Description
Review of the Fender Electric Guitar Pickguard (0991360100)
This is a replacement Fender pickguard for a Stratocaster-style body, listed under part number 0991360100 with an anodized gold colour name and cut for three single coil pickups with a tremolo bridge. It is aimed at owners who want to change the look of an existing instrument, or who need to replace a cracked or discoloured guard, rather than at anyone buying their first guitar.
The listing dates the part to November 2008 and gives its country of origin as the United States.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- A genuine Fender part number. Buying to the factory part number rather than a generic outline removes most of the screw-hole alignment problems that make aftermarket guards frustrating to fit.
- Cut for the standard S-S-S layout. Three single coil apertures with a tremolo route is the most common Stratocaster configuration, so this fits the largest share of instruments in that family.
- An anodized aluminium finish is durable. Anodizing hardens the surface layer of the metal rather than sitting on top of it as paint would, so it resists pick scratches better than a plastic guard.
- It is a genuinely reversible change. Swapping a pickguard alters the whole appearance of a guitar for the cost of a small part, and the original can be kept and refitted later.
Cons
- The colour is described two different ways. The specification table gives the colour name as gold anodized, while the feature bullets on this page describe a chrome pickguard that adds a sleek finish. Gold and chrome are not the same, and the listing does not settle which one ships.
- The specification table is full of fields inherited from a guitar. It lists Number of Strings as six, Neck Material Type as maple, Scale Length as 25.5 inches, String Material as brass and Guitar Bridge System as tremolo. A pickguard has none of those things. Those entries describe the instrument this part is designed for, not the part itself, and treating them as specifications of the product would be a mistake.
- The weight and dimensions disagree between fields. Item weight reads 0.8 ounces while the description gives a package weight of 1.0 pound. Product dimensions read 0.2 by 11.5 by 9.4 inches while the description gives roughly 14.7 by 9.3 by 0.2 inches. Neither pair matches.
- The number of mounting holes is not stated. Stratocaster guards come in eight-hole and eleven-hole patterns depending on the era of the instrument, and fitting the wrong one leaves visible holes in the body finish. The listing does not say which this is.
Detailed Product Description
A pickguard is the shaped plate that covers the pickup and control cavity on the face of the guitar. On a Stratocaster-style instrument it does three jobs at once: it protects the finish from pick strikes, it carries the pickups and controls as a single removable assembly, and it is the largest single element of the instrument’s visual identity.
This one is cut for three single coil pickups in the neck, middle and bridge positions, with the cutouts and control holes that layout requires. The tremolo entry in the specification table indicates it is intended for a body routed for a vibrato bridge rather than a hardtail, which changes the rear shape of the guard.
The finish is anodized. Anodizing is an electrochemical process that thickens and colours the natural oxide layer of aluminium, producing a hard surface that is part of the metal rather than a coating over it. That is why anodized guards hold up well to pick wear, and also why the colour cannot be touched up if it is ever scratched through.
Listed thickness is 0.2 inches across the product dimensions, and the plate footprint is roughly 11.5 by 9.4 inches by one field and 14.7 by 9.3 inches by another.
What Comes with the Product
The listing describes the pickguard as a single part. Nothing else is stated as included.
Specifically not mentioned anywhere in the product data: no mounting screws, no pickups, no potentiometers, no switch, no output jack, no wiring harness, no shielding foil and no fitting instructions. Transferring an existing loaded assembly across from the old guard is the normal approach, and that requires a screwdriver and, in some cases, a soldering iron if the wiring is not long enough to move. Anyone new to working on their own instrument should read what a beginner actually needs before starting.
Who It Suits
This suits an owner of a Stratocaster-style guitar with three single coils and a tremolo bridge who wants to change its appearance, or who has a guard that has cracked, shrunk or yellowed. It also suits anyone rebuilding a partscaster who wants a factory part rather than a generic reproduction.
It suits less well an owner of an H-S-S, H-H or hardtail instrument, because the cutouts will not line up. It also suits less well anyone who is unsure whether their body has eight or eleven mounting screws, since the listing does not state the hole pattern and a mismatch is visible and permanent. Beginners looking to spend on their playing rather than their guitar’s looks should put the money toward a setup or a better amplifier instead.
How to Maintain
Clean it with a dry or barely damp cloth. Anodized aluminium does not need polish, and abrasive metal polishes will cut through the anodized layer and leave a dull patch that cannot be restored.
Keep solvent-based cleaners away from the edges where the guard meets the body finish. What is safe on metal is often not safe on nitrocellulose or polyester.
Check the mounting screws once or twice a year and tighten them only to snug. Overtightening pulls the screw threads out of soft body wood, and a stripped hole is a much larger repair than a loose guard. General cleaning practice is covered in how to clean a guitar.
Tips and Recommendations
Count the screw holes on the existing guard before ordering and compare. Eight-hole and eleven-hole patterns look similar in photographs and are not interchangeable.
Photograph the wiring before removing the old guard. Reassembly is straightforward with a picture and awkward without one.
Product FAQ
Is it gold or chrome? The listing contradicts itself. The colour field says gold anodized, the feature bullets on this page describe a chrome finish. Confirm with the seller before ordering.
Does it come with screws or pickups? No. The product data lists the pickguard only, with no fasteners, pickups or electronics.
What guitar does it fit? A Stratocaster-style body routed for three single coil pickups and a tremolo bridge. The mounting hole count is not stated.
Why does the table list a scale length and a neck wood? Those fields describe the type of guitar the part is made for, not the part. A pickguard has no neck and no scale length.
Related items sit under amps and accessories. Instruments this part is designed around include the Squier Bullet Stratocaster and the Squier Debut Series Stratocaster, and a protective option in the same accessory category is the ChromaCast electric guitar hard case.
