Fender Bridge

[beerdragon]

Just got back from Dawsons in Chester. i went there to buy a Korg pitchblack tuner. A new Mia Pbass was hanging on the wall Olympic white with tort guard and maple fingerboard. £799. looked very nice, but what caught my eye was the bridge, the new ones seem a bit more substantial than the one on my 2002 Pbass. can these be bought on their own? i went up to another music shop called Back Alley music they caught sight of my tuner in a Dawsons bag and asked how much i had paid. £54 said i, haha, you should have come here first £48. Bugger! they gave me an email addy to find out how much they would do the Olympic white pbass for, got to be cheaper than Dawsons.

[Fraktal]

If you are gonna replace your Pbass bridge, why dont you go for a pure bass bridge? Not to bash Fender brand, but all their bridges look crappy to me.

Damn, I cant remember the name of a bass hardware brand web i visited yesterday... argh, very sorry! I'll try to find that web.

[beerdragon]

The one on this new Pbass looked ok. if anyone can recommend or use a bridge apart from a Badass that fits. and by that i mean no drilling or filing i would be interested to hear about it.

[Hit&Run]

[quote name='beerdragon' post='251555' date='Jul 30 2008, 07:11 PM']if anyone can recommend or use a bridge apart from a Badass that fits.[/quote]
I've got Gotoh 201B bridges on a couple of my babies. You can get them on [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Gotoh-201-Bass-Guitar-Bridge-Chrome-fender_W0QQitemZ120284177046QQcmdZViewItem?_trksid=p3286.m20.l1116"]ebay[/url] amongst other places.

Much like fender's new 'high mass vintage' bridge, it's a beefed up version of the old fender design.

Edited July 30, 2008 by Hit&Run

[beerdragon]

Cheers hit&run, thats one to keep in mind.

[OutToPlayJazz]

I don't know who's making the new Fender High Mass bridge for the new American Standards, etc., but the angled holes in the bottom look identical to the bridges Roger Sadowsky uses for his basses.

If you're looking for a direct replacement for your 2002 model MIA, if it has "through body stringing" holes & three screw fixings, you'll need a Badass III, but if it's top stringing only & 5 screw fixings, you'll need a larger Badass II.

One thing to remember is that Fenders with through body stringing have a totally different [more full bodied] sound compared with the top strung ones. In this case a bigger bridge doesn't make a huge amount of difference. It's only if you don't have the through body option where a higher mass bridge like a Badass makes a big difference in terms of sustain, attack & clarity.

Rich.

[beerdragon]

That makes sense otpj. i tried through the body stringing and i did'nt like the angle of the string. i play with a pick and have a rather attacking style of playing so i thought a better bridge would help.

[OutToPlayJazz]

*Nods* In that case, a Badass III will be just the ticket for your bass

[thedontcarebear]

I would get a Gotoh, they are nice, and cheap too.

[Stewart]

I like Hipshot - either 'Vintage' [url="http://www.basspartsresource.com/5C400C.jpg"]Hipshot Vintage Bridge[/url] or 'A Series' (my favourite) - this uses 3 of the 5 screws [url="http://www.basspartsresource.com/5A400C-FENDER.jpg"]Hipshot A Fender Bridge[/url]

The only problem with the Vintage is that invariably it seems the intonation screws are almost at their maximum.

Edited July 31, 2008 by Stewart

[Freuds_Cat]

[quote name='OutToPlayJazz' post='251583' date='Jul 31 2008, 04:10 AM']It's only if you don't have the through body option where a higher mass bridge like a Badass makes a big difference in terms of sustain, attack & clarity.

Rich.[/quote]


I have to agree totally with this. My experience with Non through body bridges has been that if you want a more traditional Fender sound then the Gotoh 203 is a great replacement.



for more sustain and attack try the Gotoh 201. This bridge is a really nice balance between the traditional sound and a more modern sound IMHO.



and for maximum Sustain and attack go to the Badass.

I still use Badass 1 and 3 Bridges on some of my main basses (The Badass 2 footprint is too big IMHO). but the Gotoh 201 as I mentioned is a really good blend of both worlds.

Just my 2 pence.

Edited August 1, 2008 by Freuds_Cat

[Delberthot]

+1 on the Gotoh 201.

I have one on my Gold '54 Warmoth P bass. My new ye olde stylee '54 will have one as well, cunningly hidden by a bridge cover.

I really like them. sustain for days and they feel solid.