Guyatone LG50 Project: 8

In this instalment, I make and modify the various plastic plates for both guitars. I have the original pickguard for the Guyatone which I was keen to use, but as its matching volume and tone control panel was missing, I’ve had to make a replacement.

Obviously, I’ve had to make both pieces from scratch for my replica. The choice of plastic is very important; although they may all look similar their properties can be quite different. Back in the day (out of ignorance) I would have used acrylic but really it’s far too brittle. The pick guard with its large holes for the pick-ups, rectangular holes for slide switches and many holes close to the edge for fixing screws would be prone to cracking as you work. Also you can easily crack it around the fixing holes if you overtighten the screws. Therefore, I chose PVC for mine, which is much more forgiving!