Pickguards
The current vintage market prefers (i.e. your guitar will be worth more) the original pickguard to be reglued whenever possible (unless it has disintegrated beyond repair or shrunken radically).
The cost for the last two options listed here depend on the material and size of what needs to be made.
Typical Pickguard jobs I do:
Resurrect the original pickguard
Remove, flatten and reglue original vintage pickguard. (which is curling at edges or is generally unglued)
Typically:
The original pickguard has shrunk and there will be a 1/32 to 2/32 halo around it after I reinstall it.
There will be a crack caused from the pickguard shrinking which will have to be fixed.
Make a new pickguard to match the Original
If you don’t want/like the look of the original shrunken pickguard, I can make a full size replica of the original.
New pickguard
Adding a new pickguard where there wasn’t one before.
Pickguard (and bridge) removal on a 1935 Gibson L1
Same 1935 Gibson L1 after the shrunken Pickguard was flattened and reglued. On such a vintage instrument with a beautiful fire stripe pickguard, it is more desirable to keep the original pickguard and live with a little shrinkage
Same 1935 L1 with passable shrinkage and a beautiful fire stripe pickguard
A shrinking pickguard also commonly causes this top crack on vintage instruments such as this 1960's Epiphone.
Reproduction (left) in a thinner material as the original (right) was around 0.080" thick.
1970's Martin pickguard shrunk almost 1/8" in places! Note the top crack near the point.
1970's Martin pickguard shrunk almost 1/8" in places!
A 1970's martin with a very shrinking pickguard.
Same 1970's Martin with pickguard removed. note the top crack. Ill make a new pickguard for this as it isn't a lovely firestripe pickguard like the 1935 L1