Badass II or Badass III?

[sgtpepper]

Hello there. Unfortunatelly, two of the allen screws of the bridge of my jazz bass got oxidized because of an accident and the luthier, who is a friend of mine, tried everything to loosen them but... nothing. So I suggested to replace the original bridge (which I have read it has problems on some jazz basses) with a Leo Quan Badass... But the thing is that I don't know what's best, to put a BADASS II OR A BADASS III????
Suggestions, reviews, prices, selling????
Anything will help.

Thanks a lot.

[ZolkoW]

well - I don't want to hijack the thread, or be destructive, but I think, the Hipshot A style is one of the best bridges... and I think, not more expensive than BA.

[sps500]

Have you considered the Hipshot Vintage? Heard the screw holes line up nicely. If I'm not wrong one of the BA's screw holes don't line up... but I could be wrong.

[Reynoldbot]

I'd also recommend the Hipshot A Style. They sell it with fender mounts, so no need to drill any holes, and you can adjust the string spacing without having to file any grooves (a la BADASS). Plus, they look much nicer IMO and they aren't nearly as big, meaning no potential issues with the bridge encroaching on either the bridge pickup or the edge of the bass (also a la BADASS).

[newbold]

Badass IIs are great if you were going to move your bridge back anyway
(like on a 5 string with thick strings)

seeing 'badass' on your bass might add some mojo, but Hipshot 'A' and bent plate bridges would be my top picks...

...Hipshot 'B' is the bridge that Michael Tobias puts on his high end MTD basses.

Gotoh roller bridges are also great. They look killer on Fender Jazz 4 strings.

That being said, you may want to look into the KSM Foundation bridge.

These bridges are built to not move - every bit of energy stays in the instrument/strings and the bridge eats 0 mechanical energy. Label it a gimmick all you want, but it reviews well and hasn't been overhyped.

I'm curious about it and would consider it on a custom build. Personally, I like the vintage look/feel of fender style bridges but if I had to replace a bridge I'd consider these options.

They're all great options.

[sgtpepper]

Thanks a lot to everyone, you are really helping me out. Reading your posts and cosidering all the new options you are giving, considering that I don't want to move or do any new screw holes... What's best??? Hipshot A or Gotoh??? I looked at some gotohs at ebay and really liked 'em. And I am not too familiar with Hipshots... Any good links???
Thanks again.

[tracer03]

I dropped a Gotoh 201-b into my 60's Jazz reissue earlier this year, and I'd give it a 9.5 out of 10. I've had basses with the BA II and I think the Gotoh is just as good in terms of sustain, etc.

Looks wise, I think I prefer it over the BA2 - and at about 1/2 the price (on the Evil Bay), I don't think you can go wrong.

[Jaco D]

Why not just consider replacing your saddles? They would come out cheaper. In so doing, you could try Graphtech graphite saddles. My girlfriend says I'm deaf (whether literally or figuratively is anyone's guess) so I can't say if the softer saddles will affect tone. What I can say though is the graphite saddles cut down on string breakage at the bridge. If this (string breakage) is a problem for you as well then you could kill two birds with one stone.

[sgtpepper]

Originally Posted by Jaco D

Why not just consider replacing your saddles? They would come out cheaper. In so doing, you could try Graphtech graphite saddles. My girlfriend says I'm deaf (whether literally or figuratively is anyone's guess) so I can't say if the softer saddles will affect tone. What I can say though is the graphite saddles cut down on string breakage at the bridge. If this (string breakage) is a problem for you as well then you could kill two birds with one stone.

Well, maybe but if I have to "replace" something... in the end is REPLACING so... I'd preffer the whole bridge.

[sgtpepper]

Originally Posted by tracer03

I dropped a Gotoh 201-b into my 60's Jazz reissue earlier this year, and I'd give it a 9.5 out of 10. I've had basses with the BA II and I think the Gotoh is just as good in terms of sustain, etc.

Looks wise, I think I prefer it over the BA2 - and at about 1/2 the price (on the Evil Bay), I don't think you can go wrong.

Yes, I think I'm going with a Gotoh 201... and of course it's a lot cheaper than a BA.

[lug]

A BAIII replaces a 3 screw Fender Bridge, the BAII replaces the 5 screw Fender bridge.

[walterw]

Originally Posted by lug

A BAIII replaces a 3 screw Fender Bridge, the BAII replaces the 5 screw Fender bridge.

this.

the II is for vintage and regular mexican, the III is for string-through-body american standards and deluxes.

the gotoh 201 will work fine except its spacing is narrower than the poles on your pickups, so your strings won't line up over them exactly right. not a deal-breaker tone-wise, but not perfect either.

if you have a regular bent-steel bridge, you could save yourself a bunch of money and just get new saddles. the vintage threaded-rod type from allparts are a big upgrade tonally IMO, will let you get the spacing perfect, and are like $20.

[Reynoldbot]

As I said, the Hipshot A has variable string spacing without the need to file grooves, which IMO puts it above the BADASS (which requires filing) and the Gotoh (which has fixed spacing).