Anyone ever deal with Terrapin Guitars?

[NickH]

I've been searching for a source for some decent tortoise guards and came across this company. They seem to have celluloid but even the vinyl tortoise (especially C) versions look okay from the samples. Looks like they will cut custom from tracing or shipped guard.

Brown Tortoise (celluloid)



Brown Tortoise B (vinyl)



Brown Tortoise C (vinyl)

[FireAarro]

Definitely don't do C, IMO. It looks incredibly flat with little blending between layers, like Fender Japan tort. B looks like Line 6/Squier etc. tort to me.

[StevenO]

I like C. It looks the most vintage. It's supposed to have that flat look. For some reason, it seems only Vintage Guards will satisfy me.

A looks like the pickguards from the CS bass VIs, which I'm not really a fan of.

[FireAarro]

Well, none of them really look anything like my 60s guard is all.

[sookwinder]

this is what a real early 60s real nitrocellulose tort guard looks like:

[FireAarro]

Yeah, with the 60s tort it's smooth between the colours and you can sorta see through the top layer in the light bits and it has depth... to me C looks like 4 coloured plastic.

sook: that's a nice guard. you sure it's early 60s? it has the blocks and binding is all. I don't know exactly when my Jag's pickguard is from, apparently it's 67 or so, but it looks like that just a darker shade.

This looks like that B material:

http://www.fatdawg.com/60sjazzbassbody.jpg (big pic, 193kb)

[sookwinder]

sook: that's a nice guard. you sure it's early 60s?

yep the guard is early 60s nitrocellulose...  the bass vi is 1967  ... why the difference in years  .. simple ... (i summise) fender made a heap of guards, but didn't make a heap of bass vi's.  The bass vi still has Kluson tuners even though it's a 67 model.

if you compare the guard of the 1966 jaguar I just restored (see below) the colours are totally different.  The early 60s nitro guard has alighter brick red hue to it where as the "plastic" mid 60s guards are darker and richer (not necessarily better mind you) colours.  The colours themselves also seem to be in larger flowing patterns in the early nitro guards, where as the later mid 60s platsic guards have almost a chopped up liver look sometimes.  (I have a spare 1966 guard that does look like diced liver  ... the one on this jag is not quite that bad)

From a material point of view the guard on the bass vi is manufactured ofa material totally different to the 1966 jaguar.  Infact I did the old flammability test on the bass vi guard.  Late last year when cleaning the PUP switches (as I was having trouble with one) I ever so carefully scraped some of the guard (from the underside) and got some guard shavings/dust.  When I put a match to these they ignited in a way which was definately "explosive" in nature rather than just "burning" .  When I did the same to the 66 jaguar guard ... the shavings/dust just melted and burnt.

[lalalandstudios]

Sook is right, Bass VI's weren't flying off the shelves, and there were alot of surplus parts used. 63 necks got used well into 66 for example. My 67 (separated at birth from David's), looks like this....



Talk to Tony at pickgaurdian for another possibility - he had real nitro tort - as on this strat here:



http://www.pickguardian.com/pickguardian/

[zhivago]

the early 60s guard that's gong on one of my '61s (nearing completion)



the other early 60s guard on my Ash '61:



edit to add some more pics....

[Naturality]

Dusty  Tut tut

[zhivago]

Dusty  Tut tut

it's pick dust

*hardcore*

[Marc]

dandruff 

[zhivago]

dandruff 

"...but I've tried everything...."