Ah sorry, I meant 10 POUNDS.
Sorry, the units you guys use just make no sense to me ahah
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Are high mass bridges actually... Bad ?
- Thread starter Romain909
- Start date
Sorry, the units you guys use just make no sense to me ahah
High mass bridges are neither good nor bad. They are what they are. There's really nothing wrong with them if you like them. Thousands of people do. There's really nothing wrong with a traditional L-plate, either.
Suit yourself, but it's free and 100% reversible to shim and it sure sounds to me like a shim would solve your problem. You having had one bad experience doesn't make shimming inherently bad. If you had used a different shape shim or a different material you might have gotten different results. I've shimmed dozens of basses with no ill effect. That doesn't make shimming foolproof and your experience doesn't make shimming flawed. Try it. It takes a few minutes and will improve your break angle by allowing you to raise the saddles. More downward pressure on the saddles might improve the resonance more than the shim reduces it (IF it reduces it). ...or not. The only way to know is to try. A scrap of card stock or veneer is a lot cheaper than a bridge.
I did actually.
I still have a bass with a shim that had little to no effect on it, an old Ibanez SR500.
But as I said, it did not work well on my Ultra and that’s not an option I like
A troublesome bridge....In a heartbeat. I used one of these on my last build. Quality functional hardware. They have threaded saddle option also and 3 different string spacings. Vintage Hipshot.
It would be the perfect solution.Invalid Link Removed
But it uses 3 holes, not 5
Useless IMO. Bail for something lighter and more adjustable. I don't get how a heavier chunk of metal between string and body would have a positive impact on tone.
I think you might need a piece of veneer to cover the neck pocket. A shim, but not a tapered one. As has been mentioned, there’s probably dents in the wood from the footprint of the current bridge that will be seen with a smaller bridge. That’s if you can find identical screw hole patterns. I’d have to see it in person to diagnose the rattling issue. Could be a case of insufficient break angles. Check the tuner mounting screws to make sure they are tight.
There’s probably enough meat in the base plate that you could tape a piece of 120 grit paper to a flat surface and take about 20 thou off the thickness of the plate by sanding.
There’s probably enough meat in the base plate that you could tape a piece of 120 grit paper to a flat surface and take about 20 thou off the thickness of the plate by sanding.
On one of my P basses a badass heavy bridge makes it sound more lively the same bridge on another p bass has no effect.. it’s the sum of all parts that makes a bass work
I believe their spacing is not exactly the standard Fender 5-screw spacing. Per Hipshot's engineering drawings this bridge has different spacing than their other 5 hole bridges and different than the 5-hole bass bodies I've used.
Metal is probably a better non-resonant string anchor point than wood us. The wood will absorb more energy from the string. So that heavy bridge has the potential to preserve string vibration better.
Or at least differently.
Whether it makes a sonic difference and whether that difference is an improvement is anybody's guess.
I want to do the same thing. Bunch of issues, screw holes don't match, biggest deal breaker unless you modify with new screw holes but would be a good reason to go to string through body, possibly lower action and more break over the bridge saddle. Also maybe polish out the footprint of the old bridge.
^THIS^, pretty much... Of the 29 basses I own currently, 3 are custom builds that I had built with a bridge of my choice; one is a Schaller 3D4, and two are aluminum Hipshot A's. However, I do own basses that came stock with pretty heavy bridges. Two G&Ls, and an Alembic - with their typical massive block of brass that the 4-point bridge screws into. But, I also own some with bridges that nobody would consider heavy; wooden Hofner-style; Dano Rosewood stick-on a thin-flat-plate; and Nashville Tun-O-Matic bridges - some solidly mounted, and some on a floating wooden base. I'll concede that some are a much bigger PITA to deal with when it comes to changing strings or intonating the bass; but, as for how they sound? Far as I'm concerned, all those bridges simply... are what they are. And, the basses simply sound like what they are, too. Frankly? At my age, just trying to maintain - and play - that many basses, is more than enough to keep me busy. I'm not about to throw "should I change this bridge for something shiny, heavy, and new?" into my schedule... If you want to spent the time (and it will be a lot of time) reading all the "Should I change.." and "Heavy vs. Light Bridge" threads on TB, you'll find that there never was - and still isn't - a consensus on the subject. My opinion? Well, I'm a retired Engineer, and "If it ain't broke, don't "fix" it" is pretty much our mantra....
As for your problems with your stock bridge? Well... first of all; if your neck needs a shim? Don't feel bad; finding a Fender bass with a shim from the factory is almost more the rule than the exception; and has been since Leo sent the first one out the door... If it doesn't have one, stick one in there. If it already has one? It needs a thicker one... My left handed, "A-spec" necked '78 P-Bass was shipped with a shim; a nicely cut-out piece of sandpaper... It's still there, too. It sounds to me like things are binding up as far as saddle movement is concerned; and, maybe the springs are too limp - or too short (?). Might be a good idea to just take that bridge apart, and make sure everything's doing what it's supposed to do. And, yes; I've had to do that myself, more than once. Don't get me started about the factory-installed Babicz bridge on my '18 Gibson Thunderbird....
Hopefully, your problems will be simple, and easily remedied. In the end, though... it's your bass. I f you think it will be improved by a new bridge - heavy or otherwise? Carry on...
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Don't be so adamant about not shimming
I put a replacement neck on a P body and had a similar issue - bridge saddle screws were bottomed out. A shim - one business card - did the trick. Gave me room to make adjustments and the bass plays beautifully.
I put a replacement neck on a P body and had a similar issue - bridge saddle screws were bottomed out. A shim - one business card - did the trick. Gave me room to make adjustments and the bass plays beautifully.
In my experience if you want a low action on any FSO you use a shim 
I have shimmed many basses always with good results. As for the rattling, it may be the string touching the saddle spring. Only happens on the "E" string because of the larger diameter of the strig. Seen that a few times.
BBB
BBB
I replaced the stock BadAss II bridge on my Ibanez RKB900 because a couple saddles were flat on the plate and couldn't get low enough action.
Bass already had a shim.
On other basses I've had weird bridge part resonances or almost wolf tones like you describe on a certain note or several, just how it interacts with a given type of string.
I'm not anti-shim or (micro-tilt), but IMO insufficient bridge saddle range is a design flaw that I prefer to fix first.
I've experimented way more with strings & bridges than basses & amps in the last 10 years.
My priorities are quick string release, wide adjustment range, adjustable string spacing, nothing to snag my palm on, standard Fender 5 hole, and weight as it affects balance. Hipshot B (I love both 4 oz. aluminum and 8 oz. brass) and Vintage - either with threaded saddles - are my favorite.
I also like Hipshot A, Kickass, and Gotoh 201/203.
Bass already had a shim.
On other basses I've had weird bridge part resonances or almost wolf tones like you describe on a certain note or several, just how it interacts with a given type of string.
I'm not anti-shim or (micro-tilt), but IMO insufficient bridge saddle range is a design flaw that I prefer to fix first.
I've experimented way more with strings & bridges than basses & amps in the last 10 years.
My priorities are quick string release, wide adjustment range, adjustable string spacing, nothing to snag my palm on, standard Fender 5 hole, and weight as it affects balance. Hipshot B (I love both 4 oz. aluminum and 8 oz. brass) and Vintage - either with threaded saddles - are my favorite.
I also like Hipshot A, Kickass, and Gotoh 201/203.
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I prefer a plate...but I have higher mass on most basses and the advantages are possibly sustain and slot for quick swaps. This comes into its own when I put on cleaned up strings.
The basses have good systain anyway with no flatspots so I have no need to replace any.
That would be purely aesthetic.
The basses have good systain anyway with no flatspots so I have no need to replace any.
That would be purely aesthetic.
