4 ply pickguard with a reddish tinge. Made in a factory in Korea that does quite a bit of work for Fender. The tortoise is photo print so no real tortoises were involved. The control area is shielded. Thirteen pickguard screw holes around the perimeter. According to my sources at Fender around 2005-2006 all of the Squier P-Basses went from 14 to 13 hole pickguards. Why? So folks could use USA and Mexico pickguards on the Squiers. Please note that there is a thin plastic masking sheet affixed to the front of this pickguard. Please note that this pickguard is made entirely from plastic; it contains NO animal products whatsoever. The "tortoise" is photo printed plastic. Bonus pickguard screws included!