For my 1960 Jazzmaster guitar, I finally found a vintage white celluloid pickguard of the right year for it to wear. It came to me from Scotland via eBay.
I’d been using a Fender American Vintage Reissue replacement pickguard since I had the guitar refinished a few years ago. Although it wouldn’t look any different, I was anxious to get the real deal pickguard onto the guitar. The only issues were that the vintage guard had one small break and was painted over. The break adds character, but I can’t abide the paint.
These old early-60′s celluloid white guards are called “mint green” because they turn a shade of green as they oxidize. Somebody had painted this one white to recapture the original color, but then the paint started yellowing over the years. That’s where I swooped in to rescue it. The old pickguards are practically unaffordable unless you find one that’s got issues like this. The mint green has more charm than the paint, but to reveal it would take some work.






