Tone of Mono Rail Bridge Pieces?

[Baloney Balderdash]

I consider swapping out the standard bend steel plate vintage style bridge with mono rail bridge pieces instead, so would like to know if anyone got experience with this, and if I should expect any change in tone and if so in what way?

 

I realize that it in any case would be a rather subtle change, but in my experience relatively subtle changes can actually make a quite significant and essential difference when talking tone.

 

My guess would be that mono rail bridge pieces might improve definition, articulation, sustain and resonance slightly, because of the more direct contact with the body of the bass as well as less vibrations transferred across strings.

 

If it makes any difference if I am going through with this it will be mono rail bridge pieces each milled from one piece of solid brass, rather than molded ones. 

 

 

Edited January 28, 2023 by Baloney Balderdash

[itu]

I think you are referring to stiffness of the contact. If it's loose, you'll lose the string vibration to deformations. If your screws are tight, there's no difference between the bridges.

 

But another thing is the mass. As the plate is light and the individual bridges are heavier, the tuning of the body changes, and you may hear the slight difference. Or not.

 

Tuning of the body or the neck changes when the shape or the weight changes. The nodes may be in the same place (uniformal mass change), or move (some end of the shape changes). This means that a different neck may sound quite different.

 

Don't get fooled by other changes you hear after the modification. New strings and clean instrument always sounds better...

[Baloney Balderdash]

14 hours ago, itu said:

I think you are referring to stiffness of the contact. If it's loose, you'll lose the string vibration to deformations. If your screws are tight, there's no difference between the bridges.

 

But another thing is the mass. As the plate is light and the individual bridges are heavier, the tuning of the body changes, and you may hear the slight difference. Or not.

 

Tuning of the body or the neck changes when the shape or the weight changes. The nodes may be in the same place (uniformal mass change), or move (some end of the shape changes). This means that a different neck may sound quite different.

 

Don't get fooled by other changes you hear after the modification. New strings and clean instrument always sounds better...

But there is a difference between the bridges, saying all bridges are equal is nonsense, cause they are not from a construction/design point of view, pretty certain that the saddle pieces that the strings rest on have much better and more direct contact with the rest of the bridge piece on the mono rail bridge pieces, which should translate to better and more direct contact to the body of the bass, that is what I was referring to.

 

It doesn't matter how tight the bridge plate is screwed in if the saddle pieces themself are loose by design/construction and doesn't make proper contact.

 

But guess you answered my question indirectly anyway, so thanks I suppose.

 

Edited January 29, 2023 by Baloney Balderdash

[itu]

3 hours ago, Baloney Balderdash said:

But there is a difference between the bridges, saying all bridges are equal is nonsense, cause they are not from a construction/design point of view...

Exactly, and the mass means here a lot from physical point of view. Every shape has its resonance and nodes, and by changing the bridge you are tuning it with mass.

 

You can make a simple test with a rod. Hit it and find its nodes. Put any mass anywhere to it and the situation changes. We did this in acoustic lectures, and I have analyzed some baseball bats in my work something like 15 years ago.

 

Neck acts a bit like a rod, because it has (only) one end connected to a big mass (the bass body), but is far different from a string which is connected from both ends.

 

Edit: I forgot to mention, that if the saddles move from side to side, your system is not stiff, and you will certainly loose something from the response. I have a Hipshot (?) bridge in my Genesis. Its really loose, and I had to insert metal sheets to stop the wobbling. I actually felt it in my fingers, and because of that found the issue.

Edited January 29, 2023 by itu