How tough is it to drill holes for a bridge?

[vision]

I'm thinking of swapping the stock bridge on my MIM Jazz V for a Hipshot B style, but the hole pattern doesn't match. Is it pretty simple to drill new holes for the bridge or is that something I should have my repair tech do for me?

[JLS]

Originally Posted by vision

I'm thinking of swapping the stock bridge on my MIM Jazz V for a Hipshot B style, but the hole pattern doesn't match. Is it pretty simple to drill new holes for the bridge or is that something I should have my repair tech do for me?

At the risk of coming off as snarky, if you have to ask this, you should probably have a pro do it for you.

[vision]

lol I know what you mean. The reason I ask is because in alot of the threads I see on bridges have people concerned about finding direct replacements or ordering them with matching drill patterns, and I was wondering what's the big deal about that when you can just drill new holes to match.

[JLS]

Well, yeah!

But then there's that. "I don't want to drill holes in my bass!", whimper...

You know about Vix self-centering bits?

[vision]

Originally Posted by JLS

Well, yeah!

But then there's that. "I don't want to drill holes in my bass!", whimper...

You know about Vix self-centering bits?

Yep, I've used those before on door hinges. I'll look and see if I have one that would work for this...what size would you think I'd need?

[M0ses]

If you don't have a drill press, very difficult. Nothing worse than crooked holes.
You know you have to dowel the old holes, too, right?

[vision]

Originally Posted by M0ses

If you don't have a drill press, very difficult. Nothing worse than crooked holes.
You know you have to dowel the old holes, too, right?

I also asked a buddy of mine about this and he brought up the issue of having to dowel the old holes, which I definitely didn't think about before.

I'm asking this question because I have either buy this bridge on ebay for $65, but have to drill holes to match my bass, or buy one from Hipshot for $85 and have them do a hole pattern that already matches.

At this point, for me it makes more sense to just spend the extra $20 and get the bridge that matches out the box - considering that I wouldn't have to worry about lining the holes up perfectly and filling the old holes.

[narud]

Originally Posted by vision

I also asked a buddy of mine about this and he brought up the issue of having to dowel the old holes, which I definitely didn't think about before.

I'm asking this question because I have either buy this bridge on ebay for $65, but have to drill holes to match my bass, or buy one from Hipshot for $85 and have them do a hole pattern that already matches.

At this point, for me it makes more sense to just spend the extra $20 and get the bridge that matches out the box - considering that I wouldn't have to worry about lining the holes up perfectly and filling the old holes.

its not a big deal at all. i would just get whatever was cheaper. i drilled new holes for a hipshot b on my fernandes 5, didnt dowel the old holes, all all is still well.

[Pilgrim]

I don't think you need to dowel the old holes as long as the new bridge covers them and they don't overlap with the new ones.

I've read that many installers run the drill bit backwards at slow speed initially to penetrate the finish and minimize chipping. The critical thing is to make sure you are accurate with string alignment and scale length.

What would I do? For $20, and knowing the quality of Hipshot bridges, I'd buy the Hipshot with matching hole pattern. And I'm a cheap guy.

[Mrdak]

Originally Posted by vision

I'm thinking of swapping the stock bridge on my MIM Jazz V for a Hipshot B style, but the hole pattern doesn't match. Is it pretty simple to drill new holes for the bridge or is that something I should have my repair tech do for me?

IMO.......
You should keep using the stock bridge. There's nothing wrong with it, and the hipshot won't change your sound at all.

[raymondl3]

Use a ruler and a thin sharpy to line up the holes to be drilled. If you can use an existing hole as a guide, all the better. Use a thin sharp nail as a punch to get the hole started. Use a tiny drill bit first, then move up to the correct size bit for the screw, which should be smaller in diameter than the screw. Measure the maximum length you want the bit to penetrate, then mark the bit with a piece of tape (you'll now know not to drill below this mark. Place the bass on a level surface. When you drill, make sure the bit is level both vertically and horizontally. If you are careful you can do a good job by eye.

[vision]

Originally Posted by Pilgrim

I don't think you need to dowel the old holes as long as the new bridge covers them and they don't overlap with the new ones.

The overlap is what I'm worried about - I looked at pics of both drill patterns...it's hard to tell because the pics were taken at an angle, but it looks like the outside holes on the 4 hole pattern are closer together than the outside holes on the 3+2 pattern on my bass. Which means that I'd have to drill all 4 holes, and there's a big chance that a couple will overlap a bit.

What would I do? For $20, and knowing the quality of Hipshot bridges, I'd buy the Hipshot with matching hole pattern. And I'm a cheap guy.

+1...it's $20 which is less than the cost of one set of strings. I think it's worth it for me to not have to worry about this at all.

[vision]

Originally Posted by Mrdak

IMO.......
You should keep using the stock bridge. There's nothing wrong with it, and the hipshot won't change your sound at all.

I'm actually hoping that the Hipshot doesn't change the tone at all - I love the sound of my bass exactly the way it is. The reason I'm switching is because of convenience - as often as I change strings I want to have a quick release bridge.

[raymondl3]

I didn't notice a big change on mine. If the holes overlap, you best cram a dowel (hardwood if you can find it) in there.

[mid_life_crisis]

Both of my basses (ESP Ltd and Dean Edge) seem like the bridge was mounted too far from the neck. They have what appears to be the same solid looking bridge with grooves for the action adjusting screws to ride in and at least one adjustment block is all the way at the end of those grooves when intonation is set correctly.
How is the initial determination made as to where to locate the bridge?

[vision]

So...I ended up ordering the bridge from ebay and drilling holes for it. Turned out great! The holes weren't near the old holes so I didn't have to dowel them. I set the bass up and I'm able to go with lower action than I had before. And thankfully the tone hasn't changed, still has that aggressive jazz bass sound.

Thanks for all the tips! Here's a quick pic from my phone's camera:

[raymondl3]

Looks good!