Guitar Pickguard Project

My Godin 5th Avenue Kingpin II has the standard tortoise shell pickguard. Aesthetically, it looks fine but I have a real problem with static noise coming through the amp when my fingers brush against it as I play. 

Apparently, I'm not the only experiencing this problem. After doing some research, I found several possible solutions ranging from rubbing dryer sheets to grounding the pickguard. I tried the dryer sheets but that only works for a short time before having to re-apply. I didn't want to go the grounding route so I thought I would change out the pickguard for one made of wood which, theoretically, shouldn't have any static buildup.So...here's the project...

The Cutout

I found some solid rosewood veneer from an eBay seller. I had originally thought to buy ebony headstock veneer from a major guitar parts supplier but it was pretty expensive and I challenged myself to make it for as cheaply as possible. 

Here's the rosewood veneer. I bought 2 in case I made a mistake and if I didn't err, I would use the 2nd one to make a different shape. Since I didn't make a mistake, I'll work on shape 2 another day.

Here it is after after I cut it. I basically just removed the existing pickguard, used it as a template and cut it out with a scroll saw. You may notice that it is slightly darker than the original blank. That is because I also prepared it for the ebonizing process (google it) by staining it with black tea to infuse the wood with tannic acid. I will be re-applying another wash of tea when I ebonize it. If you look closely, you will see that the grain doesn't match from the cutout and the original blank. That's because I forgot to take the picture of the blank before I cut it...so I just took the picture of the 2nd blank that I had bought. 

The Ebonizer

This is the ebonizing solution in the middle of the chemical reaction process. I ball of 0000 steel wool and white vinegar in the same jar and let it stew. After a week, there isn't much of the steel wool left.

Before using the solution, it should be strained to remove any solid pieces left. Using coffee filters, I strained it twice to get a nice clean solution. 

Here is another batch of Tannic Acid wash (aka Orange Pekoe Tea) I'm preparing for the final phase.

Here is a picture of the pickguard after 3 alternating coats of the tea wash and vinegar solution. As you can see, it's not nearly as dark as I thought it would turn out. I was avoiding any kind of a stain or a dye to really darken it but it looks like I'm going to have to resort to one of those methods. Too bad, I was really hoping this would work. I suspect there just isn't enough tannins in the wood to really make it black.

Fiebings Black Leather Dye To The Rescue

This is the stuff that a large online guitar parts retailer sells as an ebonizer.

And it works great. I just used a foam brush to apply it and a clean cotton rag to wipe it down. After 2 coats, some light sanding, and a lemon oil rub, I now have a faux ebony pickguard. 

And a closeup.

So after all this, I probably didn't save any money by using the rosewood instead of buying the ebony blank. I did, however, learn a lot about ebonizing and it was just plain fun doing it. I cut out the other blank using a shape more like a Benedetto Fingerrest. Once I decide how I want to finish it, I'll put it on the guitar and see how it looks.

If you've made it this far, thanks for taking the time to read my ramblings. Any comments about my process is welcome especially if you can shed some light on why the ebonizing process didn't work. 

One last thing, by the time I got around to doing this project, winter was basically over, I won't actually know if it will solve static noise problem until the air starts to dry out again. This could have been all for nothing...LoL.