Took apart my 72 Jazz and found this....

[pedroims]

If came from factory like that then sir you have an extremely piece of history, maybe your bass is more valuable, who knows, you just need to find the right collector.

 

[castlev]

If came from factory like that then sir you have an extremely piece of history, maybe your bass is more valuable, who knows, you just need to find the right collector.

the two jazz routes have shielding and have solder blobs at the bottom that connect to ground, or at least it appears that way. I would guess the neck route was done by a previous owner, but i could be wrong.

 

[Ericnordicbee]

Ouch. Too bad the earlier owner never disclosed. That stinks. Does it ruin the value? I don't think so since it is under the pickguard. Was definitely done later as there is a chip in the finish and the inside of the cavity hasn't aged like the others.

My guess - and it's only a guess - is the prior owner tried a '51 or early Telecaster bass pickup in there. Decided he didn't like the sound, removed it, put it back to stock and sold it to you.

Would suggest either enjoying the bass as is, or having someone fill and touch up the finish around it.

 

[brendanbassix]

Beware the telltale route

I think that joke went over most peoples heads but I thought it was hilarious, well done

 

[guy n. cognito]

I'm just wondering how you changed pickups before w/o taking the pickguard off.

1. Remove Control Plate
2. Unsolder wires
3. Unscrew pickup
4. Remove Pickup
5. Feed wires for new pickup into hole to control plate
6. Screw in new pickup
7. Resolder wires
8. Replace control plate

Really, really easy on a jazz.

 

[DOMIT]

I'm betting someone was going for a Rick tone... a lot of the sound comes from pickup position. I can perfectly well understand the point behind this.

(Blasphemy alert- purists and especially Rick fans stop reading now!!)

I'd love to have something that sounds like a Rick and isn't so Godawful ugly.

 

[guy n. cognito]

My guess is dummy coil for when the stock pickups were soloed.....

 

[Shaunpski]

Traded a trombone for it? Still looks like a good trade to me. I've done much worse...

 

[TripleDouble]

Just put the pickguard back on and forget it ever happened. When I was younger, i used to have to do that with my pants once in a while.

 

[johnson79]

I can't believe some folks are saying to add a pickup. That's just crazy talk
If it bothers you that much I'd have it filled in by a pro and touched up.
Honestly, I'd leave it as is, it's a sweet bass!

Not sure what the trombone you traded it for was worth but in my opinion that bass is much better than a perfect horn.

 

[Gilmourisgod]

Interesting article on dummy single coils:
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

 

[karl_em_all]

It looks a lot better with the pickguard on.

 

[birminghambass]

Does that thing have Fender pop's on it?

Yes those are the original tuners.

 

[Off-Beat]

Ugly route under the pickguard. I could vomit.

I've owned it for over 20 years, changed out the pickups a few times but never had to remove the pickguard. Not happy.
Here she is fully clothed.

So you've been playing this bass for 20 years and you love it? If you don't plan on selling it why bother? It's the same bass after all and maybe that chamber adds something?

I also like the idea of an stealth pickup, but it should be switchable.

 

[Hounddog409]

Well, it isn't an ugly route. Unnecessary sure, but at least it looks neat.

Unnecessary?

Weight saver. You pay extra for that with custom jobs.

 

[sikamikanico]

Excellent options were provided in this thread... All in all, I see no downside in discovering the route - at worst, you have the same bass. On the upside, you have a few new options... no reason to be unhappy about it now! If you're happy with the bass as is and are not curious about options, put the PG back on and move on. You could fill the hole, but I wouldn't bother with it myself...

If you are curious, however, I would definitely try a few pickups in that position (don't cut the PG just yet, though), assuming the route would accommodate them. If you don't like the sounds, a dummy-coil might be another option to consider...

 

[Matthijs]

I doubt it was meant for a dummy coil. Those work best if the coil is as close as possible to the pu coils. One would use a j coil without the magnets. This is exactly the route for a scpb. Someone wanted to create his own very special p/j. And I can relate, I built a j with a scpb in the neck position myself (and I'm contemplating adding a 2nd scpb closer to the neck)

Try it with a duncan scpb-2 and see if you like it, or just put the cover back and forget about it.

There must have been a cable conduit coming from that extra route, didn't you see that before?

 

[birminghambass]

There must have been a cable conduit coming from that extra route, didn't you see that before?

Nope, it uses the same hole as the neck pickup. It's a quality job, no worse than the bridge pickup route. Seriously considering a single coil P pickup....

 

[Rogatien022]

So what's the big deal? SOrry I don't see it. 20 yrs of happiness but it all goes down the drain the minute you lift up the pickguard?

 

[Matthijs]

They come in all sorts and sounds. The orignal versions like the duncan scpb-1 seriously lack bass on the e string, but compensate with a unique dynamic quality. There are lots out there with dual or stacked coils that sound close to a p. I agree with one poster that a scpb-2 might be the most interesting as close to the neck.