Jazz Bass pick guard question

[Gary C.]

I have a 1996 MIM Fender Jazz bass.
Just yesterday,I received a Swamp Ash replacement body from Warmoth,in a beautiful Fiesta Red.

The Warmoth electronics rout is a straight cut.
The original body had curves between the jack and tone control.
My original pick guard is NOT going to work on this Warmoth body,as there is no wood present for 2 of the screws to go into.

What would be my options for a pick guard that will fit?

Thanks.

[Eric Moesle]

The obvious answer is a pickguard from Warmoth. Easiest way to go. I'm sure their pickguards fit their bodies.

Another option is to make a tracing on paper, cut it out to make it fit your new body the way you like, then mail it off to www.pickguards.com and they'll make it for you.

[mech]

Another option would be to take a wood dowell rod of the appropriate diameter, cut a section the depth of the pocket, split it in half and glue the halves where they need to be for the screws. If the inside of the pocket is painted it would need to be sanded for good adhesion of wood glue or a good contact cement could be used.

Some shaping of the dowell pieces may be necessary to clear the pots/jack/wiring.

Since the screw would be threading into end grain, predrill the hole for the screw and use a 1/2" long screw with matching head.

To me this would be less hassle than ordering another/custom PG.

I've done this to repair pockets where the screw was too close to the edge of the pocket and the wood split off and would not hold a screw. Had to remove and form that area of the pocket to get a flat surface for the repair but since your's is already flat it should be a pretty easy fix.

mech

[Gary C.]

Well,those are workable ideas,thanks.

Looking around at pics on the net,I think I know why the MIM body was made this way.
It must have been a cost-cutting measure,so Fender wouldn't have to supply a metal control plate.
They just had the pick guard molded all in 1 piece.
That makes sense to me-save a couple of bucks on every bass you make,and keep the price as low as possible.

So,I guess I'll just order a metal control plate,and a pick guard made to go with it.
The control plates I've seen only have 3 screws,so that would eliminate the 2 screws in question-they won't be needed anyway.
That'll look even better,with a metal control plate,too.

[mech]

I like them better with the plate, too.