ToneShapers Kit, Latex Tubing

These pieces of latex tubing are used to mount Strat pickups to pickguards. This is what Fender used on the original Strats in 1954. The tubing acts as springs, pushing the pickups away from the pickguard.

Using latex as springs has pros and cons. The pro is convenience. The tubing is just the right size so that the 6-32 screws that are used for Strat pickups fit snugly into the tubing. So when you put the six pickup screws through the pickguard and then slip this tubing over the screws on the backside, the screws are conveniently held in place. This makes it much easier to assemble a Strat pickguard than using actual springs.

And latex tubing is traditional, in that this is what Fender used when it was writing the history of the electric guitar in the 1950s.

Latex makes a decent spring, but not a great spring, and this is the con. Latex is not easily compressible, so it kind of deforms when you tighten the screws on the pickup. Latex tubing works well enough, but it doesn't work as well as an actual spring.

We sell latex tubing and springs, so you can figure out which features best suit your needs.