4003 Pickguard ?

[Low End Lover]

Hey Ricker's,

As many of you know, I just got a beautiful '08 4003FL in MG. There is something I noticed about the pickguard that I think is going to bug me to no end. What this "something" is is that I can see where the routing pockets and wires are through the pickguard. It is translucent, but still quite noticable. My other bass is a '10 4003 JG and I don't notice this because, well, it's JG and everything is black underneath the pickguard.
So, what I want to know is what can I do to make the pickguard opaque that won't hurt the finish underneath the pickguard.

Thanks in adavance for the help,

LEL (Jason)

[ilan]

Spray the back white.

[coolhandjjl]

I only notice mine when it is very bright out. Othervise, consider a different one from Pickguardian. I just ordered a copper colored one for my MG 4003. It's similar to the tone of the fretboard. Too scared to make the jump to a black one right now. Probably next year.

[Low End Lover]

Spray the back white.

With white spray paint?

[ilan]

If I'm not mistaken Paul W once posted that this is what he does when the pickguard material is too translucent.

[rickaddict]

Dale Fortune recommended spraying the back of the pick guard to me. I did it to this bass:

http://www.rickresource.com/register/us ... llsize.jpg

A spray can of gloss white lacquer from Ace Hardware is what he recommended. I think other paints (enamels?) might react with the finish. That was a few years ago. Opened it up last week, and it still looks fine. I masked the front of the guard and all edges before I sprayed.

Note: In my photo above, there are shadows from the knobs, switch, and me. The pick guard looks opaque now, as it should. I'm serious! Okay, here's another angle:

http://www.rickresource.com/register/us ... llsize.jpg

The material that RIC has used for pick guards has varied a bit over the years. Some pick guards are a little too willing to reveal a Rick's internal organs for my taste!

[Low End Lover]

Here's the word from Paul W. via PM just a few minutes ago:

"Spray with white Krylon spray paint--two light coats. Flat white preferred, but gloss OK, too.

Let dry overnight!

No issues with this.

--PW"

So, looks like we have a consensus. Spray paint it is. Thanks for the pics Rickaddict. I will take a look and PM you if I have any questions.

LEL

[aceonbass]

Another option is putting adhesive aluminum shielding on the back of the whole guard. Besides making it much more opaque, it will provide extra hum protection for the single coil pickups.

[johnallg]

Another option is putting adhesive aluminum shielding on the back of the whole guard. Besides making it much more opaque, it will provide extra hum protection for the single coil pickups.

Tis what I did on a couple of my basses.

[NFB-418]

Here's the word from Paul W. via PM just a few minutes ago:

"Spray with white Krylon spray paint--two light coats.LEL

I would add (and I hope Paul will correct me if I'm mistaken) that Krylon Fusion for Plastic would be the best choice for this. I've used their Fusion products for other projects and have had great success since Fusion is formulated to bond to plastic without sanding or priming.

http://www.krylon.com/products/fusion_for_plastic/

[Low End Lover]

I asked Paul for more details. Here they are:

"Enamel is NOT good. Don't use any kind of enamel... junk. Noty Rust-O-Leum, either--it's the worst junk imaginable.

Krylon says "enamel", but it's a lacquer formulation.

ACE lacquer is good, too. So is Dupli-Color, available at car parts places.

--Paul"

So Dale & Paul agree that the best paint option is a lacquer formulation. There is also the shielding option.

LEL

[cassius987]

Shielding won't look as opaque white, so much as just some kind of opaque depending on what you shield with. To make it look consistent you'll have to shield the whole pickguard even though there is almost no reason to shield the upper half (neck pickup and lead wire are shielded enough from the factory). However if the foil is cheap and you like the look then it's probably still worth your time to apply the shield as I have never observed an effect on tone.

I have done the spraypaint trick too, it works pretty well. Heck, if you want shielding but don't like how it makes the pickguard look from outside, spray first, then shield.