Fender Bass Construction Question???

[yawametoo]

Here is an interesting question, of which I am not to sure what the correct answer is.

Nearly every fender bass body I have ever seen with the hardware removed has this decent size scratch hole underneath the bridge. Even my mid-90's squier has this strange dug-out scratch mark. I can only assume it has something to do with the manufacturing, but it appears to be more of a defect than anything.

Does anyone know the root of this defining mark I have seen on so many basses? Is there a functional reason this occurs during manufacturing.

Let's here some professional insight, or amatuer guesses lol

 

[M.R. Ogle]

Drill hole through to the control cavity for the bridge ground wire.

 

[Nev375]

It is a hole drilled from there into the control cavity. It is for a grounding wire.

 

[Aspidites]

It is the ground wire hole.

P.S. Not just Fenders have one.

 

[dangorange]

It's not a defect, I believe it's for a tool(stick) to hold the bass for spraying.

 

[dangorange]

or that

 

[bassbully]

It's not a defect, I believe it's for a tool(stick) to hold the bass for spraying.

No its for the grounding wire to make contact with the bridge.

 

[Ian Perge]

It's not a defect, I believe it's for a tool(stick) to hold the bass for spraying.

Wrong hole - the OP's talking about the "gouge" underneath the bridge, not the "Routing Hole" that's used to align the body when transferred to different CNC machines.

 

[yawametoo]

Interesting, the grounding makes sense. Only when I took my Squier apart, I didn't see a wire of any kind??

Is that a fact, or guess? It sounds good I just thought the grounding was done at the 1/4" jack?

I like the theory that it's a pivot point for a manufacturing arm when the body is being painted. That makes sense.

 

[yawametoo]

Yea, I am referring to this apparent "gouge" under the bridge area. So that is for grouding? or transfer between CNC??

 

[Aspidites]

Interesting, the grounding makes sense. Only when I took my Squier apart, I didn't see a wire of any kind??

There shold be one.

Is that a fact, or guess? It sounds good I just thought the grounding was done at the 1/4" jack?

fact

I like the theory that it's a pivot point for a manufacturing arm when the body is being painted. That makes sense.

The hole under the pickguard is a CNC routing point (hypothesis not theory).

 

[Aspidites]

Yea, I am referring to this apparent "gouge" under the bridge area. So that is for grouding? or transfer between CNC??

One more time, it is for the grounding wire.

 

[yawametoo]

LOL

Thanks. Didn't realize I was setting up a stats problem. Let me properly state the hypothesis.

So Therefore:

Ho: Hole under the bridge is for grouding wire.
Ha: Hole under the bridge is not for grouding wire.

Conclusion: Fail to reject Ho, the hole under the bridge is for the grounding wire to make contact with the bridge and ground out the electronics.

LOL

Thanks everyone for your facts, theorys and hypothesis'.