Tort pickguard nuances

#41
zoom_4311.jpg
 
#42
I don't mind some of the Gila Monster tort patterns, either. It's not "authentic" but it's still the same general look. BYW... the MOST 3-D "tort" I've ever seen was on an old Vox Delta IV bass I owned. Very dark, with streaks of a brilliant red shimmer.
 
#43
Axstar said:
Tort pickguards are interesting!

Spitfire are the only guys on the block making period accurate tort. This comes down to the volatility of the materials involved apparently.

Saying that, most tort pickguards are wrong for a number of reasons. A '60s tort pickguard has a thin black ply, whereas every modern pickguard has equally thick white and black layers under the tort. Vintage tort is also a thick slab on top of the upper white layer, whereas modern tort pickguards typically have a thin layer. When you see a true '60s pickguard the top slab of tort is thick enough for you to get a proper sideways look through it on the bevel.

The tort effect in a '60s pickguard is fuzzier than in a modern tort pickguard. The colours blend into each other at the edges.

View attachment 3640299

Finally vintage pickguards have a 30 degree bevel, versus a modern 45 degree pitch. On aged pickguards this bevel becomes even more relaxed, down to 25 degrees or so, as the celluloid tort layer shrinks back. In the detailed photo here you can see how each layer subtly blends into the next, the black layer is thin and the tort layer is thick! There is also tooling chatter all over the bevel. The white layers aren't perfectly white either. At a guess the bottom layer is parchment white and the top layer is 'mint', but they aren't solid, consistent colours.

My go-to mod for pickguards is to increase the bevel to 30 degrees.

View attachment 3640300

This is an Amazon 'Floer' pickguard I paid about £15 for (in a pack of two!). The red and yellow layer is pretty nice, albeit thinner than a vintage pickguard. I've decreased the pitch of the bevel to around 30 degrees. The white layer is too starkly white and the black layer is too thick.


Oddly enough the '60s Fender used a different tort on '60s Mustang basses. The red is a lot redder, and there isn't a lower white layer. The layers are tort/white/black with a thick black layer.

Most Tort Fender now make is too dark (though apparently '60s tort started out dark and fades over time). There is no 'movement' within this tort. The dark bits are dark, the light bits are like white/cream blobs, and there isn't much interaction between the two. Conversely Fender Japan used a tomato soup red tort for the longest time with no real variance in shade in it.

This is what '60s tort is all about, per my description above:

View attachment 3640301


I've bought a lot of tort pickguards! Here are some, and the major issues with each:
View attachment 3640302

Cheap Ebay. Too much pink in the mix, some very dark spots and random almost white/cream spots. I increased the bevel on this pickguard to vintage specs.

View attachment 3640303

Less cheap Ebay, from Singapore! Printed tort effect with visible DPI. A photo of tort laminated onto a 3-ply white pickguard. Again added vintage bevel, but very overpriced for a cheap unit.

View attachment 3640304

Dark celluloid tort. Again quite cheap on Amazon. Looks like a Gila Monster. Good if you want a '70s Japanese 'Lawsuit' vibe as they used black/yellow big-swirl tort like this.


Finally, here's some more I wasted money on!

View attachment 3640305

Top right is brown, 'celluloid' (allegedly) guard imported to the UK by somebody on the Basschat forum. The brown layer was thin, lifeless looking and shrinking rapidly around all the edges and routes. Note that it is deep brown, with small cream spots here and there. Check the second Gila Monster tort pickguard bottom left, and second pinky-tort pickguard bottom right.
Click to expand...

My first bass was a Lawsuit era P with a guard very much like your Gila monster one. I broke the original (I was young and dumb, and well, P guards are weak around the Jack). but I always liked that vibe. I may have to go looking again.
 
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#44
mexicanyella said:
Hey Axstar, thanks for taking the time to write that up and include the images. That was interesting. I have yet to own any tort, but I have two beater P copies that could get pickguard replacements someday...

...that said, I may be a tort heathen mouthbreather but I find my eye drawn to that “Gila monster/70s lawsuit” pattern. Will have to check Amazon...

Anyway, that was a cool tort presentation and I enjoyed it.
Click to expand...

Thanks man! I guess I'm on a mission to get close to '60s Tort. The Gila Monster tort is striking and a good material in its own right.

XW032J4.jpg


Very vibrant, contrasting pattern. Looks like a '70s Tokai or Aria Pro II, which is totally cool!
 
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#45
MobileHolmes said:
My first bass was a Lawsuit era P with a guard very much like your Gila monster one. I broke the original (I was young and dumb, and well, P guards are weak around the Jack). but I always liked that vibe. I may have to go looking again.
Click to expand...

Thanks for helping me get 'Gila Monster tort' into the Talkbass lexicon. Check out my previous post for a photo of Gila in action!
 
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#47
Gila Monster Tort was the name of my high school band.

That being said, I like it. It pairs very well with Olympic White, Black, paler versions of Fiesta red, 3 tone sunbursts, both Surf and Seafoam Green and Burgundy Mist. I can see it work great with the Player series Buttercream as well.
 
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#48
nerkoids said:
Gila Monster Tort was the name of my high school band.

That being said, I like it. It pairs very well with Olympic White, Black, paler versions of Fiesta red, 3 tone sunbursts, both Surf and Seafoam Green and Burgundy Mist. I can see it work great with the Player series Buttercream as well.
Click to expand...
Mine was on a slightly yellowed natural/ash, and looked pretty sweet
 
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#49
MobileHolmes said:
No problem!

Do you have a link or search terms for that one? I've been half ass trying to find something like that for years but didn't really know what I'm looking for
Click to expand...

Yes! The brown tortoiseshell pickguard out of this set should be Gila tort:

https://www.amazon.com/FLEOR-Tortoi...ds=fleor+pickguard+bass&qid=1577117148&sr=8-5


Look for any brown tort pickguard with celluloid and PVC listed as the materials and you should find Gila tort.

Maybe this as well: https://www.amazon.com/Musiclily-Pr...s=brown+pickguard+bass&qid=1577117264&sr=8-11
 
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#50
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#53
I don’t know all the details of tort but I like mine. Pickgaurdian made this one. When I talked to them just said I didn’t want brown tort but I didn’t want super lite reddish tort either. And told them to do whatever is traditional for fender as far are the layers/edge. Trying to remember off the top of my head but want to say it’s 4 layers mint, black, mint, tort I believe
F11387B4-BBF7-4341-A90B-1AECAD55E99F.jpeg
 
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#54
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#56
Axstar said:
Tort pickguards are interesting!

Spitfire are the only guys on the block making period accurate tort. This comes down to the volatility of the materials involved apparently.

Saying that, most tort pickguards are wrong for a number of reasons. A '60s tort pickguard has a thin black ply, whereas every modern pickguard has equally thick white and black layers under the tort. Vintage tort is also a thick slab on top of the upper white layer, whereas modern tort pickguards typically have a thin layer. When you see a true '60s pickguard the top slab of tort is thick enough for you to get a proper sideways look through it on the bevel.

The tort effect in a '60s pickguard is fuzzier than in a modern tort pickguard. The colours blend into each other at the edges.

View attachment 3640299

Finally vintage pickguards have a 30 degree bevel, versus a modern 45 degree pitch. On aged pickguards this bevel becomes even more relaxed, down to 25 degrees or so, as the celluloid tort layer shrinks back. In the detailed photo here you can see how each layer subtly blends into the next, the black layer is thin and the tort layer is thick! There is also tooling chatter all over the bevel. The white layers aren't perfectly white either. At a guess the bottom layer is parchment white and the top layer is 'mint', but they aren't solid, consistent colours.

My go-to mod for pickguards is to increase the bevel to 30 degrees.

View attachment 3640300

This is an Amazon 'Floer' pickguard I paid about £15 for (in a pack of two!). The red and yellow layer is pretty nice, albeit thinner than a vintage pickguard. I've decreased the pitch of the bevel to around 30 degrees. The white layer is too starkly white and the black layer is too thick.


Oddly enough the '60s Fender used a different tort on '60s Mustang basses. The red is a lot redder, and there isn't a lower white layer. The layers are tort/white/black with a thick black layer.

Most Tort Fender now make is too dark (though apparently '60s tort started out dark and fades over time). There is no 'movement' within this tort. The dark bits are dark, the light bits are like white/cream blobs, and there isn't much interaction between the two. Conversely Fender Japan used a tomato soup red tort for the longest time with no real variance in shade in it.

This is what '60s tort is all about, per my description above:

View attachment 3640301


I've bought a lot of tort pickguards! Here are some, and the major issues with each:
View attachment 3640302

Cheap Ebay. Too much pink in the mix, some very dark spots and random almost white/cream spots. I increased the bevel on this pickguard to vintage specs.

View attachment 3640303

Less cheap Ebay, from Singapore! Printed tort effect with visible DPI. A photo of tort laminated onto a 3-ply white pickguard. Again added vintage bevel, but very overpriced for a cheap unit.

View attachment 3640304

Dark celluloid tort. Again quite cheap on Amazon. Looks like a Gila Monster. Good if you want a '70s Japanese 'Lawsuit' vibe as they used black/yellow big-swirl tort like this.


Finally, here's some more I wasted money on!

View attachment 3640305

Top right is brown, 'celluloid' (allegedly) guard imported to the UK by somebody on the Basschat forum. The brown layer was thin, lifeless looking and shrinking rapidly around all the edges and routes. Note that it is deep brown, with small cream spots here and there. Check the second Gila Monster tort pickguard bottom left, and second pinky-tort pickguard bottom right.
Click to expand...
Please tell me more about that P bass! AVRI?
 
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