ROLLED PLASTIC GIBSON GUITAR PARTS
This is one of the questions we received today at The Parts Drawer
QUESTION
What do they mean when they say rolled plastic parts . I have seen that many times but i can never find an answer. I have a Gibson Les Paul Pickguard How can I tell if it is rolled plastic?
REPLY
Thank you for your e mail. In the 1950 ’s they manufactured the pplastic by sheets and the process was that when making the plastic was pressed and rolled flat. This being said the process left fine lines in the back of the plastic. Some times these can easily seen some times you need to look very closely. The front of the plastic was always smooth and the back wee shinny but the rolled marks should be visible if it is real .
Then the parts were stamped out and cut . It was a simple and effective process. This was used for all multilayer lastic parts.You cannot see this one the simple one ply parts.
In the around 1965 many of the plastic parts were made by injection modeling and the lines were no longer visible on the parts. I would like to note that Gibson like many companies never wasted any material . It is very common for the first lets say 4-5 years that rolled plastic is still used ON Gibson guitar parts .I have found it as late as 1968 depending on the model guitar and it’s popularity.
By 1970 there were mold marks visible on may parts not on all but many which instantly make them recognizable 1970’s parts. Also as a note many of the early plastic parts had rougher edges and many multilayer guards had a wider bevel than today’s pickguards.
I hope this helps. Please e mail me if You have any other guitar questions. Please fill out the questionaire at The Parts Drawer