History of White Pickguards on burst Fenders Jazz basses?

[casbonano]

Hello everyone.

I got to wondering what the history of sunburst Jazz basses with white pickguards was like. Of course, tortoise shell is the iconic pg color. I love tortoise shell and all it’s retro vibe, and even ordered a tortoise shell pg to replace the white one on my new players series (two, actually: The fender brand left a gap between it and the control plate that was unacceptable, and the second one is nice but moves the pickup ever so slightly.... I think) Now the white has begrudgingly started to grow on me.

Anyone know if white pickguards on burst jazzes was a thing in any specific yesteryear?

I always felt fender stuck ugly white pg on the mim/standard price-point instruments on purpose to force a pickguard sale down the road lol.

 

[DeliriumTremens]

About 1982 I think, when they switched to the all in one pickguard, no control plate set up

 

[Hachimitsu]

John Entwistle's 65 jazz had a white pickguard.

 

[KingShiv]

This video shows a lot of the changes in the jazz bass, including minor stuff like pickguard changes and stuff. I'm hoping I'm remembering that right, but I'm pretty sure he mentions what year certain pickguards began showing up.

 

[Killing Floor]

Jaco didn’t need a white pick guard

 

[Ostie]

I have a J that came with white, then I switched to pearl, now it has tort. That’s the history of my J bass.

 

[casbonano]

View attachment 4130782
John Entwistle's 65 jazz had a white pickguard.

Heeey! That’s what I’m talking about! Thanks for that Hachimitsu.

 

[casbonano]

I have a J that came with white, then I switched to pearl, now it has tort. That’s the history of my J bass.View attachment 4130832

Love the burst on that. Always been a fan of the more yellowish burst. If I had a bass that looked that way Tortoise would be the only way to go for sure

 

[casbonano]

This video shows a lot of the changes in the jazz bass, including minor stuff like pickguard changes and stuff. I'm hoping I'm remembering that right, but I'm pretty sure he mentions what year certain pickguards began showing up.

snap! I think you are right. I remember watching this. He may talk about it indeed...

 

[Eddie LeBlanc]

White is not in style after Labor Day...... LOL

 

[jamro217]

I think they used white on custom color models and tort on burst in the early days. Some colors don't match tort as well as others (blue, black, pink compared to burst, white, natural). They changed to black by 1976 and were available in white a few years later.

 

[chadds]

I’m so upset! This is Tortism!
You all might be Tortists.
The title of thread!?!

But wait the world should come to this thread.
We discriminate against 10” in favor of 12” then brand vs brand and Fender vs all other basses. Then P + SVT supremacy. Woody matters. Wire doesn’t. Flats vs Rwds. No one needs an
ABG. You’re stuck up and putting me down if you play a booteeqee. Class D! Modeling is better than real. IE is all you need. LOL

Then we all leave the Keyboards and play real Bass and all is right with the world. My point? We stay sisters and brothers in Bass. Peace is ours!

 

[Bass4ThePublic]

View attachment 4130782
John Entwistle's 65 jazz had a white pickguard.

Yep, saw it in person and it still had the white pickguard on it.

 

[MovingPitchers]

White pickguards on sunburst basses is just an ugly color combo but I guess white colored PGs were the cheapest option for mass production models.

 

[chadds]

......and. I took the white pickguard off my MIJ ‘51 Precision Sunburst. My P is a Fullerton ‘57 RI so gold anodized. The P I had in 1969 was a 1957 so gold anodized pickguard. Guess I’m discriminating!

 

[casbonano]

White is not in style after Labor Day...... LOL

Hahahhahaha!

 

[casbonano]

White pickguards on sunburst basses is just an ugly color combo but I guess white colored PGs were the cheapest option for mass production models.

That’s always been my personal sentiment. However, this PARCHMENT (booshie white)
Pickguard has grown on me pretty wickedly. I guess it’s a matter of becoming fond of something by positive association (this particular bass is awesome) even though it’s contrary to my well established taste.

 

[MovingPitchers]

That’s always been my personal sentiment. However, this PARCHMENT (booshie white)
Pickguard has grown on me pretty wickedly. I guess it’s a matter of becoming fond of something by positive association (this particular bass is awesome) even though it’s contrary to my well established taste.

White pearloid is the only one I can accept. Cream is okay but ehhh it's too similar to plain white

 

[aetheldrea]

Yep, saw it in person and it still had the white pickguard on it.
View attachment 4131851

This definitely doesn’t look like every other 60’s jazz bass ever. If it wasn’t in a museum, my first thought would have been “made in Japan”. Very cool.

 

[ELG60]

Here's my '64 which I remember as being sunburst when I bought it in about '82 or 3. I immediately had it refinished in tobacco sunburst and had EMG's installed . . . In retrospect, not the wisest course of action. Not sure if that pickguard was the original one or not, but it's yellowed nicely: