Help me choose a pickguard color

[Edgar Frog]

@Matthews Guitars

I thought it was orange? Either way, I like black on most any color guitar. They look especially good on a red one IMHO
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[jmp45]

White / off white (light cream). Mint green may not work with the red. It does with my shoreline big apple. I have a 3 guards setup with connectors to swap. sss, ssh, hh.

 

[Vinsanitizer]

Is it red or orange metallic?

1st choice: I like the look now, but I'd get the white pearl pickguard, and throw that ugly yellow thing out.
2nd choice: parchment with vintage-colored pickup covers & knobs.
3rd choice: gold anodized

Absolutely NFW on the black pickguard! They are hideous, look away.

It would look very classy if you went all-out like this (with existing chrome hardware):

(Click for large)

OP photo reference for comparison:

 

[Gen-Xer]

White / off white (light cream). Mint green may not work with the red. It does with my shoreline big apple. I have a 3 guards setup with connectors to swap. sss, ssh, hh.

Love your Big Apple. I had a 2000 Texas Special in Shoreline gold. Basically the sss version with Texas Specials installed. It was also Shoreline Gold. One of those I actually regret selling.

 

[jmp45]

Love your Big Apple. I had a 2000 Texas Special in Shoreline gold. Basically the sss version with Texas Specials installed. It was also Shoreline Gold. One of those I actually regret selling.

The SSS loaded guard I have also has the Texas Specials. The SSH is 2 parker alnico singles and a ToneZone. HH is Pearly Gates +, I swapped out the bridge pup mag for an A2.

 

[Kinkless Tetrode]

My bigger question now is wiring for an HSS.
I’m just looking for basic switching.
There are a lot of option, one being 1 or 2 tone pots?
Then caps and pot values.

With a standard 5 way switch its simple to auto split the humbucker so it's spilt with one coil to go along with the middle pickup for the notch sound. The Dimarzio VHPAFs, like the 36th Bridge, splits great. Just google up a diagram,or go to the Seymour Duncan or DiMarzio for wiring diagrams.

I would go with two tone pots because singles usually like to see at least one pot with 250k, but humbuckers usually use 500k pots. With two pots you could put them on the singles and go with a 250k master volume pot, with no tone pot on the humbucker. Same as the stock 50's strat wiring. This is like having a 500K volume and a 500k tone pot turned up all the way on the humbucker ..I think. Somebody correct me if I'm wrong. That way the singles still see 250k pots.

But if it turns out you need a tone control on the bridge pickup, use a 500K master volume and a 500k tone with a 22 cap for the bridge humbucker. Use the other 250k tone pot for the neck single and leave the middle pickup with out a tone pot. The middle pickup will see the bridge pickups tone pot when you autosplit so you won't be doubling up tone controls. I find that that a middle strat pickup is not usually too bright with out a tone pot, even with a 500k master volume pot, because of its position. If you do use the middle pickup by itself and its a touch too bright, you can tame it by rolling the volume down a hair. The middle pickup will also see the neck pickup's tone pot when you have it with the neck pickup for the other notch position tone.

 

[Point 2 Point]

With a standard 5 way switch its simple to auto split the humbucker so it's spilt with one coil to go along with the middle pickup for the notch sound. The Dimarzio VHPAFs, like the 36th Bridge, splits great. Just google up a diagram,or go to the Seymour Duncan or DiMarzio for wiring diagrams.

I would go with two tone pots because singles usually like to see at least one pot with 250k, but humbuckers usually use 500k pots. With two pots you could put them on the singles and go with a 250k master volume pot, with no tone pot on the humbucker. Same as the stock 50's strat wiring. This is like having a 500K volume and a 500k tone pot turned up all the way on the humbucker ..I think. Somebody correct me if I'm wrong. That way the singles still see 250k pots.

But if it turns out you need a tone control on the bridge pickup, use a 500K master volume and a 500k tone with a 22 cap for the bridge humbucker. Use the other 250k tone pot for the neck single and leave the middle pickup with out a tone pot. The middle pickup will see the bridge pickups tone pot when you autosplit so you won't be doubling up tone controls. I find that that a middle strat pickup is not usually too bright with out a tone pot, even with a 500k master volume pot, because of its position. If you do use the middle pickup by itself and its a touch too bright, you can tame it by rolling the volume down a hair. The middle pickup will also see the neck pickup's tone pot when you have it with the neck pickup for the other notch position tone.

Very cool and much appreciated.
Thanks

 

[tmingle]

Here's mine with its semi matching Les Paul.