Backplate Material

[Runewalker]

This is not a pure; luthiery topic, but once we crossed the 'bridge' of putting electro-magnetics into guitars purity went out the window anyway.

Backplate Material. The, usually a semi-hard plastic plate, material used to cover spring cavities on Strat or trem types, and the electronic control cavities of back routed guitars.

Where do you find or what can you use that is locally available, and cheap, to fabricate custom covers?

I have seen the Guitar projects page that uses RubberMaid (sounds kinky) office trash cans, but that plastic is too pliable.

I have thought of using thin wood veneer, laminating it to thickness with epoxy to give it rigidity, soak the final built up thickness with super glue, then sand and shape, but seems like a lot of trouble if I can find something already made that is suitable.

Ideas or experiences?

RW

[sumgai]

Rune,

It's been my experience that most vibrato spring covers are external - they sit outside of the body, whereas most rear-mounted control cavities are covered with an inset cover plate - the wood is relieved with an additional "rim route" to support the cover plate.

That said, where a cover plate is inset, it doesn't need to be multiple ply, does it. From that, it follows that I can go down to my local hardware store (McLendon's, for tacobobbo), and procure some fairly nice pieces for next to nothing. The criteria here would be, the store is large enough (6 locations) to have some buying power, yet not so large that they believe in the 90-day syndrome.

But where the plate sits on top of the wood (no inset), and the pickguard is multiple ply, then the back plates should match. I've not seen anything local for that, and like you, I don't see much profit in the time spent to build up such an item. Better to go to pickguards.com, and buy blanks, or see if they'll sell in bulk sheets. I'm sure other sites abound throughout the innerweb, but that's the one that I go to for most things plastic-y.

HTH


sumgai

[pollyshero]

Same stuff...

www.wdmusic.com/pickguard_material_13449_ctg.htm

I just Googled "guitar backplate material & clicked on the first likely one.

OR: I've thought about using formica - you could probably get scraps from a cabinet shop.

I HAVE used lexan (plexiglass) - fabricate & then spray paint one side. Home Depot or Lowe's would probably even cut it to size for you - all you'd have to do would be to round the corners, bevel the edges & drill the holes.

Good luck

[Runewalker]

Thanx SG and PH:

the objective I set was:

Where do you find or what can you use that is locally available, and cheap, to fabricate custom covers?

Finding Stewmac or WD sheet material was not a prob for me but to meet the Cheap objective was harder. WD would sell me enough for 50 LPs pickguards, about 49 more than I need and at $185 a pop not so good on the cheap continnum.

The plexiglass idea is worth pursuing if it comes in 1/8" thickness.

Thanx again.
RW

[pollyshero]

Lowe's and Home Depot boh sell plexiglass in varying thicknesses - 1/8" (or thereabouts) should not be a problem. I usually find it back in the doors and windows area.

[ccoleman]

home depot window department even cut my small piece of plexiglass to my measurements ! winning situation for those without a power jigsaw..

[mmray321]

haha,i want to play a game ;D

[gumbo]

Made a Strat backplate out of (what we call here) ABS plastic sheet....came from a signage shop offcut...these places can be a mine of useful stuff if you can make friends with the guy who puts the crap in the dumpster....
...easy stuff to cut, shape and drill, although the other side of my life and its handiness with a jeweler's saw kind of helps sometimes..:-)
...I've collected a pile of bits of Perspex/Plexiglass/plastic-sheet stuff like this over the years, and I'm forever finding uses for it at the most unexpected moments!