Polycarbonate

A tough, transparent thermoplastic, used for moulded body shells and for small parts such as pickguards.

Polycarbonate is strong, impact resistant and easy to injection-mould, which is why it turns up in moulded guitar bodies, pickguards and a few hardware parts. A moulded shell can be shaped in ways a wooden blank cannot, and the material ignores humidity entirely, so a plastic-bodied instrument keeps its setup through conditions that would move a wooden neck. It is commonly described as sounding hard and bright with a quick decay, since a stiff moulded shell does not resonate the way a solid timber body does. It scratches easily, cannot be glued or repaired like wood, and many players object to the feel of it.

Example: A moulded polycarbonate body shrugs off knocks and damp, but it sounds stiff and thin next to a wooden instrument of the same shape.

typical use: Moulded body shells, pickguards and small parts.

Polycarbonate

See also