Bridge replacement on Aerodyne J?

NortyFiner · #1 10-10-2009, 05:02 PM

Before anyone gets on me about this question, I DID do a search of this forum, and did not find a definitive answer in any of the other threads on this same general topic.

I have a Fender Aerodyne J bass, which has a radius body and a recess sized for a standard 5-hole Fender P/J type bridge. I want to replace the stock bridge with a high-mass bridge, but am having trouble making the match because of the size of the recess.

I have a Gotoh 201, but it's too long to fit in the recess.

From pictures, I SUSPECT that the Hipshot A type is too long as well, and it costs too much to buy just for an experiment.

Ditto the Badass II...it looks to be too big, and costs too much to experiment. Some people here have said that they have fitted the Badass II to an Aerodyne with no problem, but I suspect that they just covered up the recess instead of having the bridge seated solid to the body. That seems pointless to me, since that would at least partly negate the benefit of the heavier bridge, not to mention raise a possible issue with the grounding wire.

I'm starting to wonder if I should just trade my Aerodyne for a P-Bass Special with a flat @#$% top and no recessed @#$% bridge...

So, with all that said, is there any high-mass bridge out there that would drop solidly into the bridge recess on an Aerodyne J, as opposed to just sitting over the recess?

If not, I guess I (or a local luthier, if anybody knows one in the Hampton Roads VA area) will have to somehow modify the recess to take the Gotoh, since I already have the Gotoh on hand...

NortyFiner · #2 10-18-2009, 07:50 PM

Bump?

walterw · #3 10-18-2009, 09:18 PM

why the obsession with changing it? a pickup upgrade would make a far bigger difference. look at some "high mass vs. low mass bridge" threads around here to see lots of folks who would know that don't even consider a higher mass bridge an improvement!

the aerodynes are cool basses, i wouldn't go getting rid of it that quickly.

(and if you must do it, i can do it for you

)

hall1k · #4 03-28-2010, 08:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by walterw

why the obsession with changing it? a pickup upgrade would make a far bigger difference. look at some "high mass vs. low mass bridge" threads around here to see lots of folks who would know that don't even consider a higher mass bridge an improvement!

the aerodynes are cool basses, i wouldn't go getting rid of it that quickly.

(and if you must do it, i can do it for you

)

I just got an Aerodyne P myself, and though I'm not sure if both use the same bridge, the saddles on mine are really terrible. They move side to side alot, and if I hit a string (particularly the D) hard enough, it can dislodge itself from the saddle groove and buzz like there's no tomorrow. Now, granted, I only paid $400 for it new (on sale, regular $900), but still, you would expect such a high-priced guitar to not have problems like this. Don't get me wrong, I love the bass, but you would expect not to have to swap bridges right out of the box...