Difference between US/MEX and JAP scratchplates

[tommorichards]

Ive been looking for a celluloid scratchplate for my recently acquired 62 RI jazz. However, they all seem to be for the US/MEX models, and none say japanese. What is the difference between them?

[yorks5stringer]

Slight differences in size and placement of screw holes i'd suspect? Maybe get a custom one made by tracing your existing one or DIY?

[bazzbass]

why Fender do this is beyond me, but Mex models have different number of screws to the USA ones, PITA.Probably so they sell more lol

At worst you can drill an extra screw hole in a pickguard. If you're fussy, glue a screw head onto the unused hole

[Wylie]

[quote name='yorks5stringer' timestamp='1506333109' post='3377910']
Slight differences in size and placement of screw holes i'd suspect?
[/quote]

Exactly. Very slight differences, for example, between the Japanese-made Geddy Lee and the identical-looking American- or Mexican-made standard jazz. Takes a good bit of looking around over here to find a proper replacement fit.

[ead]

I have been looking for a replacement p/g for a 50th Anniversary MIK Squier P however the one I tried, whilst pretty much a perfect fit for my '66 P, was out by a few mm. Specifically it was like the whole p/g had been stretched so the holes that were the bridge side of the back of the pickup were progressively more and more out. Very odd.

[Conan]

[quote name='Wylie' timestamp='1506888296' post='3381848']Very slight differences, for example, between the Japanese-made Geddy Lee and the identical-looking American- or Mexican-made standard jazz.
[/quote]

Which is very odd when you consider that Geddy Lee's original Jazz bass (on which the sig model is presumably based) is MIA... So why would a Japanese copy of it have a different scratchplate shape and number of holes?

[throwoff]

You get some very odd plates on Fenders, the left handers go even more crazy. They really should just use the same hole layout etc on every model..

[Wylie]

Why not leave off scratch plates altogether? Let the scratching begin!

[tommorichards]

Im not a fan of the look without one tbh. It would suit a tort guard down to the ground.