A drop-in upgrade that changes the whole sound of your guitar, and the look of it.

Five colours. The year and the bevel are ours to match.

• ParchmentOff-white, warmer than mint. Three-ply.
• MintThe green-white of a sixties guard that's been in the sun. Three-ply.
• Brown tortThe classic three-ply tort. What most people come for.
• Red tortThe redder tort of the early sixties.
• White, single-plyThe '57 look: one ply, no bevel line.

A '62 or a '64 pattern, narrow or wide bevel: we match it to the year of the Strat you named. Every one is relic'd by hand before it's loaded; the wear isn't drawn here.

Aged by hand to the guitar it's going into. It's the Blind John's way.

Would I relic it to match the guitar it's going into? I think it would be almost rude not to. Being that I'm known for my relicing, and it's the biggest part of what I do, to offer just a new pickguard, that's not really why people come to me. I think three options is the best. Light relic, age-appropriate worn, and then heavy relic. Most people tend to go for the age appropriate.

• Light relicA guard that's been played, not punished. For a cleaner guitar.
• Age-appropriateWorn the way a guard of that year would be by now. Most people go for this.
• Heavy relicTo hell and back. For a guitar that already has.

If you supply photos, it's easier to match. But with a Strat, it's not actually that difficult to make it look good, because it's such an integral part of the overall appearance. Never new: it's not what we're known for.

Three single coils, or a humbucker at the bridge.

• Three single coilsThe Strat as Leo drew it. Drops into any Strat.
• HSSA humbucker at the bridge. Only if the body is routed for one; say so below.

Hand wound, every one. Which set is yours.

• Monty's '62The classic Strat sound: chimey on top, a little scooped in the middle, the body kept. If in doubt, this.
• Monty's '69The late-sixties Strat: glassy and shimmering up top, edgy when it's driven.
• Monty's Full MontyMore weight in the middle, towards a P90 wound wide open. For a Strat that has to cut through a band.
• Monty's '54The first Strat pickups: a fat, mid-heavy voice that borders on a Tele.
• Monty's OverSpun '69The '69 with more wire and a fatter middle, after the Strats Hendrix played in the Band of Gypsys era.
• Leave it to us

Not sure? Name a player or a record and we say which set gets closest. Or leave it to us.

White, parchment or cream.

• White
• Parchment
• Cream

Aged with the guard, so a white cover never arrives white.

How it's wired.

• TraditionalThe Strat as Leo wired it: the tone controls on the neck and middle, the bridge wide open.
• Bridge toneThe second tone control works on the bridge pickup too. Tames a bright bridge without changing anything else.
• Fifties-styleRoll the volume back and the top end stays; the tone cuts highs rather than muffling. Monty's call this one their Montyfied loom.
• Leave it to us

Standard, unless you play with the tone wide open.

• StandardThe tone control as a Strat has always had it. Right for most people.
• No-load toneOut of the circuit at 10, so nothing is in the way of the pickups until you turn it down. For players who live with the tone on full.

Two lugs to solder, or a jack sent with it.

• I'll solder itTwo lugs to your existing jack. Ten minutes with an iron, and nothing else on the guitar changes.
• Send me a jackA new jack, wired to the loom. It may need the hole opening out.

Where is it going?

What the render can’t show: the wear.