# Dumb question about strat with no pickguard



## knight_yyz (Mar 14, 2015)

Hi Guys, I tried searching for this but I think I am typing too many words into goole search. 

A strat with a pick guard has the pups bolted to the pick guard. But what do you do when you want a natural wood guitar and no pick guard. How are the pups held in place? I saw a natural wood strat the other day and it looked gorgeous with rear route and no guard.


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## Geetarz (Jan 19, 2016)

They mount directly into the wood:


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## Guest (Aug 17, 2016)

or these


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## knight_yyz (Mar 14, 2015)

I think i like the rings better, but in the first photo, are the pickups sitting in a route? Or is the route not even there? hard to see from the pics


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## Geetarz (Jan 19, 2016)

knight_yyz said:


> I think i like the rings better, but in the first photo, are the pickups sitting in a route? Or is the route not even there? hard to see from the pics


In a route:


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## knight_yyz (Mar 14, 2015)

OK, so basically held the same way as a humbucker and screwed into the wood with spring under the pup cover?

I see the rings use the same method as the pick guard. I was going to post a pic of the top I just bought, but after paying for the item you can't see the pic. 

Alder body with goncalo alves top. Rear route. If I can find the pic I will post it


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## JBFairthorne (Oct 11, 2014)

I'm curious how they adjust pu height when they're direct mounted to the body in a shallow cavity.


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## Rollin Hand (Jul 12, 2012)

Depends on how it is mounted. If there is room in the cavity, one can mount with springs between the PUP and the wood. If not, either the route has to be at the appropriate height, a la Wolfgangs, or one would need to figure something out with washers or something.


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## Guest (Aug 17, 2016)

a piece of foam under the pup.


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## Lincoln (Jun 2, 2008)

There is another way, but it will only work on a hardtail. You route from the back, make a large rectangle the size of the plate that normally covers the tremolo springs & stuff. Route to the top very thin, about 1/8 to 3/16" and then using pickguard template on the top, route out your pickup holes and screw holes. You get pickups without any plates. I can't find a picture however.


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## Jamdog (Mar 9, 2016)

JBFairthorne said:


> I'm curious how they adjust pu height when they're direct mounted to the body in a shallow cavity.


On my Jackson's, the pickup is bolted to the wood, spring between pu and wood. 

It's kinds weird, as you can push the pickups by hand with spring return action! 

But for me it seems even standarder than using a pickguard...


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