Fender jazz bridge upgrade

[giblett123]

Evening all!

I've recently picked up an old(ish) USA jazz, just wondered if anyone has any thoughts on bridge upgrades? I know there is a lot of love for the badass but they are hard to come by, I'm also looking at a hipshot type B or a babicz, any recommendations or am I wasting my dosh?
Cheers
Chris

[SlapbassSteve]

Gotoh 203(or 201... I forget which is the heavier one) bridges are excellent, they sound better then a Badass II IMO, but are cheaper and a bit less eye-catching, much more like the current USA bridges if you're into that style. Gotta admit I love the look of a Badass II on a jazz if you can find one for the right price though!

[warwickhunt]

What sort of prices are used BadAss bridges going for?

[jimbobothy]

£50 - £60 pounds, depends on what the saddles are like IMO.

[giblett123]

Not sure but I think hipshot and babicz are both £70+, will check out gotoh now, I can't find a badass 3 for sale anywhere.

[gjones]

[quote name='giblett123' timestamp='1356806920' post='1913887']
Not sure but I think hipshot and babicz are both £70+, will check out gotoh now, I can't find a badass 3 for sale anywhere.
[/quote]

Try the stratosphere on ebay. American company who take basses to bits and sell the parts. They've got some nice bridges at cheap prices and sometimes have badasses too [url="http://stores.ebay.co.uk/The-STRATosphere/_i.html?rt=nc&_nkw=bass+bridge&_sid=105525814&_trksid=p4634.c0.m14&_sop=2&_sc=1"]http://stores.ebay.co.uk/The-STRATosphere/_i.html?rt=nc&_nkw=bass+bridge&_sid=105525814&_trksid=p4634.c0.m14&_sop=2&_sc=1[/url]

[Lozz196]

Having had a Jazz with both a Gotoh, and a Badass on, I`d go for the Gotoh. There is very little sound difference between them - if anything - and the Gotoh costs a lot less, plus is more widely available. I found both bridges seemed to tighten the lows and crisp the highs somewhat, in comparison to the stock BBOT, but this was at home practice volumes. Whether or not it would be noticeable at band volumes I couldn`t say, as never used the Jazz with a band.

[giblett123]

Cheers for the info Lozz, the gotohs are nice, I used to have one on a shuker, i'm jist looking for a 3 hole version of it, otherwise I'd have to start drilling, I've found a hipshot type B with a 3 hole fender mount, not sure!

[wateroftyne]

What don't you like about the old bridge?

[Nibody]

I dropped a Gotoh 201 onto my MIM P. The Schaller bridges are 3 hole from memory and are high mass with rollers. I love the look of badass's but didnt fancy chancing the effect it can have on action height (like mine quite low)

[giblett123]

Schaller looks interesting, v adjustable.

[Muzz]

The Schaller's my favourite bridge, the rollers are a great idea and the lateral movement allows you to make sure the strings are aligned properly with the pole pieces. It's also very comfortable under hand if you play with the heel of your hand on the bridge, as I do.