Pro Steel Pickguards

These Stainless Steel guards are specialised Non-Magnetic Austenitic Nickel-Chromium Stainless Steel.

If I upgraded my guitars with a classy stainless steel pickguard, what would it sound like?
Is there a sound difference?
I needed to know also. There have been some untested rumours around.
So here it is, a thorough sound test. Hope you like.

Turn it up, try to use your good headphones or speakers.

Only the pickguard is changed, using the same white Fender Deluxe Strat.

All settings remained the same on everything, except the guard change.

Throughout this video, the white Fender Strat pickups are:
Neck - Fender Custom 54
Mid - Fender Custom 54
Bridge - Fender Texas Special

TECHNICAL DETAILS:
Sound Tests all 5 pickup positions:

• 1 Clean - all pickups,
• 2 Medium Gain - all pickups,
• 3 Feedback and Microphonics - close to amp, at 7m16s

There are many types of stainless steel....
What I do know, and have found out through my experiments is:
An ordinary 'magnetic' steel pickguard, or a magnetic steel base-plate on a pickup, will interfere with the guitar's electro-magnetic circut, and add noise, squeal and feedback uncontrollably at volume.
Pro-Steel Pickguards uses a specialised 'Non-magnetic' stainless steel. This is OK, and has no microphonic squeal, reduces feedback, acts as a noise shield, and no adverse effects to guitar tone.

For players recording, and on stage, that's the bonus...these pickguards act as very effective Noise Shielding against Electro-Magnetic interference noise.

EQUIPMENT USED:
White Strat - Fender MiM Strat SSS - pickups: N-Custom 54, M-Custom 54, B-Texas Special.
Dark Strat - Fender HSS Strat - pickups: N-Lace Sensor Silver, M-Lace Sensor Gold, B-EVH Frankenstein HB
Amp: Engle Screamer 50 (stock Vintage 30)
Versa Drive - clean boost only guitar to amp.
Mics: Shure SM57, Rode NT2
Mic Pre's: ART Pro MPAII, PRO VLAII
Audio interface: Focusrite Saffire
Effects: Amp reverb only, no other effects used pre or post production.
Pickguards: Pro-Steel Pickguards Kaleido, Stacco and Mozaic
...non-magnetic stainless steel.
Weights: 213 grams to 217 grams (3 ply plastic guard aprox 109 grams)

Item added 12 May 2015

Ask a question •   Share