If you’re anything like me – and God help you if you are – the more you get into vintage guitars, the more you start noticing all the little differences between the originals and their reissues. Some of these are slight and easily overlooked, like the narrow string spacing on a Japanese Jazzmaster vibrato or the “e” on a new Fender amp logo missing its little point. Other changes can be more glaring; for example, on the new Coronado reissue Fender’s replaced the original DeArmond-made pickups with Gretsch-style FilterTrons, likely because retooling the old ones is more hassle – and expense – than it’s worth. Plus, ‘Trons sound great, so who can complain?
For some, these changes don’t make any difference; after all, a good guitar is a good guitar, so if an instrument sounds and plays great, all of that cosmetic stuff just doesn’t matter. Still, as the old internet axiom states, “What has been seen cannot be unseen,” and for many of us, once a design change or inconsistency is noted it’s hard to put it out of mind.
If you’re anything like me, then you might understand my dismay when I finally realized that the mint guard on my precious ’07 Fender Thin Skin Jazzmaster had a 45 degree bevel instead of the vintage-correct 60°. And if you’re anything like me, I probably just ruined your day.
Bevel, Biv, Devoe-tion
You may be wondering why this matters so much, and to be honest, it really doesn’t. I’m surprised it took me so long to notice, but out of all the changes made to guitar models over the years, this one ranks among the very least important. It bears no effect on the playability, comfort or performance of the instrument, and for most of you out there, if I didn’t write this freaking blog post about it you’d be none the wiser. It’s really a non-issue.
But indulge me for a moment and take a look at these two sunburst Jazzmasters, a 1961 on the left and an 2011 on the right. Born 50 years apart, they’re both beautiful instruments, and each plays fantastically thank you very much. But did you notice how much more bold and eye-catching the guitar on the left is? Sure, it’s obviously vintage, the shell pattern is prettier, and that burst is perfectly worn. However, if the older guitar were completely clean, I’m willing to bet you’d notice a difference even if you couldn’t quite put your finger on what it was. I’m telling you, it’s the bevel!
Just like whitewall tires on a ’50s Chevrolet, a wider pickguard bevel really sets off the look of a guitar.
From an aesthetic perspective (read: to my eye) the deeper bevel can have a surprising impact on the looks of a given instrument; a steeper angle exposes more of the white part of the layers beneath, creating a sort of visual buffer between the burst and tort. This goes double for guitars that have genuine 1960s mint green guards, which have a much thicker middle black layer. That thicker ring around the guard makes vintage guitars ‘pop’ a little more than reissues.
Yes, this minuscule difference only bothers the most detail-obsessed folks on the planet, and I’m proud to be one of them. But if you’re the kind that gets stuck on minute details and you’re finding yourself with an itch you can’t scratch, what then? You could buy a real-deal vintage guard, but that privilege comes at a steep, steep price – may times in the $300 range! You could scour the net for repro guards, but as we all know, reissues are rarely reissues. What then?
Junkies, get your fix: eBay’s fenderparts has you covered. UPDATE: Jimi also runs eBay store portlandmusic, which has a huge selection of his Nitrate Tort guards. They’re beautiful. (Photo at the bottom of the page)
If you’re looking for a vintage-correct guard for your guitar, you can thank your lucky stars for Portland’s fabulous fenderparts. (Also portlandmusic) Owned and operated by Jimi Haskett, fenderparts is my first-call supplier of the coolest aftermarket guards on the planet, at least in my opinion. Not only does Jimi have his angle on the bevel (ha!) he’s also meticulous in choosing just the right materials for his guards. I’m talking spot-on mint green material, and he sources his beautifully-colored tort from Italy! Unfortunately, we don’t have any shots of them, so when we get one of his tortoise shell guards, we’ll be sure to follow up!
50 Shades of Green
When I first discovered Haskett’s amazing guards at the Spring Seattle/Tacoma Guitar Show, I knew I had to have one. From the few guitars I saw that had his work installed, I could tell that this admittedly nonessential upgrade was going to be the thing that took my guitar from a really great-looking reissue to a doppelganger for the real thing – not that I’m trying to fool anyone. A few weeks later, I took the plunge and waited anxiously for my guard.
Jimi shipped my order quickly, especially since my guard was made-to-order. When it arrived, I couldn’t wait to open the package even though my guitar was at home rather than at the shop. On first seeing the guard, my hopes couldn’t have been more adequately met: lightly aged, de-glossed and unbelievably close to a real early ‘60s mint guard, Jimi really impressed me with his attention to detail and deft execution. And the aging? Tastefully done and not too overblown.
Honestly, simply holding my Jazzmaster’s new garments made my eyes grow wide with an almost lustful anticipation, my mind racing as I imagined the ecstasy of stripping down my instrument to its most bare state. Oh, I marveled in the act of turning screw into wood, my hands on Blue’s waist, reveling in the unparalleled joy of playing dress-up with my favorite muse. Oh, the sweet music we’ll make together, my muse and I! Oh, how I can hardly wait to caress –
Whoa. I… I’m sorry. I guess I got carried away there. Do you mind if I – you don’t? Whew, okay. I’ll be right back.
*takes cold shower* Where was I? Ah, yes: the guard.
Installation was a breeze, save for some very minimal filing I had to do around the bridge thimbles holes. I don’t believe this is a shortcoming on Jimi’s part; having worked on nearly every conceivable year and model of the Fender Jazzmaster over the years, I can testify that the thimbles can indeed be in slightly different places, especially on some of the reissues. My guitar is an ’07 Thin-Skin, and even before ordering my guard from fenderparts I was aware that my thimbles were closer to the neck than usual but it intones perfectly, so I never gave it much thought. When I held Jimi’s guard up to my old reissue guard, sure enough his holes were a touch closer to the vibrato plate which perfectly echoed the vintage guard we had around the shop.
The Tease and the Reveal
When I finally had my guitar put back together, the visual difference was immediately apparent. Suddenly, I found myself in a heretofore unknown state of reissued bliss, my eyes affixed to my guitar as if it were brand new all over again. I really can’t describe how impressed I was with this guard, from the dead-on coloring and believable aging to the fit. Just look at it!
I now find myself recommending these guards to anyone that asks, and for a handmade product you’re not paying outrageous sums above what a normal one would cost. Most of his guards are in the range of $79 – $89, which could be off-putting for some. Still, with replacements already costing up to $70, an extra ten or twenty isn’t that out of the question. Like I always say, “Support the little guy!”
In short, Jimi Haskett really gets it. You see, there’s more to making a genuine replacement part than simply following the lines; there’s a character to old things, especially when they’ve come into such constant contact with human beings as guitars have, and this piece of plastic paraphernalia beautifully captures the look and feel of a truly old pickguard. I mean, we’ve all seen really tacky, completely obvious aging, right? Jimi’s work is nothing of the sort.
If you’re even considering a new guard for your old – or new – guitar, do yourself a favor and check out fenderparts on eBay.
And again, portlandmusic is his other eBay handle for tort guards and guitars!
Before and after
That’s damn good tort. Taken from an auction from portlandmusic on eBay.
Mike & Mike's Guitar Bar 
Well, you could just take a razor blade and change the bevel on the re-issue.
Not so fast there! A clever solution, but one that doesn’t take a few major things into account:
For starters, getting a consistent and clean 60-degree bevel with a razor blade on thick plastic is going to be extremely difficult, bordering on impossible. Especially so when you’re trying to mimic the kid of cut made by a spinning bit specifically made for beveling.
Secondly, the screw holes on vintage and reissue guards are in relatively the same place, but the reissue bevel places the edge of the guard much closer to them. Cutting a deeper bevel might put the edge of the guard dangerously close to the screw holes, making for a higher probability of breakage.
Thirdly, the reissue guard still won’t have the vintage-correct ply thicknesses, which is a huge part of the look, both for the edge and for the top ply. The guards just don’t look as cool as old examples.
Fourthly, the amount of time you’ll spend adjusting the reissue guard won’t make saving $70 worth it in the end.
Oh my god you just made my brain explode.