Babicz Full Contact Hardware Bridge review

[Markb]

True enough! Yeah i'm not trying to get it a millimeter off the fretboard, but probably a little lower than average...(although what's 'average'?? I've played some basses where it seemed like you could almost fit a pencil under the strings.)

Thanks though, that does help!
-mark

 

[Marial]

For those of you who have compared them, how does the Babicz stack up against a Badass II?

 

[countbassiedad]

I have a MIM jazz, and i'm just about ready to pull the trigger on a Babicz, because i love the locking tweakability (i may have just invented that phrase) of it, i like the look, and reviews sound impressive. Plus it's a direct replacement. But i'm open to other options...some swear by Gotoh, some swear by Hipshot, and some would take a bullet for their BAII.

One issue i haven't heard much about the Babicz is whether it allows for nice low action. I've read that both Gotoh and BAII are thicker and/or have thicker saddles, so that's making me lean a bit away from them. I'd like to get my action reasonably low.

There is a Babicz in stock at GC for $90, and no coupons/deals i'm currently aware of. So if i'm gonna drop that, i want to be as sure as i can.

Thanks!

I got my second one on Amazon (new) for under $70 a few weeks ago. Just do a search for lowest price.

Oh and I'm not getting any action either. My bass action is excessively low too - heavy handed players can't play it.

 

[Sgt. Rock]

Outstanding product. It's by far my favorite bridge and well worth the $100 I paid for it. Setup is super easy and once locked in place the saddles are rock solid.

 

[ez-rhino]

For those of you who have compared them, how does the Babicz stack up against a Badass II?

This has been covered extensively. I have both, they are entirely different animals. Think I like the Babicz better for some things, and the Badass II for others.

YMMV

http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f18/badass-vs-babicz-bridges-715706/

 

[chinook270]

Would a Babicz bridge solve this problem? I want to lower the action on my mim jbass 5 str by 6/64" at the 17th fret without shimming the neck. The stock Fender 5 str bridge has a thick cast plate and wider diameter saddles than my 4str jbass. I've lowered the action as much as I can. The saddles are as low as possible. I'm thinking of squaring the bottom of the saddles, but maybe a Babicz is the solution.

 

[countbassiedad]

I think the saddles on the newer ones can drop almost flat to the plate.

Of course you could always shim the neck as another option. Just slip in a business card or two and keep it level (unless you want to add slope).

 

[Filip Burdon]

Have anyone had problems with geting a low string action with a babicz bridge, or is it not a problem to adjust the strings nd get a low action?

 

[JMimbs]

Have anyone had problems with geting a low string action with a babicz bridge, or is it not a problem to adjust the strings nd get a low action?

I don't personally use a very low action, but I don't see any reason why it would be a problem. Just tweak it until its right and lock it in place.

 

[Filip Burdon]

Thanks!
I'm asking because I heard that the badass bridges are a bit problematic in terms of low action, so I wanted to make sure if it's the same case with Babicz.

 

[dStar]

I just replaced the Badass II that came on my 2011 Highway One Jazz with a Babicz FCH bridge and couldn't be happier. I've never been a fan of the Baddass II, I replaced the stock bridge on my 1975 Gibson Grabber with one in the early 80's (it was about he only option at the time, and it was better than the stock, but I wasn't crazy about it.

When it came time to replace the stock bridge on my 1985 Yamaha BB450 in the late 80's, I opted for a Schaller Bassbridge 3D-4. I really like that bridge, excellent design and quality.

I considered replacing the stock Badass on my Jazz with a Schaller, but decided to look around at the current options. My biggest problem with the Badass was that I couldn't get the action as low as I wanted, and I couldn't get the intonation even across the neck (I think it may be because the string contact area on the saddle is rather large). I original decided on a Hipshot A style. I was attracted to it's quick release string loading (which I found out I didn't like because the stings kept popping out when I was changing them). I got it mounted, but it developed a buzz on the E string, that I couldn't get rid of. I returned it (thanks Musician's Friend!) and ordered the Babicz, because of it's extensive locking features.

This is a great design. I like the low mounting plate height, the single screw action adjustment, and the locking features. The aluminum construction may not resonate as much as brass, but it sure seems to transfer the string vibration to the body much better, and let's face it, the body is really where the major resonance comes from. Oh yeah, the intonation is now perfect all up and down the neck. Love it! Sounds great!

 

[Akami]

Alright you two...auto-correct is a terrible thing I have my saddles ALL the way back and that's the closest it comes, still REALLY off. No matter where I move them it doesn't seem to help. Might just be user error but it's really annoying. Any tips on troubleshooting?

Did you ever get this problem sorted? It's definitely a problem of the string length between the saddle and 12th fret being shorter than between the nut and same.

 

[Billy K]

could not help myself.I got these Bridges on every bass except the Ibby.They are great and look good too. don't you agree?

 

[countbassiedad]

There are some crazy good deals on Babicz lately. I've seen them on Amazon and Ebay for $50 to $70. I grabbed one for my one Fender that didn't have one yet. They're new in original packaging - not blems or used.

 

[kurosawa]

I took off my Gotoh 201 and put on the Babicz. I liked my 201 better. So I looked on youtube and found these:

Babicz vs. Badass II:

I bought the Gotoh to eliminate saddle squirm. They have little grooves that the saddle height screws ride in that keep them from moving sideways. It works very well. I noticed it sounded good.

Before that, I made do with bent tin bridges for decades. I liked the threaded ones better than the ones with a single groove.

Then I bought a Schaller for another bass. It's a good sounding bridge and I love the way I can put the strings exactly where I want them.

I read the ads and the posts and bought the Babicz. Right off, I thought it didn't sound as good as the Gotoh.

There are a whole mess of bridges I haven't tried. Probably the best reason to buy a bridge is to solve a mechanical annoyance. Anyone can see how a particular bridge solves a particular problem. I'm not so sure claims about tone are on as sound a footing.

See, the Babicz is supposed to have 50x the contact between the bridge saddle and the body. OK, but does that mean that the full vibrations of a string can't be transmitted through 2 screws that together are at least as big as the contact point between the string and the bridge saddle?

The main thing about a bent tin bridge is that I can see where it might flex microscopically with each vibration of the string. That would suck sound, yeah. So any rigid bridge should be an improvement.

 

[vince a]

Yea, Amazon, $70. I personally did not hear or feel any difference between the newly installed Babicz and the stock Fender MIA Jazz bridge. Even if you're a half-@ssed luthier, you can get rid of string buzz with the stock bridge. You should be able to get the action anywhere you want it w/o the buzz if you know what you are doing. Re-installed the stock bridge, sent Babicz back.
BTW, when I received my new Lakland, the action was so low, I could barely get a credit card between the frets and the bottom of the string, and no buzz! They certainly know what they're doing when it comes to hardware. I actually ended up raising that low action . . .

 

[ExaltBass]

I installed one on my BEAD strung P-J and it made a huge difference. I had tried the standard Fender bent bridge and a Gotoh 201. The B string just didn't sound 'solid' - so I decided to try the Babicz (like-new-used). Not only is the B rock solid, but the others tightened up too.

The Babicz worked for me in this case... but I'm not in a rush to replace my other bridges (they're working well).

No pics... no bridge, so here it is.

 

[Mykk]

My 5-string Babicz install is delayed, the online merchant shipped it to the wrong address... shipped it to my billing address not my shipping address, so I'll have it waiting for me when I go back to Arizona at the end of the month.... Than I'll post up a review of the Babicz on my Squier Vintage Modified Jazz V.

 

[Mykk]

Just got back to Az, the Babicz was waiting for me here. I haven't even unpacked yet but I installed, intonated and set the action of the new bridge. I also made a comparrison A/B video:

 

[Ken J]

Love these Babicz bridges. You can lower the strings flat on the fret board. I picked up five of these bad boys at a locale flea market for $200.00. The one shown is on my Fender (This one’s a fretless with TI flats and drop “D” tuner) you could not slid a credit card under the strings. Another one is on my Cort Action Jr. It is also fretless. Steve Kubica has mounted the bridge as a through body so I can use longer strings. He is also mounting a custom made adjustable nut in crome similar to what is shown below. A machinist friend of mine is making these for me to fit 1.5 necks. The ones on the streets are 1.6 and larger. This gives me full adjustment and the option to swap over to any size strings and not have to replace the nut after over sizing.