Bridge for P

[Gashaponcito]

I'm planning on doing some mod's in my "new" P (in fact is a MIJ 87 P I just bought), I want to change the bridge (standard) but I don´t know which one will do... I was think about the Badass II or a Fender Vintage Assmebly, any advice? more options?

thanks in advance

P.S. Oh yeah I need the Bridge to "fit" a Fender Bridge Cover

Edit: For the record I'm planning on putting some flatwounds, I want a vintage/motown/oldschool tone

[bassbully]

I put a vintage on my MIM P bass last week. I like it no real diff besides the saddles themselves are a bit thinner diameter and allowed lower action. I feel the screws dont move as much on this bridge + i got it cheap. Dont do the Badass bridges too heavy look stupid and really ad no diff to the tone plus higher action and to me a total waste of money.

[BassXgirl]

i've got an '87 Fender Jazz Bass Special MIJ. I put a baddass II on it YEARS ago. I felt a huge difference! The action was way better, the saddles are totally solid...not floppy. I was also able to slot the saddles to move the strings in just a bit. I have pretty small hands so this helped A LOT.

I've never had any regrets putthing the baddass on my bass. I say go for it.

[bassbully]

Originally Posted by BassXgirl

i've got an '87 Fender Jazz Bass Special MIJ. I put a baddass II on it YEARS ago. I felt a huge difference! The action was way better, the saddles are totally solid...not floppy. I was also able to slot the saddles to move the strings in just a bit. I have pretty small hands so this helped A LOT.

I've never had any regrets putthing the baddass on my bass. I say go for it.

Felt? dont you mean heard?

Well i hear this myself and did for the first two years here on TB. I was gassed to put Badass bridges on all my basses after hearing all the roar on TB about them. Off i go to a Local guitar shop in my town a nationly known one and a master at refinishing vintage guitars , basses etc. I take in my jazz and say i want a Badass on it please.

The owner looks at me and say's are you sure? Of course i stammer its going to ad balls and sustain and tone and ....he cuts me off ...No its not its going to ad weight/mass and help sustain and tone slightly but not in a way that i recommend you to do it. He went on to explain in great detail about bridges, basses etc and said at the end ..hey it's your money i'll do it but you wont like what you will hear for what you will pay. He then said you did test out basses with Badasses on them first right? No i say. He laughed and said do so then see if you want it and come back i'll do it if you really feel its worth it.

I went to 4-5 shops and played every bass with a BA talked to every one i could and came up with the results that they are over priced ad ons to look better than they perform...like spinners rims on a car...fancy looking but do nothing really more than the stock. I also hate the look of them the more i thought about it and noticed it takes the Fender look away.

I went to another local shop just to see a month after all that just to see what he had to say about BA bridges somehow feeling i still should do it to one of my basses. He told me the same thing as shop 1# almost word for word. These guys dont run people out they make a living repairing, building and modding basses and guitars. Both shops said they would do it but advised against it both shops had BA bridges hanging on the wall. I now know and learned alot so it wasnt wasted time.

[kevinmoore73]

Originally Posted by bassbully

Felt? dont you mean heard?

No, they meant felt. Read what they said again:

"The action was way better, the saddles are totally solid...not floppy. I was also able to slot the saddles to move the strings in just a bit."

Those sure seem like things one would feel to me!

[bassbully]

Originally Posted by kevinmoore73

No, they meant felt. Read what they said again:

"The action was way better, the saddles are totally solid...not floppy. I was also able to slot the saddles to move the strings in just a bit."

Those sure seem like things one would feel to me!

Yea, I see your point. I guess the overall objective to most of the people who go the badass route is for better sustain and tone not feel. I have owned at least 8 Fenders and have friends who own a few and never heard of a floppy bridge on one.

I have had a set screw in my saddle move(back out) once but i fixed that with a tiny bit of polish. As far as i know this is the only problem with the MIM or cheaper bridges although i only had it happen once to one screw.

[Risen Ashes]

pUT THE BADASS BASS II ON IT! I DON'T KNOW HOW IT WILL AFFECT HAVINGA BRIDGE COVER BUT IF YTOU WANT BETTER SUSTAIN, INTONATION THEN GET IT!, I PUT IT ON MY OLD MIM FENDER IT CAME WITH MY GEDDY AND I PLAN ON PUTTING IT ON ANY FENDER STYLE BASS I GET

[RobertUI]

Speaking from experience (have owned 6 basses with BadAss bridges) you should really check out the Gotoh 201B. They're very solid (more so than the cheap MIM ones) but still have the vintage look that you're probably wanting (based upon your initial post). I don't know if it will fit under the covers, but I would guess that it will. I have found them on Warmoth's direct site for $30 plus shipping, which is about $15 cheaper than other avenues. I've got one on my Reggie Hamilton sig and have one on order for my MIJ '75 RI, setup is a breeze on them too!

FWIW, I still dig the BA bridges, but personally prefer the vintage appearance, and have never heard THAT much from the added weight. That being said, I have put them on super light bodies, and have appreciated the added weight.

Peace

[bassbully]

Originally Posted by RobertUI

Speaking from experience (have owned 6 basses with BadAss bridges) you should really check out the Gotoh 201B. They're very solid (more so than the cheap MIM ones) but still have the vintage look that you're probably wanting (based upon your initial post). I don't know if it will fit under the covers, but I would guess that it will. I have found them on Warmoth's direct site for $30 plus shipping, which is about $15 cheaper than other avenues. I've got one on my Reggie Hamilton sig and have one on order for my MIJ '75 RI, setup is a breeze on them too!

FWIW, I still dig the BA bridges, but personally prefer the vintage appearance, and have never heard THAT much from the added weight. That being said, I have put them on super light bodies, and have appreciated the added weight.

Peace

I hear the 201b is good and does look vintage but i also have heard it will not allow your action to go as low as a stock fender bridge...true?

[bullshark]

If I was to change bridge on my P, I'd use this one http://www.hipshotproducts.com/cart.php?m=product_detail&p=209

It's grooved to prevent the saddles from moving sideways, it's a bit heavier (stronger) than the stock one and make changing strings a breeze. I don't care for BadAss bridges at all.

[DavePlaysBass]

The hipshot looks interesting.

I put a Gotoh 201 on a Jazz bass and could not get the saddles down low enough.

I ended up buying a Fender vintage bridge for $30 new. Suites all my needs.

Fender Vintage Bridge



Dave

[RobertUI]

Originally Posted by bassbully

I hear the 201b is good and does look vintage but i also have heard it will not allow your action to go as low as a stock fender bridge...true?

You may have to shim the neck in order to get the action low enough for your liking. FWIW I contacted a local luthier (recently actually) and he went on a tirade about how irritating it is that people don't want to shim their necks, and that it's really the correct way to do things when setting up an instrument.

[DavePlaysBass]

I personally have never had to shim a neck to get a good setup. Only problem I ever had was the Gotoh 201 and that was a bridge problem IMO not a bass problem. But to each their own.

[idoru]

I just put the Gotoh 201B on my Jazz, and I dig it. My setup is just a tad higher then Fender standard instructions would suggest, and I have a little room to lower it still.

[bassbully]

Originally Posted by DavePlaysBass

The hipshot looks interesting.

I put a Gotoh 201 on a Jazz bass and could not get the saddles down low enough.

I ended up buying a Fender vintage bridge for $30 new. Suites all my needs.

Fender Vintage Bridge



Dave

Im with you Dave. I never have had to shim and really i dont want too. I used the same vintage bridge you used an its great and the saddles are a smaller diameter then the one i had so i got even lower.I want my Fenders to look like a Fender the other stepup was their deluxe bridge.

[RobertUI]

I don't see having to shim a neck as a "problem" just another adjustment, my '75 RI has neck tilt adjustment, as do many of the other basses I've owned in the past. I know that arguments can be made for sonic coupling and such, but I don't see how shimming the neck is an issue... just my $.02 That being said, you should definitely go with what you prefer, and if that's the vintage bridge... awesome.

[bassbuddy]

Agreed - the Gotoh stands "taller in the saddle" than a standard Fender bridge, in part because the bottom plate is thicker. I put one on a Franken-P I built last month, and really wasn't happy. Even though the action was fine, it seemed to increase the string tension. While that did add definition to the notes (especially on the E string), I was more in the market for a standard P feel and tone. I picked up a vintage-style bridge from Allparts, and like the bass much better for it.

On shims - I bet 70% of pre-CBS Fenders were built with them.

[Chasarms]

If you want to put an ash tray on the bass, you'll have to go with something that has the same footprint as well as the same height. They fit pretty snug around the bridge.

[DavePlaysBass]

Originally Posted by bassbuddy

On shims - I bet 70% of pre-CBS Fenders were built with them.

My 61 J does not have a shim.

And I look at the high priced vintage actions on Ebay all the time. I cannot remember any of the detailed pics showing shims. And those guys usually take everything completely apart in attempt to prove its vintage. I guess I need to be on the look out for shims. Could be wrong thought...

Dave

[Human Bass]

Why not a Schaller 2000? Direct replacement and high end versatily