• Security notice: Ernie Ball staff will never send you a direct message about a prize or giveaway, and will never ask you to click a link to "claim" anything.
    If you receive a message like that - even from an account whose name looks official - do not click the link. Please report it using the Report link on the message so the moderators can act. A scam campaign impersonating admin accounts was blocked on 29 July 2026; those accounts are banned and their messages have been deleted.

black pickgaurds

slap

Member
Joined
Nov 3, 2004
Messages
23
Location
Toronto
sometimes i see other stingrays that have a black pickguard, and it looks like they have a dull lustre to the pickguard, almost like a matte finish. Then I look at mine and it has a shiny finish. Is there a difference, or just the way light is hitting the pickguards?
 
slap said:
sometimes i see other stingrays that have a black pickguard, and it looks like they have a dull lustre to the pickguard, almost like a matte finish. Then I look at mine and it has a shiny finish. Is there a difference, or just the way light is hitting the pickguards?

My early 91 trans teal has a matte black PG, but my 04 honeyburst has a glossy black pg. My trans red 99 SR5 has a matte black pg. I've wondered about this too, why the differences...
 
Whew! I thought I was going out-of-my mind. Got a SR5 with the matte finish PG and thought it was the film protecter. I tried to get it off! I'm happy now to know this info! So does it mean that the matte PG is a sought after thing? I kind of like the gloss better. What do you think? Thanks!
 
I have a 2008/2009 SR4 that has a glossy black pickguard and I specifically ordered a matte black one for one of my SR5s. They both look good, but I prefer the matte as it doesn't show smudges and small scratches as much.
 
my 2006 SR4 has the shiny one . I find , by wiping the neck each and body (incl pick-grd) each time i finish playing it it just gets shinier . A slap player i knew 5 years got a go on it for 5 minutes and his finger nails had completely scratched it , but from playing and wiping the scratches have completely disappeared .
 
Whew! I thought I was going out-of-my mind. Got a SR5 with the matte finish PG and thought it was the film protecter. I tried to get it off! I'm happy now to know this info! So does it mean that the matte PG is a sought after thing? I kind of like the gloss better. What do you think? Thanks!

The matte pickguards seem to have been used for a time especially in the early/mid 90s - my 93 fretless has a matte white pg - strangely my son's 2004 lefty SR4 has a matte white pg also - maybe they took longer to use up the lefty stock?

If you like the gloss black ones better you can simply order one from your EBMM dealer - but suggest you keep the matte one so you can return it to original if you ever sell the bass.
 
Back
Top