Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

After a rather long weekend session, several scrapes with the bridge PUP surround, and sore fingers I'm thinking of ordering the Pickguardian Surround...two questions for those already using them: 1. Is there enough of a rise on the surround to serve as a thumb rest without digging your fingernail into the wood? (hard to tell from the pics). 2. The white looks pretty good on a JG with white pickguard...anyone seen the mirror backed finish and how does it look? (enough like chrome to match the neck PUP?)

Thanks........

Mark. I have a white surround for my JG. Personally for my taste, the surround is a bit far away from the strings for me to use it as a thumbrest comfortably. It does look really good though. I know there is a FG on the forum that recently added the mirror backed. It looks awesome in my opinion. If I had to do it again, I'd seriously consider that option.

I'm just about to fit one, so I'll let you know. If the spacing is the same as for the standard pup suround it would be OK for me.

Scroll down and find the thread entitled "Chrome Pickguardian on 4003fg". I've never been a fan of the white plastic replacement, but this chrome one looks very nice!

I have it on my Monte. Check "New Arrivals" thread. To do it right, you'll want both pieces, the white/black/mirrored surround that screws into the holes of the original metal surround, and then the clear plexi piece that is anchored by the two treble pickup adjustment screws, That one is closer in (roughly the same position as the original pickup cover). I don't play with the fingers, so I bought it along with a Hipshot bridge so I could palm mute.

for me pickguardian surround looks ok ... and I like the Ric surround as well ... the one problem with the pickguardian surround is the travel distance of the bridge pickup is restricted ... in other words you can't get the pickup as close to the strings once it is installed ... the work around is add washers between the magnet base and the plastic base ... this will raise the pickup about 1/8" +/- and I find that to be enough ...

Actually I usually take a dremel tool and grind down the sharp points so I don't cut up my fingers on the Ric pickup surround ... that is my solution ...

Jeff: That is only if you don't add the pickup guard on top of the pickguardian. I don't have any difficulty in getting the pickup up near the strings.

I have worked on 2 basses with that surround and on both I had to shim the pickups ... it is not the top part it is the bottom part ... because it is flat ... you can only turn the screws up to the bottom of that base plate ... the ric part allows a greater travel distance ...

Anyone have any suggestions on what would go best with the fireglo or does anyone have a pic of a fireglo that they've changed the pick guard on?

I'm going to get the chrome surround cover, but I can't decide what would be best for the pickguard.

I'm sure people like them, but I think the white pickguards take away from the absolutely beautiful color of the Fireglo paint job. If it wasn't for the exposed electronics, I'd ask to have a clear one made.

I'm leaning towards gold. They have a 330 on the web site with the white replaced by gold. It looks pretty good.

Thoughts?

Gold would look great with FG.

Umm... look up.... look waaaaay up!

Here's my Burgermeister duly kitted out. The pup surround works fine.

Anyone know how to improve the pic quality - this one is just under the 36kb limit but it still looks pants compa\red to Doug's on te preceding page.

Douglas, that picture is what made me decide to go with the chrome surround guard. I was going to match whatever pick guard color I got with the surround guard, but that chrome looks WAY to good on your Bass.

The next decision is if I want to order the "vintage" tuning knobs as well.

Decisions, decisions.