Question about high-mass bridge on a P-Bass?

bluesy_92 · #1 02-20-2009, 03:50 PM

So, I have a MIM Fender Precision, and want to install a Gotoh 201 bridge. I heard that due to the larger saddles and thicker plate, you can't get good action with a high-mass bridge. Is that true? I play my bass at factory specs right now, so will I be able to use a Gotoh and go that low? For anyone who owns a Gotoh, Badass, or other high-mass bridge, do you regret replacing the original with a high-mass, and why?

elBandito · #2 02-20-2009, 04:19 PM

If you set the neck with little relief, you can still set your action pretty low with thick base plates. With about credit card thickness relief, I had to set the saddles almost flat on the baseplate. I straightned the neck out and I had to raise the saddles much more to get the same string height.

High mass bridge made my p sound dead, so I took it off and put a traditional fedner bridge. High mass bridge made the bass more metallic and lost some of the boom.

Petethebassman · #3 02-20-2009, 04:27 PM

Easy. If the bridge is too high relative to the neck to get the saddles low enough for your needs, place a shim in the neck pocket so the neck sits higher, that's the way to get more adjustment range to adjust the saddles for the action you want. And it's reversible: if you later on decide to put the original bridge back on your bass, just switch the bridges, take out the shim, put the bass together and it's back to stock. I've had a Badass on my P-bass for 12 years now and I have no regrets, it's solid piece of hardware that works.

So Low Bass · #4 02-20-2009, 04:42 PM

It seems that the concept of a one piece neck and body, like a Rick, is totally opposite to putting a shim between a P neck and body. Anything that interferes with the contact between neck and body seems suspect. And... what material would a shim be made of??

Why not leave it alone... or get another bass to suit you're tastes? I love my '69 P the way it was created.

Petethebassman · #5 02-20-2009, 05:08 PM

On my P-bass the shim is rosewood. And IMO it doesn't interfere with the neck-to-body contact, I haven't noticed any difference in sustain with or without the shim. The high-mass bridge did help a bit with the traditional Fender C# dead spot and in taming some "hot" notes, but the difference is subtle. And I had to replace the bridge anyway as the original bridge's saddles had worn down.

bluesy_92 · #6 02-20-2009, 06:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by So Low Bass

It seems that the concept of a one piece neck and body, like a Rick, is totally opposite to putting a shim between a P neck and body. Anything that interferes with the contact between neck and body seems suspect. And... what material would a shim be made of??

Why not leave it alone... or get another bass to suit you're tastes? I love my '69 P the way it was created.

been having some problems with a height adjustment screw, it keeps slipping.

dubstylee · #7 02-20-2009, 06:52 PM

I jumped on the whole high-mass bridge bandwagon. . . . . I regreted it after a month and a half. I made sure I gave it a chance too, I left the bridge on the bass for a nice period of time to make an honest opinion. I agree with the post above, I felt like it compressed the tone of my p bass, as well as giving a metallic kind of sound. It took away the old school groove tone the p bass is known for. But. . . . this is just MY opinion, everybody has their own definition of what the right tone is.

If you want a p bass for the tone it is known for, I'd say leave it stock. If you want to make it a band cutting monster, put a high mass bridge on it. I do however honestly feel it takes away some of the warm fatness. Just my 2.

lavmonga · #8 02-20-2009, 06:58 PM

Have a schaller roller on my P and haven't had any issues.

GM60466 · #9 02-20-2009, 07:05 PM

I have a badass II on mine and I just tweaked the neck less than 1/4 of a turn and haven't needed to touched it in three years.

G

Petethebassman · #10 02-21-2009, 01:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by So Low Bass

Why not leave it alone... or get another bass to suit you're tastes? I love my '69 P the way it was created.

Sure you love it, but what's the problem if the OP wants to mod his P-bass? It's not like there's a stone tablet with the commandment "Thou shalt not mod a Fender" carved on it somewhere. People have been modding Fender basses for ages and as I mentioned, that particular mod is reversible.

dubstylee · #11 02-21-2009, 08:33 AM

True, Fenders have been being modified for a long period of time, but to me the OP sounds unsure of what the high mass bridge does for the bass. If you like Jamerson's tone, or say Reggae and Blues, you would want to leave it the way it is (it keeps the round pillowy sound). If you're into punk and metal, I'd say put a badass on it. I'm just trying to let the OP know what it will do to the tone, because it will change the original tone. It will however give you really nice action.

bluesy_92 · #12 02-21-2009, 01:15 PM

I play metal, and classic rock. I already knew how it would affect the sound, my question was mostly about how it would affect the action.

Mr. Ray · #13 02-21-2009, 05:56 PM

It won't affect the action. I have used them and you can adjust the action the same. Check out Warmoth guitars they drill probably 98% of there fender jazz and bass bodies for Gotoh 201 bridges. Leo Fenders basic bridge plate is what contributes to the mellower sound of the vintage P's. I find the Gotoh makes the individual notes a little clearer/punchier, but probably the best thing is that the saddles stay in there little tracks and don't move side to side.

bluesy_92 · #14 02-25-2009, 07:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr. Ray

It won't affect the action. I have used them and you can adjust the action the same. Check out Warmoth guitars they drill probably 98% of there fender jazz and bass bodies for Gotoh 201 bridges. Leo Fenders basic bridge plate is what contributes to the mellower sound of the vintage P's. I find the Gotoh makes the individual notes a little clearer/punchier, but probably the best thing is that the saddles stay in there little tracks and don't move side to side.

Actually, they drill to stock Fender specs. A Gotoh 201 is a drop-in for Fender, so it uses the same holes, but they are not neccesarily drilled for that bridge.

dabbler · #15 03-10-2009, 02:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr. Ray

It won't affect the action. I have used them and you can adjust the action the same.

Yes, sometimes it will. If your initial saddles are sitting kinda low with the stock bridge, when you put one on with a thicker base plate, it can make the saddles bottom out BEFORE you get the SAME action you had before the bridge change.

I have put higher mass bridges on 3 of my basses, and I had to shim each one. Granted I didn't always shim because I could not get the same action (only 2), but also because I want my saddle intonation screws to be aproximately parallel to the body. if they are angled deeply towards the body, like when the saddles have to get lowered almost to the deck it looks wrong to me and you are probably giving up a little string downforce on the saddles. Maybe it doesn't matter, but since the solution is simple, shimming, I see no reason to put up with it that way.

Davo-London · #16 03-10-2009, 04:10 PM

Hi

For 30 years I had a Badass II on my 70's Precision. Recently I did an audio A/B comparison with the Fender bridge. Guess what ... I preferred the Fender bridge.

If the saddles are slipping down all you need to do is add a little glue to the screw or wrap plumbers PTFE tape around the screw. It will never move again unless you want it to.

Peace
Davo

BigOldHarry · #17 03-10-2009, 04:13 PM

The high-mass/low-mass discussion has been done at length here before...

that said - I'm of the mind that "mass" is not nearly so important as stability and adjustablity - and old fender bridges aren't as stable as I like. I've been using Hipshot A bridges for a while nad really dig them. They aren't as massive as a badass but are dead stable.

testing1two · #18 03-10-2009, 05:35 PM

A little Loc-Tite (Green) on that adjustment screw and you're back to playing.

htharp · #19 03-10-2009, 06:57 PM

Some times it changes the action and takes a shim, some times it doesn't. Some times it improves the playability (by being more stable), some times it doesn't. Some times it sounds better to you, some times it doesn't. Change it and see. It's completely reversible and not very expensive.

I have a '99 Hot Rod P that's totally stock and I wouldn't change a thing. I have a 2008 P that has a Gotoh and a shim. Has more sustain and plays better than stock. I like 'em both.

jaywa · #20 03-11-2009, 06:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Petethebassman

It's not like there's a stone tablet with the commandment "Thou shalt not mod a Fender" carved on it somewhere.

If the bass in question is a stock '69, there is...

That being said... good discussion. I have a 78 P and have debated going the BadAss route several times but have never taken the plunge. I appreciate hearing the different perspectives.