turns out i really do not like the brass pick guard on my squier paranormal '54 jazz - i was thinking of doing a custom one (maybe 3D printed?), but i was hoping to find a digital file of the pick guard, but so far no luck. does anyone know of any resources for this? i could use pretty much anything: PDF, AI, EPS, even an STL etc.
i can of course pull the current pick guard off and scan it etc. myself but i feel like there must be an accurate file out there somewhere already…?
Wow how big is your printer?
And no there’s nothing readily available on ThingVerse, if you have the scanner that might be the way to go. If you don’t want to do all of that try ETSY. I bought the '51 ice metallic from there. looks awesome.
thanks! and no my printer is not big enough to print it in one shot but i can print it with a seam parallel to the strings right in the middle between the neck & the neck pickup, should be not very noticable.
ended up scanning and redrawing the pick guard in Illustrator. here is my first 3d printed test — actually quite happy with how it came out! just a few minor tweaks needed.
Actually, the idea to 3d print it and have a the pickguard in two pieces is not as bad as I first thought. Can you make it gapless too?
Might steal this idea from you!
im very new to both 3D printing and 3D modeling so the answer is: absolutely yes it could be done accurately enough to have zero gap — however i am not sure that i am the person to do that lol. the plan is to keep tweaking it and find out.
also i could model in a thumbrest right above the E string as part of the pickguard itself.
Cool!
Why not make the two parts slightly overlapping (just one or two millimeters) and than grind it down until it fits perfectly???
defintely an option, but honestly the more i look at it the more i think that split down the middle is kind of cool - just need to size it and space it more deliberately.
Any reason to 3d print vs the much easier path of just tracing and cutting it from plastic modeling stock?
yes: i have a 3D printer and filament and i do not have plastic modeling stock. also to me (right now) 3D printing is more fun than other materials/methods.
Might need to play with the sheet sizing and thickness but it’s inexpensive and easy to get:
https://www.amazon.com/TAMIYA-70124-Plastic-Board-Pieces-White/dp/B00CF9RSTU/
as one example. Then just do as many ply as you like.
oh for sure - its mostly the second reason i listed. i have a white and a black option i have already printed out, will post pics a bit later.
Yeah I’m not trying to crap on the fun aspect, I get it 
Just mostly left that as a FYI for others.
as promised, a few options. unfortunately the black PLA i am using is not great so the print is a bit uneven but you get the idea:
There is a German saying I quite like: “Schwarz ist bunt genug!” (“black is colourful enough”)
It’s a great saying.
I like the second one (black on the EA side, white on the DG side).
i agree - the mix is kind of cool!
Does the printer give a matt or gloss finish? I’m assuming it’s matt.
it depends both on the type of filament (they make “matte” filament) and how it is printed, things like speed of the head, flow etc… all contribute. i do not know enough anbout this yet to know what exactly is happening with this print.
