Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Hi..would anyone know of somewhere I could obtain a real chrome pickguard for my 4003... also if I would be able to get a chrome nameplate ?.. just looking to tart the beast up ..

Hi, Antony.
Well, I guess you could have a regular plastic pickguard and nameplate chrome plated in the same way the plastic handrest (= treble pickup cover) on all 4003 basses is chrome plated. I don't think you'll ever be able to find a chrome metal pickguard, let alone a nameplate, to tart your 4003 up, as you say.

Anthony-It can be done, but may not be cost effective. Take your pick guard and down to your local metal fab shop. Request that they make an exact replica of the pickguard, and have it prepped to be chromed. Then take it to your local chrome shop and have it chromed. Instant chrome pickguard! If I had to ponder a guess, I would say it would cost somewhere around $70-$120.

There was an acrylic mirror replacement pickguard recently posted on eBay:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2521784450&category=4713

I think that I might have seen a chromed one posted at some time, but it might have been another mirrored one, I just don't remember the details.

As cool as it looks, my experience with acrylic mirror pickguards, was not good. It cracked in several places, the cracks only got bigger & bigger. Finally it had to be replaced.

Granted this was on a F***** P-Bass style and the jack is mounted into the pickguard. This is where the first cracks started. But this was soon followed by cracks around several of the screws.
I hope your luck is better.

The memory was there, I just couldn't remember where I saw it - until now; Mike Parks' site has a sold 4003 Silver with a mirror pickguard:

http://www.the-music-connection.com/r224.jpg

Edmond, I understand your concern (and aggravation) about breakage. In fact, my recent acquisition, a 1981 RIC 460 BG, has a minor stress crack at one of the pickguard screws nearest the jack, which is located on top of the pickguard.

I worked in a plastics warehouse way back when, so I have some practical knowledge of plastics and their properties. I believe that, because a RIC pickguard would not have to take the same stresses as that P-bass style pickguard (owing that the jack on the RIC isn't on the pickguard), the mirror pickguard shouldn't experience any undue breakage.

Maybe our resident expert on replacement pickguards can comment here? (Don, a.k.a. RICK12DR, are you listening???)

I've never used the "mirror backed" acrylic material for pickguards, so I can't comment from experience with it.Good point about comparing the P Bass guard w/ attached hdwe. Besides age of the material, a lot of cracks around screwholes on Ricks have come from overtightening the screws; Acrylic is Not unbreakable, as many have seen first hand.

Look for a vintage schecter pickguard, they made chrome 4001 style guards back in the late 70's to mid 80's. I had one that I sold on ebay about a year ago for low dollars.

Dedgoat...I once did a websearch for pickguards and found a place in northern California that made custom guards in aluminum and even diamond plate. As I remember a custom polished aluminum guard would have cost around $85.00. I don't have the web address anymore but you should be able to find them the same way I did.

http://www.wdmusic.com/static/cat_GUARDS.html

Try this. Noel