Thinking about a replacement pickguard (or two)

[GuitarIv]

Hey guys,

So far I'm loving my Holydiver and my Slowhands in my Strat (Poplar Body, Maple Neck and Fretboard), however I'm pretty much thinking about using the guitars pickguard to my advantage. Right now it has an awesome Rock/Hard Rock tone and really amazing mids and highs to cut through, however for metal I'm missing a bit of substance and beef and the triplet tracking could be better. So I started thinking about ordering a pre wired HSS Pickguard from BKP for Metal (and maybe later on a SSS Pickguard for Blues). Looking at all the options that are offered, the Miracle Man with the Trilogy Suites seems to be the best fit and is most appealing to me. Opinions?

I'm only afraid that the highs could get a bit intense, so that's why I'm asking. It could of course also have something to do with my amp (Peavey Valveking 100) which doesn't have enough balls for intense stuff. I will be getting an EVH 5150 III 50 Watt as soon as possible as I haven't invested in a good amp for years, so maybe that sorts out the problem. However if not, I guess the pickguard option would be the best solution.

As for the Blues pickguard I'm thinking about Slowhands maybe? It should be suited for nice cleans, slightly overdriven soloing and when I go crazy for the Hendrix type of stuff.

Any help is appreciated,

thanks and cheers!

[GuitarIv]

Opinions anyone?

[Mr. Air]

I think the MM/Trilogies will be a good choice. Maybe even Sinners...

For a bluesy pickguard I would suggest Apaches. They have a lovely rounded and full tone that will suit blues really well.

[GuitarIv]

Thanks! :)

[mabdow]

I came across this article suggesting that you can use metal pickguards such as brass or aluminum to tame the highs and provide "attitude and dirt" to your tone. It interferes with the magnetic field of the pickups to induce these effects. Also decreases the output but this is not necessarily a bad thing. Maybe choosing the appropriate pickguard material will help you to achieve what you are going for. Here is the article:

http://www.seymourduncan.com/blog/the-tone-garage/tweaking-your-treble/

[GuitarIv]

Thanks mabdow, already read the article, I subscribed to Seymour Duncan on Facebook. They have a really nice blog, especially the wiring series has helped me out ^^