This plate represents an often-overlooked chapter in the history of the Stratocaster®. At first glance, it looks just like the modern Strat® pickguard we’ve all come to recognise (which first appeared around 1983) – same 11-hole mounting pattern, same overall shape, same routing for pickups, switch, and pots. But there’s one very subtle difference that sets it apart.

It’s all about the mounting bolts for the pickups and selector switch. On a post-1983 Strat®, these bolts have dome-shaped heads, meaning the holes in the pickguard are simple 4mm round drill-outs. But prior to this, Fender® used countersunk bolts, and so the pickguards featured matching recessed holes to accommodate them.

Why the change? Well, it comes down to a strange quirk in pickup design. Believe it or not, the mounting holes on Strat® pickups are actually slightly narrower than the holes in the pickguard – usually around 76.5mm centre-to-centre vs. the pickguard’s 77.5mm. It’s a difference that’s almost invisible, but it means the bolts need to pull inwards slightly when fitted.

With dome-headed bolts, this isn’t a problem – the bolt shafts (usually around 3mm wide) have enough play in the 4mm holes to sit relatively square. But with countersunk bolts, the head needs to seat neatly in the recess, which forces the bolts to sit at a slight angle as they’re drawn in. Most people never notice it – but it’s likely the reason the design was quietly updated.

So, why does this matter?

Well, over time, modern-style plates have become the default – especially with aftermarket parts – simply because they fit everything from '60s and '70s guitars right through to the latest models. As a result, true vintage-style pickguards with countersunk bolt holes have become increasingly rare.

But we figured: why not bring them back? If we’re offering SSH plates, HSS plates, every flavour of SSS plate from every era – it only makes sense to offer this little bit of overlooked Strat® history too.

Specification-wise

It’s exactly what you’d expect from a Strat® plate:

• Routed for three single coils

• Switch slot suitable for 3-way or 5-way (though remember – the 5-way wasn’t standard until the late '70s!)

• And of course, the classic 11 mounting holes around the perimeter

Construction

These plates are made from 3-ply PVC laminate – it’s still the best material for the job. While other plastics have appeared on pickguards over the years, they often come with drawbacks – shrinking, warping, discolouration, or just being tricky to work with. PVC, by contrast, is stable, heat resistant, and colour-fast – it won’t fade over time (though yes, it’ll still stain if you leave it in a smoky room or in direct sunlight for too long – we’re not magicians).

In short?

If you’re restoring a '70s Strat®, or just want to pay homage to a more obscure corner of the Strat® timeline, this plate nails it – period-correct countersunk pickup and switch holes, modern routing for pickups and controls, and all the charm of a true vintage piece. Just… without the vintage problems.

A Closer Look and what to look out for

Fender®, Squier®, Strat® and Stratocaster® are registered trademarks of Fender Musical Instruments Corporation and Axesrus® has no affiliation with FMIC

So, when the full custom work wound down, we took a more practical route: we started stocking “half-finished” pickguards — fully cut and finished, but without the control pot holes drilled.

That means we can offer a wide range of pickup and control options, drilling the holes in-house to your spec. It’s quick, simple, and keeps costs down — no need for a full custom build.

What’s Custom, and What Isn’t?

Let’s be clear — this isn’t a full-blown custom shop service. We’re not cutting the pickguards, routing new shapes, or making major structural changes.

We’re simply drilling different control layouts using jigs and a pillar drill. And while that technically makes these pickguards “custom” (since they’re made to order), the scope is intentionally limited.

You're choosing a pre-made plate — often something like a covered or uncovered HH layout — and we’re customising the pot holes, and occasionally routing a pickup, if needed.

Any Extra Costs?

• Pot hole drilling: Free of charge. It’s quick work, and we’re happy to do it in-house.

• Routing a pickup: This does carry an additional £25.00 (incl. VAT) charge. Why? Because it involves taking the plate off-site, using custom jigs, and there’s a real risk of damaging the plate — not to mention the time investment. Thankfully, with SSS plates, there aren't really any extra pickups that can be routed in, so we dont have to worry about this here.

Why Are There Three Hole Sizes?

Here’s where things snowballed a bit...

We started with standard 10mm pot holes — then added ½" holes for full-size toggle switches, and ¼" holes for mini toggles. The positions stay the same, but the diameters vary depending on what you're adding.

So — with all that in mind — let’s walk through how to understand where the holes go and how to get the layout you want.

This is, probably, easier with a diagram, but, be warned, whilst it makes sense - its pretty cluttered.

Diagram Key:

• 10mm Pot Holes – Shown in white

• ¼" Mini Switch Holes – Shown in pink

• ½" Toggle Switch Holes – Shown in grey

• UFO Knobs (approx. 1" diameter) and Switch Tip (9mm over the slot) – Shown in green

The system is smart enough to prevent most overlap issues, but there are a few combinations that sneak through the safety net. So, just a word to the wise: fitting a 10mm pot in the Offset 2 position alongside any switch will get really tight once the knob's installed.

And in closing - Pickguards, once drilled away from the standard hole plan, come under the remit of Custom work and as always, if you've got any questions what so ever, please feel free to get in touch with us and we can talk through all the finer details of your proposed build.

Ok, even i'll conceed that this isn't the most thrilling of toics at this point, but there is actually plenty of confusion when it comes to the "off white" pickguard colours, so seeing as we're ticking off pearls and tortoise shell varients, we might as well address the parchments, mints and creams too.

So lets get stuck in

Now, to before we get further into colours, i've got a few bones to pick over when it comes to Mint Green, so, if you'll indulge me, i'll try and explain why Mint green is so "hit and miss"

First things first, you've probably spotted that the Mint A and Mint B "real" photos look a bit... false, right? Thats because they are I'm afraid - Cameras really struggle to capture the difference between the colours. Essentially, the camera just corrects the image to something that looks like a fairly washed out Mint A, regardless of the actual colour.

So, before i get lost in this, heres the unedited images of Mint A and Mint B, and i think we can agree that the camera has made a meal of things. They both look identical.

Now, this is useless from my point of view, because it doesn't show the difference, so, you'll have to trust the edited photos above, and, honestly? The swatch image tied to the colour select drop down, gives a very accurate match to what the plates look like in the flesh.

But, i'm showing you this because you must consider, that if I'm having this problem, you can bet everyone else is too, so, a word to the wise? Dont trust photos of guitars with mint pickguards! I can search online now, and i can see 10 subtly different shades of mint pickups fitted to Fender guitars - but i know that Fender always use Mint B (Except Fender Japan) . Its a trick of the camera, and there aren't that many variations of Mint Green - I think, in the 20 years i've worked here, i've seen 4. (B, A, a very bright "snot" green, and a "not unpleasant" green that was close to Mint B, but a shade brighter)

Pearloids Explained

Pearloid plates are similar to the tortoise shells, but theres a little less subtly between them, and they dont really have anything overly interesting in their history - as far as i can tell, they're always been PVC, and the variations in colour and pattern are pretty easy to follow.

Pearloid plates do have a few of their own little quirks, so, i'll do a little more detail here too.

Tortoise Shells

You’ve probably noticed with the pickguards, we do A LOT of different variations in tortoise shells – and even then, we barely scratch the surface when it comes to completing the line-up.

Now, obviously, none of us want to see a return to those practises, but seemingly, everyone liked “the look” – so with the advent of plastic in the early part of the 20th century, science found a cheaper way (it wasn’t until the seventies when trade in hawksbill turtle (the main source of Tortoise shell) shells became illegal!)

The first “plastic” Tortoise Shells were made from Nitrate plastics, usually Celluloid – and, frankly, it’s pretty gorgeous! Its semi-transparent, it’s got a sort of leopard skin look to it, and it soon worked its way onto guitars (again, most acoustics)

The problem is – Celluloid plastics are astonishingly flammable – they have a low point of combustion, and once they’re burning, they don’t go out until the fuels gone, or they flame is deprived of oxygen. As you can imagine, no one really liked working with Celluloid. It was risky to use (cutting = friction = heat) it was dangerous to store, and it wasn’t really suitable for the job at hand ( it changed colour when exposed to sunlight, it warped, it shrank, it was generally, pretty badly behaved!)
Never the less, it did eventually find its way onto electric guitars by the late 50s and early 60s, but was soon replaced for something more suitable and much safer.

Nowadays, you see Tortoise shells in either Polyoxymethylene (more stable as a material, but still very flammable) or PVC (which is fairly bomb proof, but does give off toxic fumes if burnt)

Now, getting to the modern day – Tortoise shell comes in 5 “variants” for us (ignoring the Celluloid offerings, they’re still out there, and great for historical accuracy, but just be VERY careful with them – not only in buying them/storing your guitar once its fitted, but also in actually sourcing the stuff, we’ve yet to find a factory who will even consider making a plate with it (too big a fire risk) and even when we do, its very cost prohibitive (more expensive to buy the things then we could ever dream of selling them for!) – there are guys out there making them though – but as a rough guide, expect to pay upwards of £150+)

These plates are made to order, based entirely on the specifications you choose—especially when it comes to pot hole positioning and pickup routing. Because of this, they are classed as custom work, and fall under the relevant section of our Terms & Conditions.

Once we’ve made the plate to your chosen spec, it becomes non-returnable and non-refundable, even if the product page shows a “standard” configuration to begin with. That configuration is just a starting point—every plate is built individually, based on what you select during the ordering process.

So, before you hit “buy,” please make sure everything is exactly how you want it. We’ve made it as easy as we can to help:

• Spec diagrams can be found under the Technical Specification tab

• Colour photos are available under Colours Explained

We want you to feel confident in your order, and we’re here to help if you have any questions.

Because once it’s made—it’s yours. No returns, no refunds.

These “tabbed” pages are great because they let us dive deeper into some of the more niche topics around guitar parts. But at a certain point, it makes sense to lump some of the really niche stuff into an FAQ — so here it is!

Will this pickguard fit <INSERT GUITAR MODEL HERE>?

Alright, I’ve typed this out in emails tens of thousands of times, and honestly, it’s just as much of a cowardly answer now as when I first wrote it:

“I DON’T KNOW.”

No one really does — not with total, 100%, unwavering certainty.

This is a two-fold problem, sadly — but bear with me, because it’s a window into the madness of guitar parts!

Firstly, in the grand scheme of things, I (and every other guitar tech, tech support person, or musical instrument shop employee) see a frighteningly small cross-section of guitars manufactured every year.

There are models I’ve never seen in the flesh, let alone had on my bench for a pickguard replacement. I’m not exaggerating — there are makes and models I won’t even know about until I get an email or phone call mentioning them.

And there’s no Haynes manual for this stuff. No one higher up the food chain is documenting pickguards. There’s no spec sheet that covers a Stratocaster®, Telecaster®, or Les Paul® in this much detail. Even Fender®, who are pretty good at recording “what uses what,” don’t go this deep. Joe Bonamassa probably isn’t measuring and recording his guitar collection either!

So, pickguard “knowledge” is kind of a hive mind thing. Generally, I only know if a pickguard fits (or doesn’t!) when I get an email saying “Craig? Wonderful job!” or “This pickguard for a Strat® didn’t fit my Encore® Blaster.” (I’m half kidding — all feedback is good feedback!)

So, you’d think it’d be easy to give a straight answer, right? You’re expecting an email after a few days with feedback, aren’t you? Well, that brings us to fold two:

“Pickguards are standardized.”

Yeah… not quite. It’s close, but not quite true.

Pickguards are standardized — I know more about Fender® than any other manufacturer, and I can say with certainty there are three recognized “official” specs of Stratocaster® pickguard mounting plans. This is the ultimate truth: 1954-57, 1958-62, and 1963 to this morning! (Other things change, but the mounting screw positions remain the same.)

And yet, I know there will be pickguards I ship today that won’t fit guitars I would’ve sworn blind they should. A ’50s Strat® that won’t accept ’50s plates. Modern guitars that won’t take modern plates. Brand spanking new ’60s-inspired Strats® that won’t take a ’62 pickguard.

Things change. Guitars come off the line with “out of spec” pickguards — sometimes intentionally, sometimes not. Fender® might be trying something different, switching factories, or just experimenting. It might be a new standard, or a one-off. No one knows why standards are broken, but it happens.

It’s not common, but it happens. A hole might move 2mm, a tremolo route might be 1.2mm smaller, a bridge humbucker might move forward 6mm — and these changes aren’t recorded. By the next production run or reissue, the change vanishes, and we’re back to the standard.

So, what’s the best advice for a “will it fit?” email?

Click on the Technical Specification tab above — there’s a diagram. Measure it against your guitar.

I can’t see your guitar, I don’t have the dimensions, and even if I had the exact same model produced a week earlier and a week later, I’m not in a position to say yours is the same!

This is the only way to be certain — and it’s dead easy. Everything’s measured centre-to-centre (on the holes) and edge-to-edge, across the shortest possible length. Give yourself a little tolerance to account for measurement errors, and it’s a two-minute job.

“I’ve measured, the pickguard physically fits, but the screw holes don’t line up?”

This is honestly the most common gripe about pickguards not being standardized.

And really, there’s not much I can do. I have to fall on the sword of “all pickguards are standardized.” I appreciate that your guitar might be out of spec (and chances are, it’s “out” to every aftermarket or spare parts pickguard you’ve seen too).

There’s so little recorded about out-of-spec plates, and they appear so isolated and random, that trying to figure them out is basically impossible.

I appreciate it’s a massive inconvenience, and we all want pickguard swaps to be easy — but sometimes, it just isn’t.

So, what are your options?

Option 1 — the most logical:
Fill and redrill the mounting holes on the guitar (and change any routing if needed!) to bring the guitar back into the standard spec. It’s a bit more work and could potentially devalue the guitar — though honestly, I doubt anyone would care at this point.

Epoxy fillers are very good nowadays, allowing you to redrill holes close to the old ones. It’s very easy overall. All your handiwork will be covered (though I can’t promise about the routing!), and future pickguard swaps will be easy. Every guitar parts shop across the land works to the same standards.

Option 2 — custom pickguards:
Yes, they exist! Plates made from a big sheet of plastic, cut to size and mapped out to your individual guitar.

They’re, by and large, ludicrously expensive (considering it’s a sheet of PVC cut into a pretty shape). They’re very labor-intensive, have a high failure rate, take a long time to produce, and cost a lot because they cost a lot to make. They require skill to do well.

Axesrus® doesn’t do custom pickguards — what we’d need to charge, I wouldn’t want anyone to pay for a bit of plastic. But there are companies out there who will do the work. Just go in eyes open: it should be a £100–200 job. Don’t be surprised if the quote hits that, and be cautious of anyone offering to do it for £30.

“I’ve received my pickguard and it’s VERY scratched.”

Chances are, what you’re seeing isn’t actually scratches on the pickguard itself — it’s the protective plastic film that’s applied to the front surface during manufacturing and shipping. This thin sheet is designed to protect the pickguard from scratches, scuffs, and dust before it reaches you.

It’s completely normal for this film to look a bit worn or scratched — it’s done its job by taking the abuse so your pickguard underneath stays flawless and shiny. We strongly recommend peeling off this protective film carefully before installation to reveal the pristine pickguard surface.

If you do find any marks after removing the film, please let us know — though it’s quite rare, and we want to make sure you’re happy with your new pickguard.