StingRay Bridge with Fender Threaded Saddles?

[bassdude51]

Has anyone out there in "bassland" ever tried swapping out StingRay saddles with Fender threaded saddles? I just took a bunch of measurements with my ruler and micrometer and it surely looks to me like it'll work. (But I'm not ready to try until I get some advice.) But "why?" you might ask. I'm pretty anal about getting strings dead center over the magnets with my basses. As it is with a stock 'Ray bridge, strings don't line up very good to the poles. Although, by raising one screw and lowering another on the saddles, tilting them to one side or another, I can usually get the strings centered but it looks bad. Fender's threaded saddles let the strings sit on many positions for excellent string to pole alignment. Anyone ever tried this before? Thanks a million for your help. (I'm surprised HipShot, Leo Quan, Schaller or somebody has not made an upgraded replacement bridge for 'Rays!)

[walterw]

'ray strings center over those wide pickup poles just fine; this is a solution in search of a problem. (and i'm someone who cares more than most about fender polepiece spacing!)

[bassdude51]

Originally Posted by walterw

'ray strings center over those wide pickup poles just fine; this is a solution in search of a problem. (and i'm someone who cares more than most about fender polepiece spacing!)

Thanks for your "non-help".

I have a Music Man SR5 and the strings do indeed pass dead center over the 5 magnet poles. But this bass was created from the ground up in 1987. It was done right!

I've seen many a StingRay (SR4) in stores and I own 3 of 'em. None with the strings centered over the poles. Oh yeah, the strings pass over the poles but not dead center. Looks sloppy with the strings passing off to the left or right of the center of the magnets. Some nipping the edge, especially the E and G string!

Your little comment makes me feel like a "dummy"!

Perhaps neck joint gaps, necks that don't follow the geometry of "center line" to the body, bridge and pickups, off cut nuts with a 1/8 inch for the E or G string on one side and 1/16th on the other side, and other little irregularities are "OK" for some, perhaps you but the mechanics of a well made bass and it's set up include proper alignment of strings to magnet poles. Why even raising or lower a pickup by one millimeter makes a difference and strings dead center to the poles is included.

Now, back to the original question.....................Fender treaded saddles on a 'Ray?

[Chasarms]

Why not? It won't hurt a thing. If it makes you happy, go for it. Of course it will do nothing other than that. But that's enough, isn't it.

BTW, tipping the saddles is a bad idea. The height of the adjustment screws should set fully flush with the base of the bridge. Otherwise, you are putting shearing force on them. The higher they are, the more likely they are to bend. They also move easier and can make marks in the bridge. Having the poles off-center is completely aesthetic. The tipped saddles is more than that.

[walterw]

Sorry, I didn't intend to ruffle any feathers!

What I said was true, though. With those big wide poles and with the correct MM pickup height, which is "not that close", as long as the string is somewhere over the pole it won't make a difference.

now if all the strings were offset to one side or the other, than yeah that would bug me, too. As long as the arrangement looks symmetrical and the strings do in fact go over the poles, it just "looks fine" to my eye.

I don't have a MM in front of me to measure, but I know the saddles are a good bit bigger than fender saddles, and are hollow in the middle. Whether they are shorter than the fenders I couldn't say, but I suspect they are.

I suppose you could get brass rod stock made into barrels that fit, then just file the string notch in the exact right place. The question then becomes whether and how the brass changes the tone.

[BigOldHarry]

Originally Posted by walterw

'ray strings center over those wide pickup poles just fine; this is a solution in search of a problem. (and i'm someone who cares more than most about fender polepiece spacing!)

what he said.