Which pickguard for a black Jazz?

I just bought an MIM fretless Jazz that will arrive tomorrow. Got it from a friend who is downsizing his collection (some of you who hung at The Other Place may remember Paul Jarrett, who went by "gmstudio" over there... he sold me my beloved MIA Precision Deluxe, and I can trust him when he says this one is mint).

However, it's black, and while I can tolerate a black Strat with a white pickguard, I find a black Jazz with a white guard kind of repellent. So a new guard it is.

I know it would look slick with a black guard. Anybody have pics of other choices? Tortoise? Pearl? Parchment/cream?

I left the white guard on my black MIM Jazz Bass.:wah:

Well, okay for you!

This one did get dressed up with a set of both bridge and pickups covers, and a tug bar. So it's got a bit of flash, but I expect that stuff will likely get in the way for me and get removed.

I'm dead set on Tort for black guitars

I'm leaning toward the tort, Chucko. Black on black is tuxedo classy but not as interesting.

My wife wants me to try blue pearl... She thinks it would look awesome with the chrome covers. It would either be amazing and one-of-a-kind.... Or so hideous I'd throw it away!

So, if I go with the tort, who makes the good looking one. Fender? Warmoth's is real celluloid but kind of dark. Terrapin has a choice of three degrees of redness, but it's expensive. Who's your fave?

I like a white or yellowed pearloid. Not crazy about the tort on black - have had a few. Also like black on black. have that now, and it works for me.

I like the anodized gold pickguards on black instruments. I'm thinking of one for my sunburst Jazz Bass.

I think the anodized guards look nice in pics, but I never saw one in person that lit me up. Frank, the MIJ fretless Jazz I've been borrowing is black on black, and it's okay... Of your suggestions, I'd probably go for the yellowed pearl first (I am thinking about that, too).

I'd go Terrapin since they have choices. Tort's a crap shoot, cuz there isn't really a pattern. So it sorta turns into "you get Whatcha get"...

Black Jazz needs either tortoise or Mother of Toiletseat (aged/yellowed)

Truth!

Agreed. It's gonna be tortoise. I like Terrapin's color choices, and they're only 10 or 15 bucks more than a Fender, so ill go with them less i find one on the wall at GC or something that looks awesome. Thanks for the input, ya'll.

I just remembered one of the reasons that I never replaced the guard on my bass- the earlier MIM Jazz Basses (mine is a '99) used two pickups that were identical in size rather than two different sized like a modern American made Jazz Bass.

I was concerned about finding a guard that was a direct fit. I wanted tortoise.

I believe that more recent MIM Jazz Basses use two different size pickups like a modern American made Jazz Bass.

I'm not sure when that change happened. Probably about the same time that they stopped using Strat knobs and went to Jazz Bass knobs.

Hmmmm. This one is a '98... I'll have to wait til I get it to find out if the pups are as you say. If so, I can send a tracing to Terrapin (they made the custom-designed guard for my PRS SE Soapy) and they'll reproduce it. It has Jazz Bass knobs, but Paul may have added those when he installed the pup covers and tug bar.

Thanks for preventing me from making a goof, Don. If mine is the same as yours, you can order one from my template.

If he put covers on the pickups then you're probably all set. The old MIM Jazz Bass pickups are an in between size. I think one of the stock American covers almost fits and the other is way off.

It's possible that the fretless Jazz was a "Deluxe" model and had better pickups and knobs.

Don, everything that I've read indicates that the two pickups of the same size are two NECK pickups, and so an aftermarket guard should fit right over it. If you want to upgrade pickups to need to route the bridge position out a few millimeters wider... but a pickguard shouldn't be a problem. Still researching.....

Well, now I have to learn about MIM Deluxe models. Arrrrgh! Damn you, Fender!

They've done some goofy crap throughout the years! I have NO idea why... Typical Fender! Let's NOT do what we've done for years and should be good at...

I mean, COME ON!!! It's not like the machines in Baja are THE SAME machines used throughout the pre CBS and CBS eras or anything...:wtf

Here is a pic of Pearloid on my Dark Maroon parts bass - let me know what you think of that?
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v604/Ken/DSCF2094.jpg


This was Marcondos Jazz Dlx - had red tort on it - but I liked the Black on black more
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v604/Ken/DSCF1014.jpg

Here is the Red Tort -
I just wasn't a fan.......
Pearloid........yeah.....its like that!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...P1010040-1.jpg

There's a bass in the first pic? :D

its just for reference


Also - the sunburst if anyone was wanting to talk about pickguards on SB.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v604/Ken/DSCF2101.jpg

Quote:

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Originally Posted by chuckocaster

There's a bass in the first pic? :D

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I was thinking the same thing!

BTW, if it was a sunburst Jazz Bass with a rosewood fretboard I'd say tortoise all the way! Every sunburst offset guitar needs a tortoise guard!

I'm still missing it... All I see are pretty ladies!

I almost broke my headstock.

We are getting ready to do Hooters on the Deck again -I will get some more pickguard pics for you then!

"These pictures are so I can show off my guitars to my internet buddies... Really, that's all..." :D

The brunette with the Strat is the real heartbreaker, but the blonde with the Jazz looks like she knows how to hold a bass.

So, I'm thinking (actually, was thinking of it when I bought it) of upgrading the pickups in this thing (it takes just the slightest widening of the bridge route for any aftermarket pup to fit) at the same time... I'm guessing that anybody's pickguard would fit if it had standard sized pickups, no?

Guitar Fetish Pickguards are nice - but they only have a few to choose from. that is one of theirs on the Maroon USA/MIJ/MIM jazz.

BTW - a VERY naughty drummer on a 1943 Gretsch drum set

Tort.

I'm curious about an anodized guard...it looks great on a P-Bass, but I can't recall ever seeing one on a Jazz.

Comparing the existing guard to Warmoth's online PDF template, it appears that a stock guard won't properly fit on this bass.... I'll be double checking, but the pickup fails to line up by about 1/4". Warmoth said this might be the case and referred me to Terrapin, which would have been my choice anyway. (By the way, if any of you have done business with Terrapin or otherwise knew him, my guy at Warmoth told me that the owner, John, died of cancer a couple of months ago, and his wife, who was working the business, too, is running it now.)

After three days of quarter turns on the truss rod I've got the neck dialed in. The guitar is extremely resonant and woody, but these pickups and pots really suck. Debating between Duncan pickups (which would be "vintage-y" but require some bridge route widening), or EMGs (which are hi-fi, but can be acquired in a set with both pickups the same size, made special for these MIM basses and go together without soldering). Also considering a Gotoh 201 bridge and a neck shim. It plays nice now, but I think I can get it even more "buttery."

Terrapin is great, that's sad to hear about the owner passing.