Just how important is a decent bridge on a budget bass?

[iconic]

what do these better built bridges do for me, it seems fitting a Bad Ass bridge is a common fitment?

...I look at my Yammy RBX bridge and it's got a solid beefy quality looking casting, my VMJ has a bit of bent chromed sheet metal...one thing I do notice is that the yamaha has a good 'sound' unplugged, the VMJ isn't as good with a thinner & rattly 'sound'.

....not that I play unplugged of course, just an observation really from fiddling while talking to customers who ring when I'm practicing

[jezzaboy]

My VMJ has a Gotoh OEM black chrome bridge fitted and I think it looks better than a baddass. I have a ba on my P bass and I had one on a classic Jazz I owned and I never noticed a bit of differance! But mabye that`s down to my playing prowess lol.

I prefer the look of the Gotoh as well. And a new baddass is about £75. Here`s a link:

[url="http://www.wdmusic.co.uk/category/Hardware___Parts/Bridges___Tailpieces/Bass,b.html?page=1"]http://www.wdmusic.co.uk/category/Hardware...s,b.html?page=1[/url]

Jez

[waynepunkdude]

I had a Badass on mine and it definitely sounded better but I wanted ashtrays and they don't fit over a Badass.

[henry norton]

[quote name='iconic' post='742844' date='Feb 12 2010, 10:52 AM']what do these better built bridges do for me, it seems fitting a Bad Ass bridge is a common fitment?

...I look at my Yammy RBX bridge and it's got a solid beefy quality looking casting, my VMJ has a bit of bent chromed sheet metal...one thing I do notice is that the yamaha has a good 'sound' unplugged, the VMJ isn't as good with a thinner & rattly 'sound'.

....not that I play unplugged of course, just an observation really from fiddling while talking to customers who ring when I'm practicing [/quote]

The 'chunky bridge' thread has always been good for an argument on Basschat! There's every probability that your Yamaha has a fuller, richer acoustic sound anyway - the only way to know for sure is if you swap the bridges over whilst keeping everything else on the basses exactly the same. Lots of people seem to notice some difference when they fit a heavier bridge although there are also a fair few who can't tell the difference - either way you're unlikely to find the "incredible increase in volume & sustain" the bridge manufacturers proclaim

[Bassassin]

Get a Schaller 3D. More compact, better looking & more adjustable than a BadAss - & they come up used for less than £30.

Plenty of people will tell you that the bent tin bridge does exactly the same job as a Badass (or any other aftermarket upgrade) & if it was good enough for Uncle Leo then we have nothing to moan about.

They might have a point.

Jon.

[KiOgon]

[quote name='waynepunkdude' post='742899' date='Feb 12 2010, 10:58 AM']I had a Badass on mine and it definitely sounded better but I wanted ashtrays and they don't fit over a Badass.[/quote]

DOH! Now you tell me I've just ordered one to try exactly that!

Edit: Whoops - just looked - mines a Hipshot & it looks even wider than a BA

Edited February 12, 2010 by KiOgon

[RussFM]

[quote name='Bassassin' post='742925' date='Feb 12 2010, 11:19 AM']Plenty of people will tell you that the bent tin bridge does exactly the same job as a Badass (or any other aftermarket upgrade) & if it was good enough for Uncle Leo then we have nothing to moan about.

They might have a point.[/quote]

Try telling that to Traben!

[chris_b]

[quote name='Bassassin' post='742925' date='Feb 12 2010, 11:19 AM']....Plenty of people will tell you that the bent tin bridge does exactly the same job as a Badass (or any other aftermarket upgrade) & if it was good enough for Uncle Leo then we have nothing to moan about....[/quote]
But it wasn't good enough when Leo Fender designed the Stingray or when he developed the G&L line. So in 2 out of 3 designs Leo [i]didn't[/i] choose a "bent piece of tin"!

[thebeat]

[quote name='chris_b' post='742981' date='Feb 12 2010, 12:24 PM']But it wasn't good enough when Leo Fender designed the Stingray or when he developed the G&L line. So in 2 out of 3 designs Leo [i]didn't[/i] choose a "bent piece of tin"![/quote]

Wel,l if there [i][b]was[/b][/i] something wrong with the original design, it took him bloody long enough to realise it. I'm another who thinks the 'bent piece of tin' does the job just fine and that you'd be better buying a nice comfy strap instead

[Bassassin]

For the record, I don't like bent tin bridges - but that's largely because they look cheap & shoddy, not because of any quantifiable - or indeed noticeable - difference in sound.

J.

[Tait]

[quote]DOH! Now you tell me I\'ve just ordered one to try exactly that!

Edit: Whoops - just looked - mines a Hipshot & it looks even wider than a BA[/quote]

its not to do with width of the BADASS, its just BADASSs are very long, they usually go down very close to the edge of the bass, so there isn\'t enough room for an ashtray. depending on the model, i think your hipshot should be ok with an ashtray, but i can\'t say i\'ve ever tried it, and i don\'t know exactly which bridge you\'re using, so its a very big \"i think\".

EDIT: i just google image\'d badass II bridge and found this picture -



i think that shows what i mean pretty well.

EDIT 2: oh, and FWIW, i usually use BADASS bridges on my fender style basses (not that i have any atm) and theres one on my taitycaster. i think they do make a fair difference, but the main reason i use them is because they look really cool IMO. i wouldn't pay the same price for a gotoh that does a very similar job.

Edited February 13, 2010 by Tait

[henry norton]

[quote name='chris_b' post='742981' date='Feb 12 2010, 01:24 PM']But it wasn't good enough when Leo Fender designed the Stingray or when he developed the G&L line. So in 2 out of 3 designs Leo [i]didn't[/i] choose a "bent piece of tin"![/quote]
Fair point with the G&L but both the pre EB Ray and SR5 I've owned had bridges that were just a pressed steel baseplate with turned barrel saddles - just like the old Fender BBOT but a different shape.

[chris_b]

[quote name='henry norton' post='744240' date='Feb 13 2010, 07:11 PM']....both the pre EB Ray and SR5 I've owned had bridges that were just a pressed steel baseplate with turned barrel saddles - just like the old Fender BBOT but a different shape....[/quote]
.... I'm basing this on my SR5 and the "bent tin" was quite a bit thicker than the Fender.

[iconic]

thanks for the replies guys

[nig]

I would be more concerned about the body wood, a cheap bass could be ply, basswood, mdf or in the case of my trib l2k Im restoring swamp ash, which was a result. thats where alot of the tone comes from, ultimately the bridge is screwed into the body and decent bridge saddles are a must. IMO.

[henry norton]

[quote name='nig' post='744572' date='Feb 14 2010, 10:46 AM']I would be more concerned about the body wood, a cheap bass could be ply, basswood, mdf or in the case of my trib l2k Im restoring swamp ash, which was a result. thats where alot of the tone comes from, ultimately the bridge is screwed into the body and decent bridge saddles are a must. IMO.[/quote]
Now there's a whole new can of worms although all but the absolute cheapest instruments claim to be of 'solid hardwood' these days. Hopefully the days of plywood Malins is finally over. Don't tar basswood with the same brush as ply or MDF by the way, allot of very nice, very expensive guitars are made from it.

[noelk27]

[quote name='thebeat' post='742988' date='Feb 12 2010, 12:34 PM']Wel,l if there [i][b]was[/b][/i] something wrong with the original design, it took him bloody long enough to realise it. I'm another who thinks the 'bent piece of tin' does the job just fine ...[/quote]

Well, CLF's original concept for both the Precision and StingRay was through body anchoring, where the bridge assembly simply provides a contact point. It was the intervention of other designers and mass production economics that altered that original concept in both cases. It wasn't until the MM Sabre that CLF pursued a high mass bridge concept, a design that also facilitated saddle locking. Most people are more familiar with this design on G&L instruments. As to whether CLF's own high mass bridge design is better than the "bent piece of tin" is debatable - certainly it has advantages, but whether there is any measurable increase in sustain/performance is difficult to say. Certainly there is a perceptible difference between through body and bridge anchoring.

But my main issue with the bent piece of tin, and any bridge where strings are run through a hole, is the damage these cause when restringing. Abrading the surface of a new string when pulling it through a bridge does more to diminish the performance of the string than initial play use does. That's why I favour quick release bridge designs, and regard that as a far more significant consideration when selecting a replacement bridge.

[KiOgon]

[quote name='Tait' post='744126' date='Feb 13 2010, 04:41 PM']its not to do with width of the BADASS, its just BADASSs are very long, they usually go down very close to the edge of the bass, so there isn\'t enough room for an ashtray. depending on the model, i think your hipshot should be ok with an ashtray, but i can\'t say i\'ve ever tried it, and i don\'t know exactly which bridge you\'re using, so its a very big \"i think\".[/quote]

I got the cover & as you say it's the length but the width as well. I've only positioned it for trial & it's a tight push to get it down so that it covers the bottom end, but can't go too far or the 'ears' will be over the contoured edge.
BTW it's a '51P ri MIJ

Sorry - first 2 pics the same & can't seem to delete 1?

Edited February 14, 2010 by KiOgon

[stevie]

I've just fitted a Badass to my Yamaha, which had a Gotoh on it before. My impression is that it sounds better: punchier, better sustain, fuller - but that could just be wish fulfilment. Human memory being what it is, the only way you can really be sure that there is a difference is if you have two of the same to compare.

What I have noticed, however - and I've never heard anyone else mention this - is that I can get the action noticeable lower without buzzing.