Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

I am going to need a plain white vintage (60s) accurate pickguard for a 4001 complete with thumbrest holes in the near future.
I looked at the Pickguardian site and they seem to be out of stock anyway but how good are they?
I did read the debate a while back about the original plastic versus the new stuff and the ones on the V63 basses look good enough for me but once again theres none available.
The position of the main screw holes isnt going to be too much of an issue because the bass its destined for is going for a re- finish so if anyone knows where I can pick(no pun intended)one up I would be most grateful.
I just know someone out there will have all the info I need!
I love this forum!

The Pickguardian PGs are excellent. I have them on my two 4001s and on my V63. Tony can make them to order; I left my V63 with him for the weekend to make this.

He also made two for the 4003FL I used to have, one with the standard plastic and the other back painted lucite.

Well.....
I've got a great big sheet of white acyrilic that has yet to be cut And I also have my Rm1999 that I could copy the scratchplate from.
I've done a few scratchplates (Trust me I'm a fitter/turner) most recently a black one for my 74 4001.
So if you do no good with the other sources I could help...
emac.

Hi guys,
Thanks for your input.
I am having internet trouble (nearby builders have messed up the phone cables) and it keeps dipping out.
I will get on the case as soon as we get the all clear from BT and I get the connection to work for more than five minutes!

Pete, did you get my PM to you on May 1st?

I've stated this before, but the thickness of newer/re-production guards is not quite the same as the original ones made from genuine Plexiglas. If you only have one guard, it's almost impossible to tell whether it's an old thin one or thicker new one, but hold the two side-by-side, and there's definitely a noticable difference.

Unfortunately there's no way around this unless you have some of the original material, but that said, my Pickguardian pickguard is great!

This is often, but not always, the case. Rohm and Haas (who owned the Plexiglas® brand) pulled out of the market years ago and left it to the competition. I believe DuPont left around the same time.

The competition was Acrylite® (Cyro brand) and a zillion suppliers from the Far East.

R & H had very specific tolerances to which their sheets were made, which, oddly, got looser as the sheets got thinner. 1/8" Plexiglas® was held to a plus-or-minus .003"; 1/16" was plus-or-minus .008".

Although Acrylite® maintains these original tolerances, the Asian knockoffs do not, and their thicknesses are all over the place. Moral: use a quality brand of cast acrylic. I don't advise using extruded acrylic, as it has more issues with stress due to its manufacturing processes. Most Asian imports are extruded, in my experience.

So, these days, it's a sheet of cast Acrylite®, that comes closest to the old Plexiglas®.

weemac wrote:Well.....
I've got a great big sheet of white acyrilic that has yet to be cut And I also have my Rm1999 that I could copy the scratchplate from.
I've done a few scratchplates (Trust me I'm a fitter/turner) most recently a black one for my 74 4001.
So if you do no good with the other sources I could help...
emac.

Well.......
I just checked that great big sheet of Acyrilic that I paid for years ago (and never unwraped properly)
and it is not Acyrilic at all.. They instead sent me a great big sheet of white Expanded foam PVC sheet!
What on earth do you do with Foam PVC sheet?
I'm sure it's no good for scratch plates for anything (PVC will attack almost any other finish) Perhaps I could build a custom Mandolin case or amp case with it..

I can still get clear cast Acyrilic for custom colour pickguards (just paint the back) but I will now not be able to make authentic look vintage spec stuff.
Sorry!
emac.

jps wrote:The Pickguardian PGs are excellent. I have them on my two 4001s and on my V63. Tony can make them to order; I left my V63 with him for the weekend to make this.

I love that V63, it's perfect. Like a C64 with the right 'stock.