Chiyogami
Exquisite, made-to-order decorative guitar scratchplates hand-covered with Shepherd's bookbinder's paper and hard-wearing resin and/or lacquer, and backed with copper shielding.
Please contact us directly for details, as this is truly a custom experience! We can source a scratchplate for you, or use your guitar's existing scratchplate. We recommend a Resin undercoat with a customised Moonflower Satin finish for optimum aesthetics and playability. Where possible, we prefer to refit the decorated plate in person to ensure a good fit.
Due to the interaction between paper and finishes, some variation in colour may occur. This process involves a number of steps, some of which require curing, so please allow a three to four-week lead time for your order.
Shepherd's have a wide range of paper in stock...please feel free to browse on store.bookbinding.co.uk and let us know what you would prefer if you'd like to look outside of our current stock. Equally, we are open to sourcing other options if desired.
Pricing is on application, but as a rough starting guide (prices include in-store fitting):
- Les Paul types start at £45
- Telecaster types start at £80
- Stratocaster types start at £90
- Full jazz bass types start at £95
Shepherd's say:
"Chiyogami is an exquisite hand screen printed paper from Japan. The fine detail and lustre of these sheets is unrivalled. The papers were originally developed as woodblock prints to decorate accessories for the home. The designs were inspired by the bright textiles from the Edo period (1603-1868) which the papermakers from the countryside saw on the stylish ladies from Kyoto. Today many of the symbols depicted still hark back to auspicious occasions when fancy kimonos would be worn: cranes for long life; bamboo for flexibility; plum blossoms for beauty and longevity.
"To create a sheet of Chiyogami, each colour is printed individually with most patterns having 4 or 5 colours. Each sheet must be dried between applications and the next colour registered with fine precision. The base sheet is a machine made mixture of Kozo and Sulphite. Despite its light weight this paper is strong and forgiving with good wet strength making it perfect for bookbinding, origami, boxmaking, collage and card making, covering furniture and walls - the creative possibilities are endless."