does the bridge effect the tone?

[burno70]

I'm getting a custom bass built to order from English luthier Jon Shuker. Not sure what type of bridge to go for. I've read somewhere that the bridge has a big effect on the tone - especially if it's a big bridge as theres more surface area conneted to the the body of the bass for resonance. Which does make sense.

However I really like the indvidual bridge units you can get - you know the single string ones. Would these have a negative effect on the tone or would the difference be almost negligable?

Cheers

[christobass 416]

You just sparked a big debate. Uh oh.

[scottyd]

Tone is in the eye of the beholder......err or is it ear of the beholder...

[Sparkdog]

Take a cheap Squire or similar bass and plug it in, have a listen.

Now put a Badass bridge on it and do the same...BIG difference in attack, sustain, and overall solidity of the notes.

[JimmyM]

Me, I've changed bridges on basses before and have never noticed a thing different except the weight.

[cricketfever32]

+1111111111111111111 to scotty, and i smell a can of worms...

[scottyd]

Originally Posted by scottyd

Tone is in the eye of the beholder......err or is it ear of the beholder...

I almost forgot.....the fingers of the beholder!

[Scott in Dallas]

Originally Posted by Sparkdog

Take a cheap Squire or similar bass and plug it in, have a listen.

Now put a Badass bridge on it and do the same...BIG difference in attack, sustain, and overall solidity of the notes.

I did exactly that with an SX bass. No difference whatsoever. It does look cool, though. My advice to the OP is to get whatever bridge you want; if the difference between a super cheap bridge and a badass is minimal at best, then the difference between two high end bridges is going to be psychological.

[toolfann615]

i know the single string bridges look alot cooler, does having the strings routed through th back instead of on top of the bridge make a differenc?

[pilotjones]

Originally Posted by toolfann615

i know the single string bridges look alot cooler, does having the strings routed through th back instead of on top of the bridge make a differenc?

Yes. It makes it a pain in the *** to chang strings.

[AN0INTD]

I think the only noticeable difference in tone and feel that I have gotten from bridges is between a wooden bridge and a metal bridge (ie. aluminum, brass). Between aluminum and brass, not that much. Or at least not enough for me to really have a preference.

[Suburban]

Of course they make a difference! If not, there wouldn't be any bridges around! Really!

Whay they do is connect the vibrating string to the supporting neck or body. They might also keep the string in place, i.e. be the string anchorage.

Both these functions have an impact on the behviour of the string, hence on the tone.

Normally, most people will have to use a lot of energy on listening for just that subtle difference, while they don't. They listen for the music, so a simple bent plate or a sofisticated machined titanium mechanism don't make much difference - IRL.

[Basshole]

Affixing the string rigidly is paramount to proper sustain, and good tone.

That accomplished, little more can be gained.

When you consider that dead spots are actually caused by the instrument resonating at particular frequencies, thus "stealing" the inertia from the string, and thus lowering its sustain at those same frequencies, one has to question what coupling the string to the bass any "harder" will get ya.

Dig?

Can open, worms everywhere.

[burno70]

Thanks for all ya replies,

I think I'll go with the individual string bridge units cos they look so tasty. Hopefully they won't detract from the tone.


Cheers

[PSPookie]

The bridge does not affect the tone whatsoever. The control knobs, however, have a huge impact on the sound of the instrument

[SDB Guitars]

I don't think that the *mass* of the bridge affects the tone that much, but I would definitely say that the hardness or stiffness of the bridge affects the tone. Simply compare a bridge with metal saddles to one made of wood, andthen to a bone saddle. Each one will have a different sound, at least to my ear.

Lately I've been all about wooden nuts and bridges. I believe they provide a more consistant tone, at least for fretless. Not "louder" or "warmer", necessariuly, but different.

[knarleybass]

My first bass had a Badass II on it, I swapped it out for an original Fender style bridge, and I do remember there being a change in tone, but after about an hour of playing the bass with the new bridge I kinda' forgot about it and went on with my day... I guess there really wasn't that much change to the sound of the bass, at least it didn't sound any worse. At any rate, I couldn't describe how it sounded differen't.

[THIRSTYGUMS]

between a flimsy fender style bridge and a beefy brass one i find very little difference, but i have noticed that individual bridge saddles like on a fanned fret instrument make for a nicer feel as each string 'seems' to resonate more independantly... however it could all be in my head as i cant offer any scientific reason for this to be the case.

[bassedsouth]

4 hours of constructive woodshedding every day makes a bigger difference to tone than any bridge ever will .A standard Fender or Badass bridge ain't gonna make a great player 'sound better' IMO .

[dvh]

Originally Posted by bassedsouth

4 hours of constructive woodshedding every day makes a bigger difference to tone than any bridge ever will .A standard Fender or Badass bridge ain't gonna make a great player 'sound better' IMO .

Best answer so far.