Reddit mentions of 3M CA-1170 DI-NOC GLOSS BLACK CARBON FIBER 2ft x 1 ft (2 sq/ft) Flex Vinyl Wrap Film

Yeah basically! And a heat gun. I'll explain that later. Essentially you're making a custom pickguard out of 1/8" plywood and wrapping it in 3M Carbon Fiber Vinyl to get the look without the cost.

Step 1: Make a paper/cardstock template for the pickguard that is custom fit to your guitar build. Mine is an explorer style obviously, so I started with an Epiphone explorer template from the internet, and modified it until I had the shape I wanted.

Step 2: Pick up sheets of 1/8" birch plywood from a craft store/store of your choosing. You can get 1ftx2ft sheets for only $5 each at a store like Hobby Lobby (where I got mine). For a pickguard, you'll most likely only need one sheet. I got two sheets and was able to make two pickguards using only 1/2 of the first sheet. (Only using about 1.50$ worth of wood per pickguard)

Step 3: Trace the template onto your plywood as best you can. Then cut the shape out with either a jigsaw or a scroll saw (Probably easier if you have one, this is what I used). Sand it to make sure your edges are smooth. I used 220 and 320 grit sandpapers to smooth the edges to really get the "Factory made" look.

Step 4: Now for the carbon fiber part. Order a roll of 3M DI-NOC Carbon Fiber Vinyl from Amazon. I got a 2 square foot roll for only 13 dollars. I got the high gloss and I really like the look. Can't vouch for the other colors. Here's a link:https://www.amazon.com/3M-CA-1170-GLOSS-BLACK-CARBON/dp/B006FP2CRS/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1539580186&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=3m+carbon+fiber+vinyl+ca1170+1ftx2ft&dpPl=1&dpID=5160Ue5zBEL&ref=plSrch

Place your plywood pickguard on the back of the vinyl (not the textured carbon fiber side, the back side). IMPORTANT: Make sure the side of the pickguard that you want to be covered in the vinyl at the end is face down on the material. If you mess this up and cut your pattern with the wrong side down, the pattern will be backwards (did this for my first pickguard on accident)

Trace the shape onto the vinyl but make sure you leave about a half inch on all sides to allow yourself to fully wrap the pickguard. Cut the shape out of the vinyl with scissors.

Step 5: Pull off the sticker part on the back of the vinyl shape you cut out, and stick your plywood guard in the center so that there is the half inch of extra material on all sides. Then use the heat gun to wrap the vinyl around all sides of the pickguard and an old credit card as a squeegee to get out air bubbles. There are plenty of youtube videos to help you out with this part and it takes a little bit of practice, but the material is very pliable once you apply the heat. The heatgun is a must but they're not too expensive. I have a $20 one by Wagner.

And there you have it! The vinyl is tough enough not to scratch unless you really try and dig it with your pick, you can drag your pick over it with no scratches. People wrap their cars in the stuff so its meant to be pretty tough.

So the total cost is ~$20 (rounded up) for all the materials, but its enough material to easily make 3 pickguards depending on the style!

Wrote this all on mobile so I hope it makes sense, I'm going to bed now but if you have questions feel free to ask! I'll answer them as soon as I can.

Here's a write up for another phone, same basic principles apply. Here are some pics of the final product (sorry it's blurry, all I have is my iPod.)

Basic step by step: remove battery cover, cut a sheet of wrap about 1/2" larger on each side. Wipe battery cover with lens cleaning cloth or microfiber cloth, clean with rubbing alcohol, dry. The easiest way to apply it is probably to put the vinyl sticky side up then put the battery cover on it, and line it up with the grid on the back of the vinyl. (I did it the other way and it's slightly crooked.) then just use a squeegee of some sort to flatten it out. Rough cut around the cover. Use a hairdryer on low to curve around the corners, just heat a bit, then stretch it around the corners. Now you can make your final cut around around the cover and cut out the camera hole and speakers.

Took me about 20 mins. This is the sheet I bought, these do have a textured feel. Also available in matte and other colors. There's also 3M Scotchprint 1080 which is newer and supposedly thinner. The Di noc does add a bit of an edge that you can feel around the back, but not too much and I like it.