Want to know what I do when I've got a weekend to myself with no gigs planned? I get bored!



I've been reading up on this around the web and after a week of 'notshuttingupaboutit' I was given an assortment of scrap fabrics from a friend. Since all the guides I have read have been from people trying to busk their way through it I decided to take the same approach. So I took the scratch plate off an old cheap strat with rubbish pickups and pots, generously applied the fabric glue (which apparently does stick to plastic) and went for a sort of 'fabric mache' effect.

I'll leave it overnight and when it dries I'll find an ideal way of trimming the edges without it looking too edgy. Then I think I'm going to get a sheet of very thin plastic and cut out the shape of the plate to protect it from wear and tear.

...And the lucky guitar? Meet 'Electric Lady Hands', my lovely Mexican Strat!


If anybody has any advice or feedback I'd love to hear it!

I'm interested in the results. I don't think I'd bother with the extra plastic bit. I actually bid on some gold leaf sheets on eBay last night to put on my 72 custom scratch plate.

now youve got me looking at all sorts of nicely coloured paisley fabrics for my scratchplate. im waiting to see if the fabric needs to be 'fiished', or sealed or something

I'd be interested to see how that turns out too! should you get the winning bid

When I checked it this morning it had dried nicely but started to peel when I went around the edges with a craft knife. In hindsight I should have sanded the plastic a bit to help it stick. Now that I've done that I'll have to leave it for another night but it seems to be working much better on the bits that have dried. So no info yet I'm afraid!

If you fancy having a go, or anybody else, here's a few links to people who have made a proper effort!

http://www.reranch.com/reranch/viewtopic.php?t=42154&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0

http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f8/pickguard-mod-pickguard-fabric-glue-%3D%3D-win-602550/

http://www.archive.agileguitarforum.com/viewthread.php?tid=21741
This one has a short how-to by the OP about halfway down the first page.

FINISHED! ...well not really. the scratch plate doesn't match up (didn't have time to match it up with the guitar before starting off.. and i wanted a rough attempt first anyway)



looks pretty cool. the fabric worked brilliantly too, with a sanded surface the fabric is good for a while without sealer or a thin sheet of plastic. the best bit is the way that the glue dries over the fabric means you can just sand away the rough edges. the next attempt will look much better (but sadly wont go with my red guitar strap! )

Interesting project.

Did you spray/apply any adhesive or sealants of any kind?

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nope, just very generous layer of fabric glue on a roughed up surface. i was really surprised by the fact that i didn't though. the glue looked just like PVA and right until the end i had major doubts. since the plate didn't fit i thought i might as well give it the strength test and it just wont budge. even the holes for the pots took an age to sand out.

ofc that's under the dim kitchen light, it may be a different story when it comes to gigging with it

Nice job! Intersting project. Thanks for sharing.

T2

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