BA Bridge II vs. MIJ Fender Stock Bridge

[cpt8101]

Having a Badass II put on my lefty MIJ Jazz. What can I expect compared to the stock MIJ Fender stock bridge?

[gerry grable]

Originally Posted by cpt8101

Having a Badass II put on my lefty MIJ Jazz. What can I expect compared to the stock MIJ Fender stock bridge?

I'll let you know as soon as I switch backto the original bridge.
I got interested in the very same question after posting back and forth with a very helpful bass player on TA--BurningSkies.
Being an upright player and a novice (at the time) on electric bass, I had the Badass II put on my Jazzbass years ago at the suggestion of a "music expert" at a local music store.
I was having trouble tuning the strings to the frets on my bass. It was driving me nuts that the open harmonics at the 12th and 19th frets were not in tune with the fretted notes. The BA II seemed to do the trick, for me anyway.
Therefore, I never really played it with the original hardware, so I think I'll give it a try, just for the hell of it. I don't, however, intend to replace the brass nut that I had installed at the same time as the bridge.

[Turnaround]

Originally Posted by cpt8101

Having a Badass II put on my lefty MIJ Jazz. What can I expect compared to the stock MIJ Fender stock bridge?

Biggest difference will be the way it looks. The sustain may be lengthened, but at the cost of tone - less body resonance with the BAII.

[Medford Bassman]

I have a BA III on my MIA Jazz. I switched a few years ago, then I switched back to the original fender stock bridge. Used it like that for a 2 yrs. 6 months ago, I put the BA III back on. Honestly, I haven't really noticed much of a difference. I do like the look of the BA better though,

[mikeldtl]

Originally Posted by Turnaround

Biggest difference will be the way it looks. The sustain may be lengthened, but at the cost of tone - less body resonance with the BAII.

Do you attribute this to the top load design? Curious. What makes sustain vs. resonance? I have a BAII on my jazz which is not routed for string through body. Hope I am not missing anything.

[mcm]

the same thing imo

[MuzikMan]

I didn't hear a difference in tone or sustain when I made the switch but I think the BAII looks cool so I kept it. Your question is entangled in two heated debates; whether high mass bridges have an effect on sustain and whether wood has an effect on tone. FWIW I believe that even if you do hear any difference it will be far less pronounced than changing your strings.

[Turnaround]

Originally Posted by mikeldtl

Do you attribute this to the top load design? Curious. What makes sustain vs. resonance? I have a BAII on my jazz which is not routed for string through body. Hope I am not missing anything.

No it's simply the physics of a higher mass bridge. Think of it this way - the string is plucked, creating energy in the string. Some of this energy is transferred to the bridge and from the bridge to the body of the instrument.

The amount of energy is a constant. The more enegry that gets transferred to the bridge and the body, the less is left in the string. High mass bridges transfer less energy than low mass ones, so more energy remains in the string, resulting in more sustain. But since less energy is transferred to the body, the less effect the body will have on the sound.

String through or top mount won't figure significantly in the process, unless the break angle over the saddles is inadequate. A good transfer of energy occurs when there is sufficient break angle. Opinions vary on what a good break angle is, ranging anywhere from 5 degress to 45 degrees. I would like to see a minimum of 10 degrees - 45 is far too much in my opinion.