Aging a pickguard and TRC?

highway_star · Post by **highway_star** » Fri Dec 08, 2006 4:34 pm

I'm digging my new 4003AFG, but it seems like the newness of the pickguard and TRC stand out against the "aged" look of the rest of the bass. ANyone have any ideas on safely aging them?

rickfan60 · Post by **rickfan60** » Fri Dec 08, 2006 6:36 pm

Molded white TRCs yellow a bit but the pickguard? My '63 still has a snow-white guard after 43 years.

bassduke49 · Post by **bassduke49** » Fri Dec 08, 2006 7:05 pm

I believe you can get cream-colored pickguards, maybe Pickgaurdian? The TRC could be tricky. You could hand paint it with a cream to match the pickguard I suppose.

jwr2 · Post by **jwr2** » Fri Dec 08, 2006 8:30 pm

I really hated when my old 1968 4001 got all yellowed ... the beautiful full length inlays and the checkered binding were all yellowed ... and my 1989 4003s5 white with black trim went yellow ... yellow is not a color I want on my basses ...

but if that is what you like ... the plastic parts on the old 68 stayed white ... so to be accurate leave it the way it is ...

pflash4001 · Post by **pflash4001** » Fri Dec 08, 2006 9:54 pm

I love the way the binding is yellowing on my '68 4001. To me, it just adds character to the instrument. My Fender Precision is white with a tortoiseshell pickguard. It isn't really old. The bass is a late 80's instrument. The finish on it is yellowing really nicely. I love the way that one looks too.

bob_atherton · Post by **bob_atherton** » Sat Dec 09, 2006 1:40 am

Ron, I know where you are coming from. My only hesitation about the AFG was the starkness of the TRC and guard. I can't think of anything that would work though. I photograph products for my living and have many tricks to make things look old, these would include soaking them in black tea, but as the plastic is impervious (I think) to this sort of treatment I don't think it would work.

A slightly drastic measure might be to spray the parts from a great height, about 4-5 feet with a suitable colour of car paint. Just giving a very slight dusting to the parts. This is what I might do and the pick guard would clean up again fairly well I would have thought. The lettering on the TRC might suffer slightly when cleaning up though. Maybe just give it a bit more time and the clean white might grow on you? Good luck anyway.

ilan · Post by **ilan** » Sat Dec 09, 2006 2:38 am

Ron, you could have a pickguard made like a CS guard - 1/8" clear Plexi with painted back. Tony from Pickguardian offered clear/cream painted guards in the past, but now I see just the clear/white guards on his website. I'm sure he can make you a great looking aged white (yellowed) guard.

green_us90 · Post by **green_us90** » Sat Dec 09, 2006 4:30 am

A little off topic, but I like "yellowed instruments (as evidenced by my 75 4001) but I purposely refinned this Mexico Precision bass to have a yellowed finish, courtesy of Guitar ReRanch nitro paints. Supposed to look like a '59 P. Except there were no matching headstock P's in '59

http://www.fenderforum.com/userphotos/index.html?recid=37624

Also, Ron, you might want to try some dark brown shoe polish; this is a trick I have used to darken the very lightly tinted mexico Fender necks I have been in contact with, with good results.

rictified · Post by **rictified** » Sat Dec 09, 2006 5:00 am

Send it yo Fender, they'll make it look old for maybe an extra 1000.00, even makes it sound better. Seriously I've never seen a Ric pickguard change color.

johnnyb · Post by **johnnyb** » Sat Dec 09, 2006 5:09 am

I think I read something about "aging"-yellowing plastic guitar parts by soaking them in a cold cup of coffee of a few days.

jingle_jangle · Post by **jingle_jangle** » Sat Dec 09, 2006 5:55 am

Acrylic will not "age" with any water-soluble tinting medium, that's for sure. It is virtually impermeable, which is why it looks great after 40+ years.... The exception would be solvent-based tints, but only a limited number of solvents would have the proper characteristics. Aniline dyes are out, as they use alcohol as vehicle, and alcohol is deadly to plexiglas. A solvent to use would be ethylene dichloride or methylene chloride. Both are tricky highly flammable, and even their fumes are carcinogens. And I believe results would be unpredictable.

Cream plexi looks---phony, because its color is not yellow enough, and too consistent. I think the back-painted clear acrylic method shows most promise, but the color must look right. If I was doing this (and I never have, though I suppose it's possible), I'd carefully mix the color, and I'd shade the edges very slightly, about a quarter shade darker.

ilan · Post by **ilan** » Sat Dec 09, 2006 6:12 am

"... and I'd shade the edges very slightly, about a quarter shade darker."

Look at the back of this 60's TRC - that's the effect:

"Send it to Fender, they'll make it look old for maybe an extra 1000.00, even makes it sound better."

Bob, you're taking a jab at Fender's Custom Shop Time Machine instruments, which I guess is fair (although I like the idea - you get a broken-in bass that immediately feels like home, without someone else's goo on it), but the way I see it, Amber Fireglo is RIC making a small step in the same direction - artificially aging the finish.

ilan · Post by **ilan** » Sat Dec 09, 2006 6:13 am

[Sorry, double post]

jingle_jangle · Post by **jingle_jangle** » Sat Dec 09, 2006 6:38 am

Ilan, that's the look I am talking about. Thanks for providing the visual on that one...

I doubt that RIC will ever go any further than AFG in the "relic" department. As far as I can see it, they don't have the time, space, or personnel to "accomplish" this.

johnnyb · Post by **johnnyb** » Sat Dec 09, 2006 7:16 am

Paul, is the trc made of acrylic as well?