Announcing The Ray Ross™ Saddle-Less Bass Bridge

[jak352]

I see in your photo that you are using a taperwound B string. Due to the bridge design there is now far more tapered section in the vibrating length, which will increase inharmonicity. Maybe try a non-taperwound?
This is one unfortunate result of the design, but perhaps the increased freedom of pivoting movement at the ferrule has a similar effect and will increase the flexibility of non-taperwound strings?

Anyway, reason i came here is because Kemp Strings are now selling bass strings with a short section of increased gauge near the saddle. Designed using scientific theory and confirmed by scientific experiment to reduce inharmonicity when playing on the higher frets. This suggests that the effect of the lock-windings being in the vibrating length with the Ray Ross bridge may even have a slight advantage, or at least not be as harmful as some may think.
See the second video here Lumped bass guitar strings from Kemp Strings!

Hi, I'm Jonathan Kemp, acoustics researcher and developer of Kemp Strings (including lumped bass strings). Thanks for accurately describing the situation @ixlramp. I had never seen the Ray Ross bridge until now and I like the idea. The raised mass due to the knot at the bridge can be expected to lower inharmonicity somewhat which is a good thing. Intonation won't be adversely effected because the knot is a small fraction of the string length and the Ray Ross saddles are adjustable in postion to set the intonation. I agree that normal taper wound strings would be a bad idea on the Ray Ross bridge as tapered strings are built assuming there is string length behind the saddle. String tapers are only really useful to make the strings fit through narrow hardware or to form the permanent bend over the saddle more neatly and here the bend is absent. I've not seen the bridge in person but would love to try one out to do measurements.
@GentProvocateur Typical low Bs from other manufacturers are 0.130 or so (and feel floppy) but my current production low B is 0.146 inch (for equal tension) on the main sounding length and tapered and lumped near the ball end. If my strings were to be used with a Ray Ross bridge I would custom design some specially with a much shorter taper to make the ultimate set that would fit the instrument.

 

[BunchyMutt]

Hi, I'm Jonathan Kemp, acoustics researcher and developer of Kemp Strings (including lumped bass strings). Thanks for accurately describing the situation @ixlramp. I had never seen the Ray Ross bridge until now and I like the idea. The raised mass due to the knot at the bridge can be expected to lower inharmonicity somewhat which is a good thing. Intonation won't be adversely effected because the knot is a small fraction of the string length and the Ray Ross saddles are adjustable in postion to set the intonation. I agree that normal taper wound strings would be a bad idea on the Ray Ross bridge as tapered strings are built assuming there is string length behind the saddle. String tapers are only really useful to make the strings fit through narrow hardware or to form the permanent bend over the saddle more neatly and here the bend is absent. I've not seen the bridge in person but would love to try one out to do measurements.
@GentProvocateur Typical low Bs from other manufacturers are 0.130 or so (and feel floppy) but my current production low B is 0.146 inch (for equal tension) on the main sounding length and tapered and lumped near the ball end. If my strings were to be used with a Ray Ross bridge I would custom design some specially with a much shorter taper to make the ultimate set that would fit the instrument.

Thanks for weighing in! I preordered a 4 string set last week. Looking forward to trying them

 

[Jim C]

Embarrassed to say I forgot about this post...
RR, I think I know the answer but will ask anyway.
Is it likely that you will have additional base plates made to fit other brands of basses (so we don't have to drill new mounting holes)?
I can only assume that you will need to sell a lot of units before it make sense to order any new or different inventory.
I was thinking about for a G&L bass.
And maybe radius the 4 outside corners a little more; not that anyone is going to hurt themselves but to make it more, sexy !

Edit: Also, how much does a RR 4-string bridge weigh?
Thanks

 

[TheRayRoss]

Hey jimc!
The 5 hole "fender" pattern is the most common in the universe. should go right on a g and l. When you get to the 5 string, all bets are off!. Geez man there are like 300 some odd hole patterns out there. The solution was to make the 5 string rayross with LOTS of holes. You only need some holes, not all the holes. This is an excellent example of "no such thing as free lunch" Economically speaking, nobody would make a different plate for every bass out there, including the weird ones. If i made a "universal plate" that one could wrap over the back end of their bass, "tailpiece style" i could do it but it would be pricey. Here we go again with "cant make everyone happy".
In regard to the corners, i just discussed this with a fellow yesterday. form/function? Or function/form? All those pretty rounds and curves on other bridges are the result of POT METAL. Rayross eschews pot metal in all circumstances. It just wont do what brass does. Therefore the machining of solid material is somewhat limited. If i were to use analogy, consider the interior of a race car..not much leather, no sunroof, no ashtray, but you get in it and it sure does the job it was created for! Maybe down the road a bit, i will do a curvy,sexy base out of molten brass fired in the furnace of mount doom. I currently dont have a mount doom, and if i did the thing would be so expensive, you guys could make all sorts of new threads about rayross and his thousand dollar bridge, and how stupid it is!......"One bridge to rule them all".....hmm, that gets my wheels turning.
I am somewhat ashamed that I dont know what it weighs. I dont have a postal scale laying around. I will ask and get back to you. If i had to guess, maybe 4-6 ounces.

 

[MustangWally]

I currently dont have a mount doom

My ex-wife lives there....

 

[TheRayRoss]

My ex-wife lives there....

Now im definitley not doin it! I bet everybodys ex-wife lives there.

 

[LordPuck]

You can't judge a book by its cover. I'll reserve my opinion until there's reviews available or the unlikely chance I see one in person.
Bent steel bridges work fine but the development of new ideas like this is a welcome change for an industry that still thinks the pinnacle of bass design was reached around 1962.
Whether or not this an improvement is immaterial to me. The effort and attempt is what's important and I support anyone or any company that tries a little harder or sees things a little differently.
Disclaimer : Just so you know where I stand....I think the finest piece of guitar gear ever made was Ned Steinberger's 12 string bridge.........and my guitar is a Parker Fly
Go ahead now, rip me a new one.

I had never seen the trac-tuner bridge until reading this comment. The design is damn near perfect.

 

[MarkA]

I had never seen the trac-tuner bridge until reading this comment. The design is damn near perfect.

Nor I, 'til reading your comment. Looked it up. Never used one, but the idea is pretty cool.

 

[Nick1234]

Hi @TheRayRoss - any idea when your 4 string bridge (chrome) will be back in stock? They're marked as "sold out" on your web site store. Thanks for a fascinating design - I'm looking forward to trying this on my fretless jazz.

 

[TheRayRoss]

Hi @TheRayRoss - any idea when your 4 string bridge (chrome) will be back in stock? They're marked as "sold out" on your web site store. Thanks for a fascinating design - I'm looking forward to trying this on my fretless jazz.

Thanks for asking nick,
They are indeed sold out at the moment. Sorry about that- really and truly. Just lately everyone ran out to buy a chrome. There are lots on the way though. I guess there are 2 options: wait (sucks)/ or maybe try a different color? Also sucks if your heart is set on a chrome!
fyi- rayross does AMAZING things to a fretless bass. Rayross never did take to a fretless, personally, but guys who can play one tell me its the "ultimate mwaaaahh"! I would post a message when they come in, but being a "commercial user" i dont think im allowed to post anything. hang in there!

 

[ctmullins]

If I could get a four-string with 17mm spacing, I'd be interested....

 

[TheRayRoss]

If I could get a four-string with 17mm spacing, I'd be interested....

Is your current bass set up for 17mm?
Or would you make a bass specific to the 17mm?
Genuinely curious

 

[ctmullins]

Is your current bass set up for 17mm?
Or would you make a bass specific to the 17mm?
Genuinely curious

Either/both.

Edit: I really mean 17.5 mm - the standard Gibson/Rickenbacker spacing.

 

[TheRayRoss]

Well its a good thing i didnt just put in an order for one million 17mm bridges.............

 

[Ohabanero]

Yeah right. Dont be silly. Like you'd ever order more than 750,000 of that size!

 

[StefanMarinov]

Hi guys,

for those interested how the Ray Ross bridge works in real life - please check my video on it. HD + headphones for the win



I’d be grateful if you check out some of my other videos and subscribe to the channel if you like it. I’ve just started it and any help from the bass community growing it will be much appreciated .

Thanks,
Steff

 

[MustangWally]

Hey Steff, nice work!

 

[StefanMarinov]

Hey Steff, nice work!

Thank you

 

[BunchyMutt]

Hi guys,

for those interested how the Ray Ross bridge works in real life - please check my video on it. HD + headphones for the win



I’d be grateful if you check out some of my other videos and subscribe to the channel if you like it. I’ve just started it and any help from the bass community growing it will be much appreciated .

Thanks,
Steff

Thanks for sharing and great playing! I've subscribed to your channel. I don't know whether it was because the Ray Ross was louder or it produces THAT different of a tone, but I thought the stock sat better in the mix. The Ray Ross was more throaty. In a different context I could see the difference being a good thing

That was a paid review, correct?

 

[StefanMarinov]

Thank you and thank you, really appreciate it man .

In order to preserve the recording conditions absolutely the same, I haven’t changed anything between the takes, and if I had put the Ray Ross in the mix, the stock bridge would have just been too quiet - that’s why I left it that way. If I was mixing the Ray Ross only, I’d have put it a few dB quieter to sit in the mix.

I haven’t being paid to do this video, no, however as a Ray Ross artist, as part of my contract I agree to put out photos and videos on social media. Now since there’s zero gigs at the moment, I decided to make this video instead, it was my own initiative after I decided to try it on my Smith and got struck by the difference. It is meant to go to my Anaconda bass that’s been built for me at the moment but I just couldn’t resist the temptation to try it after I realised it is a direct replacement for the Smith bridge, so I’m ordering another one .

To answer your question more specifically - yes I do get a discount on their products, and no, I wouldn’t have promoted it if I didn’t like it or thought it was average. I would have just returned it. I only endorse brands whose products I love, which is the case with Ray Ross, Bartolini and EICH amplification, whose artist lists I’m on.

Thanks