Another Fender Question

[wraub]

So... The Vintage style J/P bass bridge with threaded saddles-

Anyone have any experience with 'em, stories or tips, pros or cons?

Been looking for one, and have seen much discussion, for and against, here and elsewhere on the net.

Also, anyone have any idea why it was discontinued in the first place?

Thanks!

wraub

[202dy]

Traditional bridge functions just fine. The trad bridge simply isn't as pretty as the replacement bridges.

It was discontinued because of the replacement bridge industry. They have sold many folks on the ideas of increased sustain and claims of sonic superiority. It is a debate that appears in this forum several times a month. This thread will probably head in that direction in short order.

[fhm555]

I've played a bass for a night with the L plate and spiral grooved saddles and it did a decent job, much better than the other stock L plate with the single slot saddles. Unfortunately neither did as well as the babicz bridge did at maintaining tune and intonation.

In addition it also insures my strings are always exactly where I left them which has helped improve my right hand speed.

Can't say about tone differences. With the same amp I can't tell if there's any tone or sustain difference at all, but my bass holds a setup and tune longer, and it's a definite positive for my right hand so what's not to like?

It's the way I tune and play that overwhelms the L plate so YMMV, but don't let someone else who's bought into the anti hype that aftermarket bridges are strictly a vanity item make your decision for you.

Perhaps it's a bow on a hammer handle to some, but not for me. There is actual utility in the aftermarket bridge on my MIM j bass.

[Epidrake]

I changed the saddles on my MIM Jazz to solid brass Wlkinson saddles and the difference was not at all subtle. I LOVE the tone and it only cost around $12. The brass also stays put and doesn't have to be adjusted regularly.

Saddles make a difference and it's a cheap reversible tweak.

[testing1two]

The only things a vintage bridge lacks are grooves in the base plate to keep the saddles from drifting and a way to release the ball end of the string from the bridge for faster string changes (Hipshot's vintage bridge has an elegant solution but it strays from vintage appearance and doesn't have threaded saddles). Otherwise it is perfectly functional and the threaded saddles allow for precise adjustment of string spacing so the strings line up between the pickup pole pieces.

In terms of tone, one can say that more mass and/or different materials can certainly change the tone, but the change isn't necessarily an improvement. That comes down to personal preference. In fact, KTS makes a vintage style bridge with threaded saddles made completely from titanium. Come to think of it, I have a brand new one I'm going to sell. I need to find it and post it in the classifieds.

[fhm555]

Originally Posted by Epidrake

I changed the saddles on my MIM Jazz to solid brass Wlkinson saddles and the difference was not at all subtle. I LOVE the tone and it only cost around $12. The brass also stays put and doesn't have to be adjusted regularly.

Saddles make a difference and it's a cheap reversible tweak.

Odd...the stock saddles are chrome plated solid brass on an MIM j bass. At least they are/were on both my MIM j's.

Does the chrome plating rob that much tone from the stock saddles?

[walterw]

Originally Posted by testing1two

The only things a vintage bridge lacks are grooves in the base plate to keep the saddles from drifting...

actually, the design takes care of that issue.

with proper string spacing (to line up between the magnets on a jazz bass pickup, say) the string spread is a little wider than the saddles are; this forces the outer two saddles in towards the inner two, locking everything together and creating a nice stable bridge with good sustain.

the first american standard bass bridges did the same thing:

[C.Linton]

That's pretty much my experience with the vintage/standard bent metal bridge as well. The only Fender(ish) bass I've ever had with sliding saddles on a similar bridge is my SX Ursa 1.

[walterw]

lemme guess, one groove per saddle, right?



note how the G saddle is actually forced away from the rest by the string. a total design fail IMO.

[testing1two]

I just wonder why a quick release design hasn't been implemented on Fender bridges like this:



In fact, I may do an experiment on an AllParts bridge and see how difficult it is to mill a similar pattern.

[fhm555]

Originally Posted by walterw

lemme guess, one groove per saddle, right?...

That's what my MIM j basses had/have on them. One slid like crazy and the other one stays put pretty good. I replaced the sloppy bridge and picked up some grooved (threaded?) saddles for the other one, but have not put them on since it's working as is. I figure I'll swap out the saddles next time I change strings.

[walterw]

If nothing else, it'll be nice to line the strings up exactly between the pickup magnets like they were designed for. With a heavy attack and close-up pickups, I hear a little difference, a smoothing of the initial note transient.

[wraub]

Thanks to all for the responses. Still leaning towards threaded saddles, I think.

wraub