Thread: guitar scratch plates

It occurred to me the other day that guitar scratch plate material could make some interesting scales.
It's about the right thickness, and is often made up of several layers of different colours. You can also get it in interesting patterns like tortoiseshell and pearl.

The layered stuff would be good for wedges/spacers too

How thick is it?

I was thinkingthe same thing not too long ago. As far as I know it is/was celluloid (like the old razor scales). Along the same lines, the plastic laminate that they use to router/engrave signs and labels was marketed as "lamacoid" which to me indicates laminated celluloid. You should be able to get pieces of that at any engraving kisok at your local mall.

Originally Posted by randydance062449

How thick is it?

That is the question. Great idea if the material can be had thick and stiff enough. There was also a thread in "the workshop" some time ago suggesting guitar picks for wedges. Some are thick enough for that purpose.

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

That is the question. Great idea if the material can be had thick and stiff enough. There was also a thread in "the workshop" some time ago suggesting guitar picks for wedges. Some are thick enough for that purpose.

I don't have any to hand, but I do remember from seeing them in the past that they are about 2-3mm thick, I guess it varies.

I don't play guitar or own one, I just saw the thread that you mentioned about picks, and I thought of pick guards/scratch plates

I checked out a local guitar shop today to look over the pickguards and picks. The pickguards they stocked weren't quite 1/8" and were made of three plys. Some of the picks though were quite thick enough to use as spacers. I bought four 2 mm picks for a dollar. The didn't have any of the tortise looking ones.

Regards - Walt