Vintage Guitars - The Transgressions of Owners Past

[lemming]

As I mentioned here, I recently bought a 1965 Jazzmaster that appears to have seen quite a bit of action during its life. Somewhere along the way, someone seems to have taken a woodboring bit and a pocket knife to it and performed some homespun surgery:



I knew about this going in, and it doesn't bother me (it's mostly hidden under the pickguard), but for the life of me I can't figure out what in the name of Clarence Leonidas Fender they were trying to accomplish. Any ideas why someone might do this?

[Zork]

Maybe to install a mute from a jaguar?

[Pacafeliz]

...maybe some sorta piezo pickup?
Muse spring would make kinda sense, but the other routing must be for some sorta cable, I think...

[lemming]

I think you guys are both onto something. Do you need a hole that big for a mute?

[Pacafeliz]

I think you guys are both onto something. Do you need a hole that big for a mute?

nope, unless he used a big-ass spring like a Bigsby or so.

The "cable" routing goes up to the rhythm circuit cavity. I guess he used the On/Off switch and vol/tone contols there to control the 3rd pickup/mic?

...it would make sense, at least a bit...

[Pacafeliz]

...I imagine somthing like that, maybe...

[lemming]

...I imagine somthing like that, maybe...

That sure looks like something someone could have done. I'm not entirely sure why they would want to, but it does make sense as a possibility.

The "cable" routing goes up to the rhythm circuit cavity. I guess he used the On/Off switch and vol/tone contols there to control the 3rd pickup/mic?

I'd bet you're right. In any event, it sure does look like they were trying to use the rhythm circuit controls for something. An artifact of the Golden Age of Guitar Mods (whenever that was).