recently reassembled this guitar my Dad finished this summer with a new roasted maple neck. I'm really happy with how the guitar sounds and plays, but I'm not sure I like black pickguard as much with the darker neck. I'm considering switching it to something light, like mint, parchment, or white, or tortoise shell. What do you guys think?

View attachment 808130

Tort (this is routed for a Strat so I would need to order a new guard--but this gives you an idea):
View attachment 808132

Mint:
View attachment 808134

For me, the black would look better if it were single ply. The white, as little of it there is, clashes with the natural color.

 

[Slann]

I recently reassembled this guitar my Dad finished this summer with a new roasted maple neck. I'm really happy with how the guitar sounds and plays, but I'm not sure I like black pickguard as much with the darker neck. I'm considering switching it to something light, like mint, parchment, or white, or tortoise shell. What do you guys think?

View attachment 808130

Tort (this is routed for a Strat so I would need to order a new guard--but this gives you an idea):
View attachment 808132

Mint:
View attachment 808134

Black!!

 

[Gabeezlebub]

I recently reassembled this guitar my Dad finished this summer with a new roasted maple neck. I'm really happy with how the guitar sounds and plays, but I'm not sure I like black pickguard as much with the darker neck. I'm considering switching it to something light, like mint, parchment, or white, or tortoise shell. What do you guys think?

View attachment 808130

Tort (this is routed for a Strat so I would need to order a new guard--but this gives you an idea):
View attachment 808132

Mint:
View attachment 808134

Hi bendercaster. I absolutely love the black pickguard. Bought a tele just like it because of that look.
NICE looking guitar!!!

 

[Controller]

 

[Fuelish]

The original black looks fine to me.....what do you care what internet fools think? It’s your guitar, pick the guard that you want, ‘tis all that matters

 

[Dik Ellis]

The Tort looks great with natural look. The Tweed would be nice, too. The Parchment would cut the sharpness of the stark white.

 

[stratcatt]

BLACK