Surprising disappointment from Fender

[jbox856]

Due to defective saddles on my MIM 70s Fender Jazz Bass, I bought a replacement stock bridge to remedy the problem. However, when I took off the first bridge I found this looking right at me

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This shocked me. I know gashes such as this are common in low quality woods, but to see this on a Fender was disappointing. Besides for my reliable MIJ '84 p-bass, my interactions with Fender products and customer service have been nothing to write home about. Have any of you ever encountered wood this grotesque on an instrument from such a large, well known brand name company? It seems like they were trying to hide it under the bridge thinking no one would look. I'm scared to look under the pickguard now.

 

[sr506]

umm, almost every bass has that, its the cut out for the ground wire which sits under the bridge so you have nothing to worry about

 

[SurferJoe46]

My son found a half-eaten sandwich in an acoustic Fender guitar that was drop shipped straight from a Fender dealer/warehouse.

 

[Jim Carr]

That's nothing. I scrapped all the paint off of an MIM P-bass and found this underneath:

 

[A-Step-Towards]

Haha dude that is a channel for the ground wire to fit in , thats there on purpose. Phew i actually LOL at this one.

 

[Kwesi]

Haha dude that is a channel for the ground wire to fit in , thats there on purpose. Phew i actually LOL at this one.

+1. My eyebrow raised at the fact that your bass seems to lack a ground wire to the bridge. Or perhaps you removed it?

 

[jbox856]

umm, almost every bass has that, its the cut out for the ground wire which sits under the bridge so you have nothing to worry about

I'll trade embarrassment for relief. Thanks, I'm glad to know this is normal. Now I don't feel bad selling it.

 

[sr506]

+1. My eyebrow raised at the fact that your bass seems to lack a ground wire to the bridge. Or perhaps you removed it?

its still there, look at the top of the cavity and you can see it

 

[Simo98]

My son found a half-eaten sandwich in an acoustic Fender guitar that was drop shipped straight from a Fender dealer/warehouse.

Ah, you must not have realised it was "Buy an acoustic guitar get 1/2 a sandwich free" week at Fender.

 

[FunkyMan]

My son found a half-eaten sandwich in an acoustic Fender guitar that was drop shipped straight from a Fender dealer/warehouse.

LOL

 

[A-Step-Towards]

:

I'll trade embarrassment for relief. Thanks, I'm glad to know this is normal. Now I don't feel bad selling it.

Dont feel bad , I have done some things that make you look like a genius here.

I just did not post them online

 

[WarriorJoe7]

yeah so you ever notice that there is a slight hum when you aren't touching the strings and then when you touch them it goes away? It is because the electronics are connected to the bridge by this route. Then the bridge is touching the strings, which are touched by you (you are acting as a ground for the noise.) If that route and wire wasn't there then the hum would never go away.

 

[Big chicken]

My son found a half-eaten sandwich in an acoustic Fender guitar that was drop shipped straight from a Fender dealer/warehouse.

What kind?

 

[HMZ]

This is a bad joke right?

 

[john_martin_sai]

Can't they make that 'gash' a little more artfully?

 

[geggy spoiger]

OP you bring the lolz!!!11!

 

[Aspidites]

Can't they make that 'gash' a little more artfully?

Why does it matter?

 

[Cacklingjackyl]

That's nothing. I scrapped all the paint off of an MIM P-bass and found this underneath:

this one struck a chord with me

 

[Thunderitter]

Don't take the pick-guard off some of the new Fenders or you'll get the following hole at the start of the lower horn! Here's a bare body pick so you can see what's what when you take everything off:

 

[mikeddd]

Interesting hole on that white Jazz body...wonder what it's for? Does it have a route/hole to the main electronics cavity?