[quote name='gjones' post='1256083' date='Jun 3 2011, 11:50 PM']...because Mr Fender obviously though it was needed to keep the scratchplate down. In the eighties they realised it was unnecessry[/quote]
Not quite how it was. The pickguard material used in the 60s was prone to warping, so without the hole, the guard could lift in this area. The cheaper modern material they used in the 80s was more stable.