Pickguard thickness difference.

[bubbasweet]

Is it pretty safe to say that because my upper pickguard is slightly more thick than my lower pickguar (approx 1/8) that it is probably not stock and someone just made it? Who ever did it did a stellar job but it cannot be stock. They never would have made different thickness pickguard would they in 66?

[beatlefreak]

While I don't know if your upper guard is original or not, I will say this - Never say never with Rickenbacker...

[bails]

From wht I've seen, all the new pickguards are made from slightly thicker plexi than the old ones. I'm sure there is tolerance variations from all eras, but my '66 1998, '75 and '76 4001s have thinner guards than my '90s 4003, '97 340 and the replacement 4001 pickgaurd.

[bubbasweet]

I am referring to the upper being thicker than the lower as opposed to overall thickness of both pices being thicker. Can anyone with a 66 or earlier check theirs for me?

THX

[bails]

My '66 Rose, Morris 1998 has both pickguard sections the same thickness. A thicker top level definitely points towards a recently made replacement, and when I say recently, I think the thickness changed more than 20 years ago, when the last US maker of Plexi went out of business. A few members of this forum have reported having sheets of the original, thinner Plexi in their collections, but I can't imagine it would be cheap.

[Rick2005]

Hello Brian,
I haven't the proper tool to check exactly, but looking closely with my eyes this is result on my two '66 (all originals):

- on May '66 335s upper pickguard looks THINNER than lower;
- on Dec '66 330/12 upper pickguard looks THICKER than lower;

I also have a Mar '67 330 and then both pickguards looks have same thickness.

Hope this helps

[bubbasweet]

Hmmm.. My bottom guard is definatly original as it has the 4 strips on masking tape like many others I have seen.

The top guard is a little thicker than 1/8.

The bottom looks to be 1/8.

[bubbasweet]

I'd love to see a photo from the side of your Dec 66 guards. This sounds like mine.

[Rick2005]

My bottom guard is original like yours, have 4 strips on masking tape too.
I'll try to get a shot and post soon

[bubbasweet]

I will post a photo of mine also. It would be a stunner if they were stock. Not shure why that would be but I have noticed on a couple others in ebay they look the same.

[Rick2005]

Here's a couple of shots of double pickguard edges on my dec. '66 330/12.




Pics are not so clear, but difference is there!

[bubbasweet]

Here are mine. Your I think are very close in thickness. But hard to tell from photos.

[jingle_jangle]

Guys:

Feast your eyes on this:

These are industry-set tolerances on cast acrylic sheet, and have been the same since roughly 1950. As you can see, there is a wide variance, even in Class 1.

More importance is the opacity...the acrylic guards on older Ricks are more translucent, and the opacity varied over the years, both ways.

Don't forget the short-lived injection-molded guards from '69. These can be identified by evenly-radiused (not scraped) top edges and knockout pin marks on their back sides. Back sides also have a surface showing milling and filing marks from the steel IM tool.

[collin]

Brian, yours look original to me. The bevel looks factory-perfect.

You also have double rubber grommets on each of the screws. All of the '66's I've had only had one per screw....

[bubbasweet]

Thanx guys. I added those rubber gromets. They are repro. Did they only put single grommets in the 60's?