Replacement Bridge on a Jazz Bass

[Mqron]

So a few months back, I bought a Fender 70's Reissue J, and I gotta say, it's pretty much the greatest instrument I've ever owned. Love it to death.

Recently though, I've been looking into getting a new bridge for it because:

A) I play with notably low action, and I wanna make sure I'm getting as little buzz as possible. I'm hoping a full contact bridge will do that for me.

And

B) As much as I love my bass, it's currently just another of it's kind, and I wanna make it my own!

I've looked at getting a Badass II, as I've heard a lot of good things about them, and that just sounds like an all-around good idea in most people's opinion....

But recently, I found that you can buy replacement Rickenbacker Hipshot Bridges for just a shade over $100. I've never had the luxury of playing a Ric myself, but I've been told that their famous sustain has a lot to do with the bridge. And call me crazy, but that bridge just may look sharp as hell on my Jazz.

Any comments/suggestions would be appreciated.

[Slowgypsy]

Originally Posted by Mqron

A) I play with notably low action, and I wanna make sure I'm getting as little buzz as possible. I'm hoping a full contact bridge will do that for me.

And

B) As much as I love my bass, it's currently just another of it's kind, and I wanna make it my own!

A) The bridge on your instrument is perfectly capable of being adjusted for low action. A bridge does not by itself cause fret buzz... could be uneven frets, relief not properly set, ski jump, etc. Nothing actually wrong with your bridge.

B) Well... you're on your own with this one. Personally I think a jazz bass is a pretty perfect example of what it is.

I think the Ric sound is the result of the entire instrument... not just the bridge.

[GtenderG]

Originally Posted by Slowgypsy

A) The bridge on your instrument is perfectly capable of being adjusted for low action. A bridge does not by itself cause fret buzz... could be uneven frets, relief not properly set, ski jump, etc. Nothing actually wrong with your bridge.

B) Well... you're on your own with this one. Personally I think a jazz bass is a pretty perfect example of what it is.

I think the Ric sound is the result of the entire instrument... not just the bridge.

+1


I have a P-Bass with a Badass II and Jazz with a Gotoh 201. Both were an upgrade in sustain. Both installed without drilling any new holes.
For me, my ongoing preference will be the Gotoh - It's cheaper and it looks more like the original (which I like) and plus it's cheaper.... (and costs less)

[ThingsAbove]

I recently shielded the cavities, replaced the pups and swapped out the stock bridge on a friend's Jazz with a BadAss bridge.

The BA bridge was a direct swap, all the screw holes lined up and intonation was reset without taking any of the saddles to their extremes so I'd say it's an easy replacement. There were too many things changed at one time on my friend's Jazz to know whether the bridge made much of a difference.

Personally I own a RW Jazz and prefer the look and tone of the old, vintage, threaded-rod saddle pieces as opposed to modern bridges. I'm fairly certain my older style bridge has less sustain than a BA bridge but I prefer that. I want that sharp attack and then relatively quick falloff of volume with the style of music I play.