Bridge for 76 Precision

[jad]

So I recently acquired a 76 p-bass with a Badass II installed. Sadly, the seller did not have the original bridge, the covers or the case, but everything else is original. The bass is in very good condition with very slight buckle rash a bit bigger than a quarter that does not reach the wood. There are a couple of cracks in the finish that extend for several inches along the grain on the back and some light checking and a ding on the upper edge of the back contour. Having looked at lots of pictures of 76 p-basses, I've not seen many in similarly good condition.

The BAII was on it for a number of years, but thankfully the finish underneath is not too different from the rest of the nicely mellowed Natural finish. I already switched the BAII to my MIM P and put the bent metal bridge on the 76. Looks much better, and (sorry BA fans) sounds much better.

The MIM bridge is a short term solution. My objective is to have a stock look, so ideally I would like to put a correct era Fender bridge on there, but I wouldn't know where to find one. Any suggestions for a more suitable replacement? Suggestions on the Fender forum point to Gotoh. Looking at the Gotoh site, the Standard Series looks to be going for the vintage style. The 201 is a high mass version like you'd find on a modern p-bass. The 203 is closer to what I'm looking for, but it has extra mounting holes that I don't like. Are there any better options?

[bassbully]

Fender makes a 70's RI bridge..look at online for them. You can also go 60's RI with threaded saddles.

[jad]

Thanks, the '75 reissue bridge is exactly what I'm looking for. For posterity's sake the part number is 0055257000. The 60s version with threaded saddles is easy to find. This one is a little tougher to locate.

[tbplayer59]

The thread title got my attention right away because a 76 P is exactly what I play and I just replaced the bridge on it. I used a Wilkinson bridge with the brass saddles. It looks vintage and sounds great. And less than half the price of the Fender assembly. I still have my original bridge plate, but the height adjustment screws in the saddles seized from years of perspiration.

I do like that the Fender replacement uses a slotted screw like the original instead of allen.

[walterw]

Originally Posted by jad

Thanks, the '75 reissue bridge is exactly what I'm looking for. For posterity's sake the part number is 0055257000. The 60s version with threaded saddles is easy to find. This one is a little tougher to locate.

the '60s version is also better, with real steel saddles that all touch each other so they don't slide around and adjustable string spacing.

the change to the single grooved saddles in the '70s was a downgrade, yet another case of CBS middle managers forgetting or ignoring what leo had figured out to work best.