Hole near hipshot bridge screws on Gecko 5

[jeffjozwiak]

I'm installing a Hipshot A style bridge on my Gecko. At the center mounting screw for the bridge there's a 1/8" hole adjacent to it. I fear inserting the screw will cause it break through and entire the larger hole rendering it useless. I'm considering placing a dowel into this hole to give added support to the screw. Does this sound reasonable? Why does Warmoth have this there anyway?

Joz

 

[Wana_make_a_guitar]

Pictures first, suggestions Next!

 

[stubhead]

The hole is probably for a ground wire to the bridge, which is needed on passively-wired basses. On an active bass, I believe that you don't need to ground the bridge at all. I personally would dowel it and then drill a relocated hole for the ground wire, if I needed one. Then again, I use 1 1/2" screws to mount bass bridges - I like solid things. :toothy12:

 

[jeffjozwiak]

Pictures first, suggestions Next!

Here's a picture. Not great but hopefully it'll show what I mean. There's three bridge holes indicated by the yellow squares. The hole in question is just below the center bridge hole.

 

[ByteFrenzy]

Looks like the indexing hole for the CNC. Did you order the drilling for the bridge from Warmoth?

 

[Patrick from Davis]

The bridge needs to be grounded.  Other than MEC (Warwick) and EMG, bass pickups are passive with active preamps.  I am sure that there are other active pickups out there, but the bridge should be grounded on anything with passive pickups.

As far as that hole is concerned, I'd call Warmoth before doing something that you cannot undo and ask them what it is.
Patrick

 

[jeffjozwiak]

Looks like the indexing hole for the CNC. Did you order the drilling for the bridge from Warmoth?

I did order the bridge drilling through Warmoth. What's a CNC?

 

[ByteFrenzy]

CNC means the drilling and shaping of the body is controlled by a computer. The system needs some fixed reference points on the body and for this a couple of reference holes are drilled. One is removed when the neck pocket is cut. On this body it looks to me like this is the second one which for basses is in the vicinity of the bridge.

Since Warmoth drilled the bridge mount for you, I agree completely that you should contact them before doing anything else. Drilling, doweling and redrilling should be a satisfactory solution but hear what they have to say first.

 

[Mor Paul]

A hole like the one there? If it is, yeah, that's the CNC reference point.

 

[ByteFrenzy]

You can see it really well on Wyliee's Gecko-6:

That is before they drilled for the bridge. Here the bridge holes are drilled:

This bridge has four mounting holes. You can see that if the bridge has an uneven number of mounting holes the middle one would be uncomfortably close to the index hole.

 

[jeffjozwiak]

Thanks ByteFrenzy.

That's it. I have contacted Warmoth and am waiting for their recommendation. More than likely a dowel and glue job. I would think they would fill this at the shop though.

Thank you all.

Jeff