Fender Vintage Bass Bridge vs. Hipshot Vintage Bass Bridge

[Ryan Mohr]

Basically, I am looking for the vintage "bent-plate" bridge design found on Fender P and J Basses in the '60s and '70s. Those bridges don't interfere and brighten up the tone the way a BadAss bridge does. They also allow the tone of the wood to shine through. But, I want a quality, sturdy bridge that won't break or be a point of weakness. It looks like these two bridges are the best quality without sacrificing the vintage design.

The Hipshot is used on the Nordstrand "Nordy" Basses. It can be seen here http://www.guitarpartsresource.com/i...rge/5C400C.jpg

The Fender is used on the Fender American Vintage '57 and '62 Precision Basses and '62 Jazz Bass. It can be seen here http://www.guitarpartsresource.com/i...9-0804-100.jpg

I am leaning towards the Hipshot because you can change strings quickly and adjustments seem easier. On the Fender, you can't use an allen wrench for saddle height adjustments. However, the Fender is cheaper. What do you guys think?

[Jay Terrien]

Go with the Hipshot vintage. It's got a slightly different bent plate look than the normal Fender standard bridges. It's more robust and less rattley. Rattley. Totally a new word. Trademarked.

[Ryan Mohr]

Originally Posted by Jay Terrien

Go with the Hipshot vintage. It's got a slightly different bent plate look than the normal Fender standard bridges. It's more robust and less rattley. Rattley. Totally a new word. Trademarked.

Yeah it seems a little more sturdy than the Fender. How is the bent plate different?

[bassbully]

I have the vintage on my P basses and like it alot. It is sturdy and solid. The threaded saddles allow you to move the strings some and i prefer the small slotted screwdriver setscrews over allen keys type anyday. I also like classic Fender look.

[Sub5ound]

I am currently looking into getting brass saddles for my 50's P bass(threaded). Alot of Telecaster guitar palyers I know do this to take away some of the brightness inherent of the guitars design. Though it is a different design bridge, I think saddles would be a good avenue for you to explore.

[Ryan Mohr]

Originally Posted by bassbully

I have the vintage on my P basses and like it alot. It is sturdy and solid. The threaded saddles allow you to move the strings some and i prefer the small slotted screwdriver setscrews over allen keys type anyday. I also like classic Fender look.

The threaded saddles do look cool, but for someone who doesnt have screwdrivers that small it's a pain.

Originally Posted by Sub5ound

I am currently looking into getting brass saddles for my 50's P bass(threaded). Alot of Telecaster guitar palyers I know do this to take away some of the brightness inherent of the guitars design. Though it is a different design bridge, I think saddles would be a good avenue for you to explore.

Interesting, I didn't think about the brass saddles affecting the tone.

[Lowbrow]

I've owned and played many many Fender basses over the years and have never experienced the standard Fender bass bridge as prone to breakage or a point of weakness. NOTE: this is not a challenge, only a query into opinions/experience -- is the Fender bridge "bad," or just "not as good as it could be"?

Sure, it's not as heavy as some, but never in my experience has it been anything but reliable. The only rattling I've experienced was when the height adjustment screws were improperly adjusted leaving one screw out of contact with the base plate.

I have used the Hipshot "B-Type" bridge as a replacement on my P-style Danelectro Rumor basses. These bridges drop into Fenders without alteration and have a similar profile, but they are more of a departure from the bent-metal Fender bridges, approximating the G&L "saddlelock" style. These worked very well for improving the attack and sustain of these cheap plywood basses.

[Blah114]

I have a Precision with a Hipshot on it.. the sustain is amazing and it appears to be a very sturdy, well-made piece of equipment. If you are into "collectability" I would suggest sticking with Fender's hardware.. otherwise, I would say go with Hip Shot..

[Jefenator]

I've been enjoying my axes with the basic Fender bridge - they play and sound the way I like.

+1 slot head bridge adjust. I like it because I can tweak the action with the Swiss Army knife I always carry in my pocket. (I also keep 4 sizes of allen keys in my gig bag. I worry more about the allen heads stripping, especially the smallest ones.)

I suggest, only go with the Hipshot if you prefer the look and/or will use the quick-change feature a lot.

[bassbully]

[quote=AqueousView11;6920300]The threaded saddles do look cool, but for someone who doesnt have screwdrivers that small it's a pain.

I got one at the hardware for $1.25...threw it in the gig bag.

[Ryan Mohr]

Alright thanks for the opinions

[bhubb3rd]

I have 6 of the Hipshot's on my Fenders. It's the first thing I do when I get one. I like the quick change string feature (prevents scratching the body every time you change strings and let's you take the strings off for maintenance without trying to force the tuner end of the string through a small hole) The adjustment screws seem better and the bridge base is slotted under each string saddle, so they stay in place when you adjust them and don't move side to side.
One suggestion - if you are going to replace the Fender bridge with one of these, contact Hipshot and get a couple of longer intonation adjustment screws for the D & G strings. The standard screws aren't long enough to get the intonation right without screwing them all the way out.

[Thunderhead]

Originally Posted by bhubb3rd

The adjustment screws seem better and the bridge base is slotted under each string saddle, so they stay in place when you adjust them and don't move side to side.
One suggestion - if you are going to replace the Fender bridge with one of these, contact Hipshot and get a couple of longer intonation adjustment screws for the D & G strings. The standard screws aren't long enough to get the intonation right without screwing them all the way out.

Have you ever tried swapping any hardware between the two bridges?

I have a 50's reissue P-Bass I'm thinking about getting the Hipshot for, but I like the fine-tunability the threaded saddles give me on the string spacing.

In fact, I wonder if one could just swap the baseplates?

[bassgod76]

Originally Posted by bhubb3rd

I have 6 of the Hipshot's on my Fenders. It's the first thing I do when I get one. I like the quick change string feature (prevents scratching the body every time you change strings and let's you take the strings off for maintenance without trying to force the tuner end of the string through a small hole) The adjustment screws seem better and the bridge base is slotted under each string saddle, so they stay in place when you adjust them and don't move side to side.
One suggestion - if you are going to replace the Fender bridge with one of these, contact Hipshot and get a couple of longer intonation adjustment screws for the D & G strings. The standard screws aren't long enough to get the intonation right without screwing them all the way out.

That's good to know. Does this rule apply to the Hipshot A style Fender drop-in bridge?

[NOVAX]

I like the side to side ability of a threaded saddle.
But, I also love my Badasses and Gotoh 201's so....