I made my own tortoiseshell pickguard... And it took me one year!

[Veitchy]

Man, that looks pretty much perfect. Really amazing work.

[PixMix]

Amazing work!!! I'd buy one in a heartbeat.

[FEXII]

Please do a small business with those tort guards!
Looks perfect to me and i think that a mid range (65 bucks?) could be a real cool alternative to spitfire.

Just thinking...

I think it deserves to cost a lot more than that. This thing is handcrafted after a great deal of research and hard work.

[Unicorn Warrior]

Please do a small business with those tort guards!
Looks perfect to me and i think that a mid range (65 bucks?) could be a real cool alternative to spitfire.

Just thinking...

I think it deserves to cost a lot more than that. This thing is handcrafted after a great deal of research and hard work.

Not saying it isn’t worth more than that, but volume = more revenue. He could Jack the price to equate spitfire but there would be no incentive for anyone to buy.

[andy_tchp]

Can only shake my head at people that think these should sell for $65.

WD's cheapest (and arguably least terrible looking, but still very obviously 'printed' tort) 'Tortoise Shell Red' guard is $80. The (really awful) brown four-layer thing is $95 - $115 depending on the backing layer.


Presumably you guys are all happy to work for free too?

[PixMix]

Can only shake my head at people that think these should sell for $65.

WD's cheapest (and arguably least terrible looking, but still very obviously 'printed' tort) 'Tortoise Shell Red' guard is $80. The (really awful) brown four-layer thing is $95 - $115 depending on the backing layer.


Presumably you guys are all happy to work for free too?

I agree 100%.

[Gordon]

Please do a small business with those tort guards!
Looks perfect to me and i think that a mid range (65 bucks?) could be a real cool alternative to spitfire.

Just thinking...

I think it deserves to cost a lot more than that. This thing is handcrafted after a great deal of research and hard work.

Not saying it isn’t worth more than that, but volume = more revenue. He could Jack the price to equate spitfire but there would be no incentive for anyone to buy.

That's only true if it's easier to make a few rather than only one.

How much does it actually cost to make one (material & time)? How often can the process go wrong? One year of R&D for what cost? Just because mass-producing companies have a big markup (that they could reduce) doesn't undervalue OP's work and the value/quality of his craftsmanship.

[fritzypatzy]

Thanks all for the compliments!

I understand the demand to have a more affordable alternative, because I've been there before. However, I won't be able to rival with cheap-material-mass-production-pickguard prices. It's just economically infeasible. We're talking small handcrafted production with homemade material a to z... It takes time and money to craft these babies (and dare I say, a certain expertise!)

With that said, continuing with my tortoiseshell experiments, here's a new pickguard I just made!
I wanted this one to be wilder, with big lava-esque patterns.

Is this something you guys would be into? Let me know!

In response to the general enthusiasm, I've decided to craft a first batch of pickguards, starting with jags and jazzmasters!
Also working on a website!

Looking forward to providing you with the best tortoise pickguards, at a fair price

Cheers, François

Ps: The guitar is a Mascis Jazzmaster (fiesta red refin) and the pickguard has gone through a light aging process to make the color of the edge match with the cream knobs and pickups.

[jasonpetzold]

Amazing!

[Jaguar018]

Our guy is in France, so whatever price he comes up with you are also going to have to contend with shipping. Even if he prices stuff the same as Spitfire, it would still be cheaper for all our European OSGers. I'd like to think that most people on OSG (even the super cheap guys) realize just how much effort goes into making something like a 'correct' tort guard. It took him a YEAR. There are already requests to have the OP make it for different guitars and basses. Do you really think he can whip them out for $65 or 65 Euro? This isn't some child labor factory.

These are some cool looking guards and he's just getting started.

[bodhi]

I'm personally not under any illusion that this would necessarily pan out, was just one of the ones that kind of opportunistically chipped in. I can very well understand that it can be read as improper, and am partly of that opinion myself as well.

As with anything, if OP is actually going as far as to make it a possibility, a purchase decision is going to be based on what kind of total cost of ownership it might imply later, and I guess like everyone I probably have a price range that feels doable for keeper gear. Also already in the EU myself, so that's actually a positive wrt taxes and shipping.

[Horsefeather]

I think creating a supply on hand of standard guards for people to choose from is a great idea. Currently the only other option is "take what you get" so the ability to see what you're buying beforehand would be a real boon.

[andy_tchp]

With that said, continuing with my tortoiseshell experiments, here's a new pickguard I just made!
I wanted this one to be wilder, with big lava-esque patterns.

Is this something you guys would be into? Let me know!

I'm no big tort 'connoisseur', and that looks cool, but it's not something I'd personally buy, as I'd be after something that looks like a real '60s guard.

Like that Jaguar guard you posted the other day, which (based on the photo) you nailed.

But that's just me, others might like the different/wilder patterns, particularly if it fits a specific project/new build aesthetic.

I'd say the same thing for some of Spitfire's guards. Some of those more experimental/strident/highly contrasting designs just...don't look very good to me. Just my $0.02.

[Unicorn Warrior]

With that said, continuing with my tortoiseshell experiments, here's a new pickguard I just made!
I wanted this one to be wilder, with big lava-esque patterns.

Is this something you guys would be into? Let me know!

I'm no big tort 'connoisseur', and that looks cool, but it's not something I'd personally buy, as I'd be after something that looks like a real '60s guard.

Like that Jaguar guard you posted the other day, which (based on the photo) you nailed.

But that's just me, others might like the different/wilder patterns, particularly if it fits a specific project/new build aesthetic.

I'd say the same thing for some of Spitfire's guards. Some of those more experimental/strident/highly contrasting designs just...don't look very good to me. Just my $0.02.

Agree with this 100%. You charge anything north of $200 for these and I speculate you’re pissing in the wind. The Jaguar guard was good. The JM guard doesn’t look real enough and is akin to some of the early junk spitfire pumped out. They sold on the mere hype from this forum. In hindsight, anytime I see one of those early guards on a guitar I cringe a little knowing the price vs how unauthentic they look. Spitfire is doing well enough finally that he’s making some convincing looking patterns. Despite your potential, you’re not there yet. If I’m in the market to spend that money on a guard I’m going to side with the maker whose already pretty much there.

The market for $250 dollar guards is already filled. Do yourself a solid favor and make yourself more competitive.

You don’t have to agree or listen to any of this. Just a suggestion.

[andy_tchp]

Despite your potential, you’re not there yet. If I’m in the market to spend that money on a guard I’m going to side with the maker whose already pretty much there.

FWIW if I was in the market I would pay a premium price (aka 'too expensive' in OSG-speak) for the Jaguar pickguard pictured on the previous page.

I would not do the same for a guard from Spitfire that 'should' look like what I requested when it finally gets made to order.


If you can stock a small webstore/Reverb page that shows pictures of actual guards for sale that people can purchase, they'll sell themselves.