Fender '50s Era Tele Pickguard, 5 Hole Vintage Style Mount - Black (Bakelite)

It came in packaging labeled Fender Genuine, but inside I could see that the pickguard was scratched. I took it out, and sure, this is only scratched on the back side, but even the current one on my tele doesn't look this bad. Also, the display side has an unprofessional sheen. The guard smells of spray paint and also looks as if it has been spray painted. Notice the way it reflects light. It's granular and uneven. This isn't the quality item I expected from Fender. Now I don't know where to turn for a suitable replacement.Update: After communicating with Fender I decided to give this another try and order again. Unfortunately, the second one was worse than the first. New photos added. There holes near the neck pickup that shouldn't be there for this 5-hole item. It's also clearly a used item. The bag has a small tear, and the pickguard is scratched inside.2nd Update: I ordered one directly from SamAsh after informing them of my troubles. They made sure to send me a mint condition pickguard. I guess the matte finish and paint smell that I noticed are just what you get from Fender. At least this one isn't scratched or the wrong model. I'll upgrade my rating since the seller helped me out. I also contacted Fender, and the reps aren't very familiar with these products. One of them told me there should be a peel away film on it, which there isn't.

Put this on what started out as a cheap ($120 new) red metal flake Squire. I've completely redone everything in an attempt to have a better playing/sounding/feeling guitar and to get the Custom Shop heavy relic vibe. I'm no John Cruz but it's close. Topped it off with this pricey little bit of icing. I believe it was worth every penny. I love the lack of bevel, and the low reflectance. This was an 8 hole body but the 5 hole lined up with no mods.

I have a '86 Gibson '52 reissue and a 2014 Squire CV 50's. They sound different as one would expect with different PUPs, but both sound fantastic and I just as frequently play the Squire as I do the '86 RI. The only real difference, other than tone, is the size of the frets between the two guitars - the Squire has more modern tall large frets and the '86 has 50's low small frets. Since they are both great guitars and look very similar I thought I would upgrade the few items on the Squire that were not particularly high quality, such as the cheap plastic pickguard. This vintage replacement PG is supposed to be made of Bakelite, or something intended to be a close approximation. While my '86 is not a perfect reproduction of an original '52, and I've never had the good fortune to play a '52, all I can compare this new PG with is my '86 reissue. I'm pretty sure they used Bakelite PGs back in '86 on their reissues. To that end, this new PG feels and looks nearly identical to the '86, and very different from the cheap plastic stock PG on the Squire. The '86 might be a bit more matte finish, but that could be age, and one has to look closely to see any difference. The other difference is the edge of the new PG is pretty close to flat, a bit rough, and dead square with the face - almost a sharp edge, and I think that's how they were in '52. The PG on my '86 is just a bit smoother on the edge, but still "unpolished" and a tiny bit of roundness to the face, but I would not say the edges had been "rounded", just "eased" a bit. I also upgraded the PG screws to vintage correct slotted screws on the Squire and overall I like the new look and it looks very similar to my '86. The two guitars are now very hard to distinguish from one another, unless one knows what to look for.The Tele on the left in the photo of the two guitars, and the sole guitar in second photo, are of the Squire. The '52 reissue is on the right, closest to the blue Strat in the background, in the dual photo , and the sole guitar in the third photo.

This is the vintage plastic, usually called "Bakelite", that came on the early black-guard Telecasters. Just an awesome "Pure Vintage" part made available by Fender. Their Pure Vintage parts are made on the same machines as their old ones were. And this pickguard is made of that same material. I believe it's actually phenolic resin, but everyone calls it "Bakelite". It's more of a satin/ flat plastic, not shiny. & it's a little more brittle than modern pickguards.HIGHLY RECOMMENDED !!!

After taking off the black cheap plasticy feeling guard that came on my Baja Telecaster and comparing it with this one the difference was extremely noticeable. The texture of it is almost comparable to vinyl, but a bit harder and more sturdy. It's worth noting it's five screws as opposed to the more modern eight screw guards, but with some handy work and drilling it'll fit a newer styled model fine. So far there's been no bulging or gaps between the guard and the guitar as opposed to the original guard. I like the color but I've read on forums that the guard can be put in sunlight for a few days to give it a more faded and aged appearance. Very easy to install as well, I didn't even need to remove my strings. Good purchase.

4 stars only because the of the price. Otherwise its pretty cool looking. I like the thinness and the way it just looks different than a regular plastic pickguard. Fits a Squier CV good. Also don't expect a pitch black material. This is black but with a slight milky or cloudiness in it.

A -OK ! WOULD USE SITE AGAIN.

If you want a classic 50s tele look it would be very difficult to find a better option.The colour is right. Not blueish refrigerator white neither artificially aged creamy. Right thickness and shape.I’m very happy with my purchase!!!

I got this to replace the ghastly and historically incorrect white scratchplate on a Road Worn '52 Telecaster. It improved the look of the guitar instantly. The finish is ok, slightly patchy in places but that looks good on a Road Worn, and the weight and feel are just right. It wasn't a perfect fit, needed some fettling and wriggling to sit properly, but now pleased with the results. Much better look and feel than some of the cheapies out there, but be prepared to do a bit of work to get it right.Why Fender can't just fit the correct black scratchplate as standard I don't know, but this is worth the money just for how authentic it makes the guitar look.

Excellent quality, has vintage bakelite style and was a perfect fit for Fender japan vintage tele, it would also be a perfect replacement for the plate on the American 52 telecaster reissue which i also have, in fact this plate i would say has improved in production being of slightly higher gloss finish and rounder edges than the one produced for the 2015 American 52 reissue.

Expensive really for what it is, but if you want a Tele pick guard that looks historically accurate you won't be disappointed.

good quality fender product, disregard green tinge comment, very white & plastic,fits great to fender products but has no age regards colour if that is what you expect being labeled as vintage.

Quality fender product, fitted to Fender reisue 52 telecaster.