How to make a pickguard from scratch without having a template?

[lewis]

Hey guys

So Im wanting to tackle my first somewhat hands on mod of making up a pickguard from scratch.

It will be for a late 80s Yamaha and there is no templates online for the model. It will be a totally custom job. Anyone have any helpful tips or guidlines to doing this?

Logically Im thinking I will have to -

Draw around the guitar body onto some paper
Cut out body template
from here hand draw a pickguard shape onto the template
cut that out
lay that onto a pickguard sheet and draw around it
cut out shape from pickguard sheet

will this process/method work?. Also what the cheapest cutting tool I can buy to cut it out? And what can I use to sand smooth the edges after cutting?.

( I dont own nor do I have any space for, big power tools etc) I have no garden/shed/storage and Im in a 1 bedroom apartment so will basically be tackling this in my living room.

 

[lewis]

bump

 

[laxu]

Should work. You could probably cut it with a hand coping saw but of course a cheap Dremel router would be better. You could sand it with just sandpaper around a block of wood or a small electric sander. Take my opinion with a grain of salt as I haven't done it myself but that's how I see it should work.

You could also use a vector illustration program like Inkscape (or Sketch if you are on a Mac) to create the drawing and then print it out as you would get more accurate curves fairly easily that way. Another option would be to tape a piece of paper on your guitar (with the strings/pickups removed) and draw it on that then transfer that to the pickguard sheet.

 

[TonyFlyingSquirrel]

None here?

http://pickguards.us/priceyamaha.html

 

[Pikka Bird]

Do you have a router with a 45° chamfer cutting bit? Then I'd make the pickguard AND an MDF/plywood pickguard template so you can put the two together and rout the chamfered edge.

 

[lewis]

None here?

http://pickguards.us/priceyamaha.html

no sadly. I have the RGX110. It has contoured/beveled horns so i imagine, because of the body shape, a standard pickguard in style never materialized.

I will have to shape it so it just avoids these bevels

thanks for the suggestions. Im going to go with the Coping saw route as I dont have any routers or anything. Its the cheapest and easiest way of doing it, then I can sand down with sandpaper and a wood block.

What sandpaper is recommended??

 

[Microtonalist]

You're talking about a plastic pickguard, correct?

I did one by hand a while back, they're a real nuisance. Gimme some wood any day



If you're actually going to use the sandpaper as a serious shaping tool then you'll need something coarse like 100 grit or so, anything much finer than that will clog really quick on the plastic IME

Personally I would use cloth backed for that



Follow up with some finer stuff down the grades to 400 or so




If it's still the right shape by then, congratulations your pickguard edge is better than that of a mim Charvel