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Ok, so I got an Ibanez bass that belonged to a friend. She bought herself a better bass and she doesn't use it anymore so I decided to pull it apart. The thing's a bit beat up, but whatever... it happens, right? Tell me if you guys notice something strange here... Or maybe it's completely normal and I'm the only one that can't seem to explain this.

Can anyone explain this to me?

It looks like a hole to the control cavity. It's used to attach a ground wire to the bridge.

Anthony

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Anthony J. Lembo
Lembo Custom Guitars - www.Lemboguitars.com

so there IS an explanation for it..

still looks really really messy...

Yeah - you should see that in every electric guitar/bass. Commonly, they are drilled before finish, so they don't look that clooged, but they are always there.

Stephen

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www.ziegenfussguitars.com

all normal.

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My soundclick xx luthier blog xx luthier soundclick

Looks like it they finish the body then drilled the access for the ground wire and had a bit of chip out during the drilling. Knowing it would be covered by the bridge housing the let it go. This kind of thing is common in the factory products. If it does not affect the apperance after assembly or functionality of the instrument then it is not a flaw in the eyes of the floor QC inspector. You will see this kind of thing even on some very high end factory builds

Since it is covered by the bridge, doesn't affect playability or tone...I wouldn't consider it a flaw either.

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Joe Breault
Merrimack, NH
Perpetual novice

Well, playability, I would agree with, but tone is something I was curious about in that sense. How much of a real impact does the wood or structure of the body or neck have on the tone of an electric guitar? I've always wondered... On an acoustic guitar, it's obvious that the wood and structure would have a huge impact simply because they are really the primary things that would define a guitar's tone. On an electric, however, you run into the fact that you have other variables such as pickups, amps, and even cables. How much does the quality or type of wood really matter on an electric?

For myself, I've always been under the impression that it was the electronic factors that determined sound and that all of that talk about bodies being made of AAAA maple vs. AA maple was just a selling point for manufacturers.

(This would probably deserve its own topic..)

I regards to electrics it’s all about sustain. Some woods sustain better than others.
I have heard several people talk about hand selecting maple tone wood for use on there solid body. They have said it has a “Great Tap tone”, and then they glue it to a slab of mahogany that also has a “Great Tap tone”.
Have you ever picked up a 1 ½ x 15” x 22” piece of wood, found a node and taped on it???
I say it’s all Hogwash but the wood that is used for a solid body electric does have an effect on the sound but more importantly sustain, which what an electric guitarist is looking for.
Maybe instead of Tap Tone they should say Tap Sustain???

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Rich S

"The inconvenience of poor quality will linger long after the thrill of a bargain has been forgotten"

I learn something new everyday... I always thought sustain was mostly about fretwork.

Don’t get me wrong, Frets, Bridge and pickups, play a huge roll in sustain…all I am saying is that wood tone is secondary to sustain. I think you can have a lousy wood tone with great sustain and have people rave about how great a tone it has.

I forgot to mention New Strings!!!

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Rich S

"The inconvenience of poor quality will linger long after the thrill of a bargain has been forgotten"

I can assure you that THAT hole was not drilled in the Ibanez factory, but was more likely boogered up by an
unskilled repair person after the fact.

The original hole was most likely closer to a 1/16" hole. Someone who couldn't fish that bridge ground wire
back through it probably bored it out to get the wire from the bridge to the ground loop.

Regards,
Kevin Gallagher/Omega Guitars

Michael, I'm glad I caught this thread! That is not a ground feed hole.... it's termites!!!! Ibanez's are known for real problems with bugs! Spray some WD40 in there and that will take care of them right quick!

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Billy Dean Thomas
Covina, CA

"Multi famam, conscientiam, pauci verentur."
(Many fear their reputation, few their conscience)