Badass Bridge III, Not Recommended

[Bassbwithu]

Here I will utilize the reason I think the Internet is so useful...to protect consumers.
The Badass III is the most poorly designed replacement bridge I've come across. I would not recommend it as replacement for an American Jazz (3 screw). Here are the problems I've run across.
1. The saddles are so huge, that you are limited to medium high action unless you grind down the bottoms of the saddles.
2. The grooves are a joke. They aren't cut deep enough, so your strings WILL pop out. You can try to file them, but you will go through many files.
3. The saddles are misaligned from standard Fender pole pieces. No matter what you do, you'll get a severe "break" in the string before the saddle to get them to align right. To really get it right, you have to move the bridge (redrill, etc.), but then you will negate through body stringing.
4. Leo Q. customer service does NOT return emails.

Just try to save you the money.

 

[Colonel_Claypoo]

i only own the badass II bridge and i found no1. to be true. it sucks!

 

[fenderhutz]

Never had ANY of the issues you have mentioned with ANY of the Leo Quan bridges.

You know why you aren't getting return emails? Leo Quan is dying. It was small operation with very little employee base.

 

[Bassbwithu]

I have heard that Leo Q. is dying, and I am sympathetic; however, does that mean that customers should be neglected? You're telling me that there is no one there to run the show while he is sick?

 

[fenderhutz]

I have heard that Leo Q. is dying, and I am sympathetic; however, does that mean that customers should be neglected? You're telling me that there is no one there to run the show while he is sick?

We are talking almost a one man show like Butch from Bayou Audio.

So no.

Strings don't have to be over pole pieces directly.

 

[Bassbwithu]

Strings don't have to be over pole pieces directly.[/QUOTE]

I know this. On this particular bridge, if you choose one groove over another, you will get this "break" in the string. It's an adjustable bridge that is not adjustable.

 

[Slackerprince]

I never like to hear about another human being suffering.
On the product side, bridges constructed without grooves, with the expectation of the customer being responsible for that feature is plain nonsense.
I discovered that about those bridges and I lost all interest in that product.
Best wishes to the inventor in his illness.


Slackerprince

 

[superfunk47]

Solid bridges, to be sure, but they're hyped up and overpriced, especially for the BAII's. They aint any better than your run of the mill Gotohs, which can be had for like half the price. And the groove thing? Just plain stupid.

My thoughts go out to Leo though. I wish him the best.

 

[Eric Perry]

I've *never* understood the BA hype. They are big, bulky, and obviously not without issues. IMO, the Hipshot A buries any Leo Quann bridge ever built.

 

[Human Bass]

I know your pain man!! I've posted here looong ago complaining about BAIII being too bulky and not helping on getting a lower action. The Fender MIA bridge is a very good bridge, there is no need to replace it.

 

[JGR]

Sorry to hear it didn't work out for you. I have several of the BAII with the new slotted saddles and they work great - no issues to speak of.

JR

 

[therex]

high mid action is do a problem, but you should put a shim in the neck-body joint

 

[troyus]

The only compelling feature of those Quan bridges with today's choices is that they say "BADASS" on them.

And if you're a "BADASS", high action and bulky bridges do not faze you.

 

[mosrite1]

Strange I've never really had a problem with my BAIIs, even setting the action as low as i want. What do you guys mean by bulky? Sure they're bigger than the stock bridge but have never been so big as to interfere with my playing. I guess everyone has their opinions though.

 

[phatduckk]

I have a couple of BadAss II's installed & a BadAss III on an 06 MIA J. I havent had any of those problems either.

I lost a set screw for a saddle once and an email to Leo Quann went unanswered. But I looked them up on YellowPages.com and Leo picked up and mailed me a set screw a couple days later w/ a hand written note thanking me for being a customer.

So - w/ my experience I'd say try giving them a call... it worked for me

 

[checkeverything]

The fender basses I have with badass bridges always gets a shim under the neck to body slot. That way I can get the action lower if I need to.

 

[PBass101]

I have a Leo Quan BadAss III on my 2008 Fender Precision Bass.

The ONLY "problem" I have with it is that the strings are not perfectly aligned between the pickup's pole pieces. But guess what - they weren't perfectly aligned with the original stock Fender bridge either (which tragically malfunctioned on me, another story for another time), and honestly, they're "off" to such a degree that nobody but me will ever notice it. Still sounds fine and the strings are aligned just fine with the neck. Are you sure your bolt-on neck hasn't scooted a little bit out of alignment at the body cavity? Fender's website has P and J basses pictured with slightly misaligned necks. It happens with bolt-ons sometimes, and it can be fixed easily and quickly. Post a picture, please.

As far as action goes, get over yourself and just shim your neck. That's what I did and my action has been described as "******** low" by a Fender authorized technician I brought my bass to, something like half of the factory spec, and this was before I had him ltake some of the relief out of the truss. So I guess the BadAss III isn't the antithesis to low action afterall...

I haven't had a single problem with the slots keeping the strings in place...and I've used several brands/guages of strings in the time that I've had the BAIII on. Currently a Thomastik Power Bass set which sits perfectly in the saddles.

I don't want to sound like I'm attacking you, because I'm not. But your review of this product is fundamentally flawed. The problems you're describing are issues for a professional setup, and if you aren't willing to pay to get one of those done to get your bass playing right...

 

[Rano Bass]

There's a reason they're popular... they work and are very solid.

Of course they are not for everybody, some people like it, some not.

 

[goyin108]

Shim the neck to lower the action? Sounds like a design flaw to me. I have never had to do that on any of by basses.

 

[ehque]

Shim the neck to lower the action? Sounds like a design flaw to me. I have never had to do that on any of by basses.

Actually, its quite common. Many Fenders will come with shims. Even my Zon has a shim, but i don't know if its factory installed.