fixed vs. adjustable bridge, perspectives?

[eucalyptus]

hi. i'm new here and i'll likely have tons of questions in the future. here is my first: which is better, a fixed or adjustable bridge? today i was trying to lower my adjustable bridge and was frustrated by how rickety the whole thing seems. i thought maybe i should replace it with a fixed bridge. plus, i heard you can get a slightly better sound with a fixed bridge. can anyone offer any insight on this matter? thanks!

[JtheJazzMan]

well, asking whether its "better" is going to very subjective......

but, after having bridge adjusters installed, my bass had no discernable difference in tone. and im very picky about tone.

if your setup is rickety, perhaps the threads are worn or loose, so best to start afresh with a new bridge. there are advantages to having the adjusters, ie you can go up and down, whereas if your filing a fixed you can only go down

[Cody Sisk]

It's also a safe bet to loosen your strings a bit before doing height adjustments even if you're lowering it. Be sure that you have both adjusters at an even height. A lot of times it can be made rickety by the bridge bending towards the fingerboard over time from the tension of the strings. Be sure the angle of the bridge is 90 degrees from the back of the bridge to the top of the instrument. If not, your adjusters might be a bit unreliable.

I've seen arguments that adjusters do and don't make differences. One article I read even went into detail over the material the adjusters are made of and the sound differences. I also heard from a noted nameless principal bassist of a major symphony once saying that if anyone can hear the difference, it's purely psychological. So I guess it's up to you to decide.

Either stick with good quality adjusters with a large diameter screw or have a summer and winter bridge..

[eucalyptus]

my bass teacher today assured me that adjustable is the way to go so i figure i'd better take his word.. even though i don't like my bridge. thanks for your input, guys!

[Andrew McGregor]

You can hear the difference, yes. Does it matter? No, not in the slightest... because the difference is absolutely tiny compared to what you can do by moving your bow a centimetre up and down the string, or by changing the angle you pull pizz at, or any number of other things. And, adjustability buys you so much in terms of dealing with the weather, changing string height to cope with the demands of what you're playing that night, whatever. So adjustable is the right answer.

I think a lot of people start obsessing over tiny variations in gear; the big things matter, like what strings to use, fingerboard profile, string height, soundpost position. Don't worry too much, though, get the instrument serviceable and then get your playing right. Gary Karr playing a beat up ply bass with 20 year old strings will still sound like Gary Karr. Actually, I can say that for sure, because I've heard him do exactly that... borrowed a rental bass off a student, and played like he always does.

[Damon Rondeau]

On the other hand, you might not need adjusters at all. I've got 'em, and I've had 'em on both the bridges my bass has had. Once I set the height, I have never changed it. That works for me, what I play, and the physical environment in which I live.

If I ever replace the current bridge, I won't bother with adjusters. It's not like you can't put 'em in after the fact if you decide you need 'em.

[Bassalova]

There's a clinical study about adjusters and different materials. You can find the link on Bob Gollihurs site. The sound difference between the adjuster materials may be marginal, but I think the difference between a solid bridge and adjustable bridge is pretty audible. The solid bridge sounds more organic and fuller. The harmonics are also more transparent.

I think it would depend on your bass. If you have a bass that somehow's got too much harmonics that are difficult to tame when f.i. playing with the bow, you might consider an adjustable bridge. If you have a old bass, and want more transparency you might consider a solid one.

[Ike Harris]

There's an article in the new ISB mag about different adjuster materials and a rather entertaining looking graph comparing the materials and their effects. Don't know whether it's very scientific, objective or just witchery. The outcomes do reflect some things I've heard before though.

Ike

[tyb507]

I recently switched out my adjustable for a solid, and the difference was pretty great. I get a nice, clear tone much closer to the bridge, without it being too raspy and ugly. Everything speaks more easily, and I can keep the bow in the string with less effort.

The feet of this bridge fit the top a little better, and it's a little lighter. Perhaps not a very scientific comparison, considering the bridges are somewhat different to begin with. My bass came with three bridges: winter, summer, adjustable.

I broke one of the adjusters, so I might make some wooden ones to try, though that would require embiggening the holes in the legs and feet.

[Eric Hochberg]

Originally Posted by Damon Rondeau

On the other hand, you might not need adjusters at all. I've got 'em, and I've had 'em on both the bridges my bass has had. Once I set the height, I have never changed it. That works for me, what I play, and the physical environment in which I live.

If I ever replace the current bridge, I won't bother with adjusters. It's not like you can't put 'em in after the fact if you decide you need 'em.

They also come in handy when when changing to different strings as I've found individual sets can require their own height to work best.

[salcott]

"I broke one of the adjusters, so I might make some wooden ones to try, though that would require embiggening the holes in the legs and feet."

I don't think that would be cromulent.

[Chris Fitzgerald]

Unless you live in Siberia like Damon, the adjusters are very useful for keeping your string height consistent through the change of seasons. As a redneck hillbilly, I can't explain the physics involved, but on every bass I've ever owned, the strings get further away from the fingerboard in the summer and closer to it in the winter. Spring and fall, the height is all over the place. My suspicion is that it has to do with humidity more than temperature, but take that with a grain of salt. If you live in Siberia, where the temperature varies only from "cold as hell" to "colder than hell", this might not make as much of a difference.

[Damon Rondeau]

Spring comes even to Siberia.... Yikes!

I must admit every time I've changed strings I've tweaked the adjusters. That's reason enough right there to have 'em...

[Chris Fitzgerald]

Ouch! If there's flooding, and my redneck theory is in the ballpark, look fer yer action to rise up, y'all.

[tyb507]

Originally Posted by salcott

"I broke one of the adjusters, so I might make some wooden ones to try, though that would require embiggening the holes in the legs and feet."

I don't think that would be cromulent.

Yes, and avoision of malparkage of the adjusting wheels on the bottom surface of the legs would be good, too. I'm no microcalifragilistician, but I think I can get things lined up right. It doesn't seem unpossible.

[Bassalova]

Originally Posted by tyb507

I recently switched out my adjustable for a solid, and the difference was pretty great. I get a nice, clear tone much closer to the bridge, without it being too raspy and ugly. Everything speaks more easily, and I can keep the bow in the string with less effort.

The sound might not change so much in a jazz manner, but when playing classical music and bowing the bass, there definetly seems to be a better sound with a solid bridge. More natural and open sound.
Jazzplayers also use piezo pickups, and brass or aluminum adjusters might actually make the amplified sound better, a sound that cuts through the mix.
The adjustable/solid issue depends on your style I guess.

[arnoldschnitzer]

Whenever I string up a bass with a solid bridge, and then later install the adjusters, I am always taken by how the bass sounds and responds BETTER. By "better", I mean more focused and more even, and perhaps a bit louder.

[zeytoun]

Mr. Schnitzer,

Do you stick to aluminum adjusters, or do you find the material makes any difference?

[bonaventura]

i'm not posing as Arnold but i would like to say that many do share his view.

Horst Gruenert, who made my bass, told me he went to the Austrian Federal Technical Office and had tests conducted. He likes to say he was the "enemy" of the adjustable bridge until he saw the results of the tests.

Franz Moser took part in those tests as well, as you can see on his website here: http://www.moser-klangwerkstatt.com/...produkt1.shtml

in a nutshell, the ability of the bridge to conduct the vibrations of the bass strings is apparently even better with a good set of bridge adjusters.

you might want to check out F. Moser's site: he has aluminum and titanium adjusters. He told me there is essentially no difference between the two in terms of sound.

[Eric Hochberg]

There is an adjuster study that is listed on the Gollihur Music website. I believe brass adjusters did not fare as well as the others in the study.