[quote name='gjones' timestamp='1398520663' post='2434931']
Handy to whack a sponge under the bridge ashtray, to damp the strings, like James Jamerson used to do. But originally, I think they were put there for purely aesthetic reasons.
[/quote]
No, it was originally part of EMF shielding . 51 precisions had an earth wire that connected to the ashtray