Changing your bridge?..does this realy make any diffrence

[Kiwi]

[quote name='Dan Dare' timestamp='1422211357' post='2669909']
Think it depends on the instrument. I find a high mass bridge gives clearer noting especially at low frequencies but can rob an instrument of warmth and 'bloom'.
[/quote]
I agree. The key is stiffness. If the bridge is low mass but the bass is otherwise very rigid (e.g. through neck and carbon graphite), a high mass bridge won't make a huge amount of difference. But if the instrument is old and fragile, with a poorly routed neck pocket and light wood, a high mass bridge might provide a more secure, less dampened point from which one of the string can vibrate.

Of course, you might LIKE the sound of a half dead bass...many do.

[franzbassist]

I swapped out the standard tuners on my American Special for Hipshots, much more accuare when dialling in that final cent to hit the note.

I am thinking of changing the bridge too, only because the G and E strings suffer from the sideways slippage mentioned above. The Hipshot Vintage bridge should solve the problem with the minimum of change and fuss.

Edited January 26, 2015 by walbassist

[HowieBass]

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1422267098' post='2670374']
Alembic discovered that if you added mass to the head of a bass, in the form of a brass plate, sustain improved so why wouldn't extra mass on the bridge work equally well? A major aspect of making good cabs is how you control the resonating surfaces to eliminate as much unwanted vibration as possible, so why wouldn't you want to manage and improve the vibration generated to improve the sustain and tone on a bass?
[/quote]

I think the headstock is a different matter - as I mentioned earlier it's regarded as a heatsink (by Tobias and Sadowsky) and it can rob a vibrating string of energy, particularly when the neck to headstock transition isn't well designed. A light headstock will vibrate more easily than a heavier headstock, so adding mass there helps. That's probably why you put a clip-on tuner on the headstock because that exhibits a fair bit of vibration. The bridge at the other end is already anchored to something pretty heavy (the bass body) so adding a chunky bridge doesn't increase the mass by the same proportion.

[stingrayPete1977]

One thing no one has mentioned is string through body or not, for me the bbot is less of an issue when strung through, that said I'm happy with my Jazz being both high mass and strung through, nice and sturdy without any lateral movement issues due to the little groove, in fact I'd be happy with a bbot if they just added a groove! The tone issue or lack of issue wouldn't sway me one way or the other.

[Dan Dare]

I went through the bridge menopause some years back. Found the Badass was too massy/deadening. Schaller nice on my Jazz - cleaner but still warm sounding. Just put a Gotoh on the P bass and like it so far.

[Maude]

The bridge may make a difference, it may not.
Nobody watching you knows or cares, just get out there and play the damn thing.
Spend the time saved not worrying about it practicing. Your improvement in playing ability will sound better than any improvement from a bridge.

I try and convince myself that this is the best approach but I still spend hours fiddling with my basses regardless

[No lust in Jazz]

[quote name='walbassist' timestamp='1422290619' post='2670748']
I swapped out the standard tuners on my American Special for Hipshots, much more accuare when dialling in that final cent to hit the note.
[/quote]

Really, in tune is in tune isn't it? I've never experienced issues with this..

Although, I'm replacing a BBOT with another BBOT, better quality grub screws, screws and finish are the reasons.

[franzbassist]

[quote name='No lust in Jazz' timestamp='1422301161' post='2670948']
Really, in tune is in tune isn't it? I've never experienced issues with this..

Although, I'm replacing a BBOT with another BBOT, better quality grub screws, screws and finish are the reasons.
[/quote]

That was my point. Hipshot tuners have a higher gear ratio than the stock tuners, so you get where you need to be much more quickly, plus the quality is way better.

[essexbasscat]

[quote name='Maude' timestamp='1422300019' post='2670925']
The bridge may make a difference, it may not.
Nobody watching you knows or cares, just get out there and play the damn thing.
Spend the time saved not worrying about it practicing. Your improvement in playing ability will sound better than any improvement from a bridge.

I try and convince myself that this is the best approach but I still spend hours fiddling with my basses regardless
[/quote]

Great post

[BanditSid]

A lot of higher end basses have separate bridges for each string, in an attempt to stop sympathetic resonance between strings, but having felt the ones on my Ibanez SR4500 when I removed them to clean it (I know, no comments !!) I don't think 4 of them weigh any more than a BBOT bridge.

[chris_b]

I've never understood this "sympathetic resonance" thing as a need for separate bridge pieces.

If you're muting the strings correctly how can that happen?

[xgsjx]

If you think your bridge has made a huge difference to the sound, it could well be down to the set up (string distance from pick up).
I changed from a high mass to a bent tin style & there was no difference in sound. But the high mass had more adjustment options.

If a bridge did make a difference to the sound, I doubt you'd hear that difference when the band a playing.

[JTUK]

I would replace a bridge if it appeared a more solid connection...and the adjustment on the saddles was
good. Never been a fan of the old Fender plate, myself, but if it worked in the set-up well, I'd keep it..
especially on an older bass. And if I did replace it, I'd keep it for when I sold the bass...

My 70's Jazz had an awful cheap plate with soft metal fittings.. it was truly [email="cr@p"]cr@p[/email] but I kept it
as these things are original..

[Low End Bee]

I've 2 Precisions. One with a BBOT and one with a Badass II. I swapped them once to find out if I could hear a difference. I couldn't notice any sonic alteration at all.

[organic]

I've no experience with changing the bridge on a bass, but I've done so on 2 of my Gretsch guitars, replacing the factory model with solid radius bridges (a Tru-Arc and a Compton), and the improvement in tone has been astonishing. I think it's also true on Telecasters, I have vintage-style heavy brass saddles on mine, and I've noticed generally those with heavy brass saddles tend to sound better than those with modern steel ones, though I'm not really comparing like with like. So I'd be surprised if it didn't make a change on a bass.

[cybertect]

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1422347593' post='2671330']
I've never understood this "sympathetic resonance" thing as a need for separate bridge pieces.
[/quote]

Makes you wonder why G&L have locking saddles (which ties them all together) as a feature of their bridges if there were anything to it.

[patrikmarky]

I'm nun the wiser ...

[Telebass]

[quote name='Beedster' timestamp='1422285671' post='2670667']
Makes a difference on some basses and not on others. As has been said above it should be kept in mind that 'difference' does not always mean 'improvement'. Some bridges are an improvement simply because they allow better intonation, alignment or action, others because they link the surfaces better than the original perhaps allowing more sustain (or fewer energy losses), others because they actually do alter the tone. Either way, there's a whole lot of reasons why you'd change a bridge, but I've done it many times and I'd say that tonally there are often as many improvements going from a heavy and expensive bridge like a Badass II to a Fender BBOT as there are the opposite direction. A very good example for me is my 4003, on which the brass Hipshot version bridge to my mind takes something away from the Ric tone and sustain, despite facilitating far better intonation and string alignment.

I'm sure the answer to the OP's question is quite simple, you'll never know until you try a certain bridge on a certain bass.
[/quote]
I think Chris sums it all up best with this. However, I'm still of the opinion that you're unlikely, on average, to gain anything from swapping bridges.

[No lust in Jazz]

Just to add that I changed out a BBOT on a 90's CIJ Fender recently for a GOTOH "OEM" BBOT which in my view had better quality screws, its also manufactured from a slightly heavier gauge plate..

For me, the feel of the bass has changed for the better, difficult to put this into words other than some nebulous guff so I'll avoid trying - but take my word for it, its just better - Less than £40 posted.

Did it change the tone? I can't tell you, as I dropped in some Nordstrand NJ4s at the same time and they sound properly naughty.