Badass Bridge: Worth It?

[Stubb]

If nothing else, would a BAII improve the balance on my MIM fretless Jazz? It seems just a hair heavy at the neck, and I'm thinking that a BAII would remedy that. I'd much rather have the bass balanced than keep the weight down.

 

[saxnbass]

If nothing else, would a BAII improve the balance on my MIM fretless Jazz? It seems just a hair heavy at the neck, and I'm thinking that a BAII would remedy that. I'd much rather have the bass balanced than keep the weight down.

I've got a better solution if you don't really want to replace the bridge: HipShot UltraLite tuners. It'll balance it better and it'll make the bass lighter. Great, huh?

If you're not having any problems with your bridge, I'd do the tuners. If you're having problems with your bridge, I'd do the BadAss.

 

[Stubb]

I've got a better solution if you don't really want to replace the bridge: HipShot UltraLite tuners. It'll balance it better and it'll make the bass lighter. Great, huh?

If you're not having any problems with your bridge, I'd do the tuners. If you're having problems with your bridge, I'd do the BadAss.

Problems? No. But I wouldn't be averse at all to getting a bit more clarity and sustain out of the bass.

 

[doctorjazz]

You could just do both, and you'd have a less neck-heavy bass with a slightly better bridge.

 

[MobileHolmes]

I had a BAII on a parts bass and was pretty indifferent (FWIW, it was the only bridge that bass had while I owned it). Personally, I don't find increased sustain a desireably quality in a bass anyway. Nothing I've owned (nor much I've demoed) ever seemed deficient in sustain.

I wouldn't be inclined to swap on a squire. The tonal impact of a bridge is fairly small compared to the pickups.

 

[Stubb]

Normally, sustain-enhancement wouldn't be a concern for me, but my fretless is pretty weak on it. I've got another bass for the "dead p-bass sound," and that works well for it.

 

[MobileHolmes]

Normally, sustain-enhancement wouldn't be a concern for me, but my fretless is pretty weak on it. I've got another bass for the "dead p-bass sound," and that works well for it.

Well, that is a good point. I wasn't thinking fretless. But in the fretted realm, even my P copy with flats has more than enough sustain, and when I want the "dead" sound I throw a piece of weather stripping under the bridge.

 

[blankstare77]

Does it help the feel of a bass?

 

[doctorjazz]

^^ Think about what a bridge does and tell me why it would.

 

[blankstare77]

^ I'm guessing that's a no.

 

[doctorjazz]

Right. Unless the bridge gives you different options as to how the strings are loaded (Hipshot, some stock Ibanez bridges) that can possibly change string tension, it does nothing to change the feel, the only possible difference being a minor weight penalty for buying a heavier bridge, but compared to the overall weight of the bass, it'd probably have to be made of lead for you to really notice that anywhere but in your mind.

 

[blankstare77]

Well, in conclusion, it's more of a saddle not moving around than it is a sound or feel issue?

 

[gandhirrea]

The stock ones look cooler. And we all know, looks ARE everything.

 

[boonerstreet]

As someone mentioned before, can anyone compare a gotoh to a badass?
Oh yeah, I just read five pages of posts, I'm exausted guys.

 

[needmoney]

Well, in conclusion, it's more of a saddle not moving around than it is a sound or feel issue?

This is what I'm asking about but people just chime in and say it doesn't make a tonal difference, which I really don't care about! I just wanna know if it's worth it for a sturdier bridge.

 

[lug]

Playing two completely different basses made of woods from different sources - likely different woods species as well - with different pickups and mass, and likely different strings, is going to tell someone what the tonal differences of the bridges supposedly are?

Is it April already?

The Jag and the Geddy are both made of alder, made in Japan, have the same sized neck, and share the same pups in the same locations. With the Jag in passive mode, The major difference IS the bridge, Welcome to April, Sparky.

 

[lug]

You think two different blocks of alder, likely from different trees entirely, will sound identical? Some top luthiers disagree. Many (all?) say that there can be quite a difference between two "indentical" basses made with the same wood at the same time, all other parts equal. Some TBers have two of the same bass, even the same colour, and say there's a clear difference.

Then into your idea factor - same sized neck is the same weight? Bodies the same weight? Will that have any effect? Same strings of the same age on both those basses, for sure? Same setup for string height?

It's a huge leap of faith over a lot of logic to think that the only audible difference between those two basses is the "sound" of the bridges.

I don't believe I ever said "only audible difference". I said that they were the closest he'd likely find. They certainly aren't, and I quote, "two completely different basses made of woods from different sources - likely different woods species as well - with different pickups and mass, and likely different strings"
Specifically from Fender they have the same strings (Super 7350M, NPS, p/n 073-7350-006,
Gauges: (.045, .065, .085, .105) ), same exact pups (2 Vintage Jazz Bass® Single-Coil Pickups), same wood species (alder), same neck size (1-Piece Maple, Thin “C” Shape
) and actually weigh about the same. Other than the physical shape, they are as likely to alike sounding except for the bridge as any two basses on the planet when the Jag is in passive mode. BTW, the info in parentheses is from Fender's own site.

 

[lug]

If the bridges aren't the only audible difference then how do you know what part, if any, is attributable to the bridge? And they certainly are two completely different basses, literally, even if the specs are more alike than any other basses in the Fender catalogue. And how do you know how old or played strings are in a store? Strings make a huge difference in tone.

Believe what you like, but I don't buy it, especially given what I wrote above that I've heard from credible sources and experienced myself. Some of those luthiers have posted it on their sites and even on TB. I can't be bothered to dig up the links for you, but if you search the wonderful threads on fingerboard woods you'll probably come across it.

I've swapped a stock Fender bridge with a Badass on the *same* bass, and recorded it clean, and could not hear a difference when someone else was A/B-ing the tracks without me seeing which was which. That was a P bass, and it was the same thing on a J bass using a stock bridge and a Gotoh.

I do believe that if they could prove their claims they surely would. And I do believe that a lot of people hear with their eyes.

You have an amazing gift for planting words in others mouths. Let me quote myself:
"The BA adds clarity and overtones, not warmth. Your best bet is to go play a Geddy Lee back to back with a regular jazz or a Jaguar in passive mode and see what the differnces are to your ear."
This is all I said, nothing about the bridges being the only difference, etc. You are the one who (incorrectly) stated the basses were completely different with different woods, strings, pickups and such. Perhaps a little more research and less shooting from the hip might help.

 

[lug]

Why isn't simple logic actually simple?


1. they are two literally *different* basses. Two different P basses made of the same woods can even sound different.

2. the strings are different if these basses are hanging in a store. one set could be sweat and slapped on for a year and the other set new. what about the setup?

3. ok, so maybe the pickups are "the same" then again who really knows how many windings are going on? If the differences in those P basses I mentioned weren't the pickups then maybe it was the wood ...

4. as I've said twice already, I'll believe my own experience and experts that say two basses from the same batch of wood can sound noticeably different rather than than discounting that just because the catalog says the woods used are the same specie and they're built in the same country. Are the weights of the basses even the same?

If I can really have no idea what the differences are logically and in reality, and I can't be sure the only difference I might hear is attributable to the bridges - especially given that at best the difference these bridges might make seems very subtle given many people can't even hear it - then I really can't have a clue what is causing any difference to my ear in your example.

But that's just me, and per my recorded experiments I already know I can't hear any difference even on the same, literally, basses.

And once again I didn't make any of these claims you seem to attribute to me to try to win an arguement. No where did I say that any two basses were idenitcal or any other such nonsense, just told the guy his best bet was to go try a few at a music store and see what he heard. I KNOW I've heard a very real difference with a Badass on my bass, and I KNOW that doing as I suggested represents his best bet at deciding if he feels like there is a difference BEFORE he goes out and buys one. I DON'T think a music store is going to let him swap out a bridge on their basses to see if he like the difference before hand. If you have a better suggestion, throw it out. I'm more interested in trying to help the guy out with the decision he's trying to make that pushing my own view on him.

 

[pyrohr]

Hey lug, I own the Geddy lee Jazz bass as well as a few other passive and active jazz basses. I removed the badassII off the Geddy and the Geddy still sounds very different from all the other Jazz basses! The geddy got warmer and mellow after the removal of the bridge but kept the rest of it's tonality. The Geddy's tone circuit is different (don't ask me how) than other jazzes fore when you turn the tone control from rolled on to rolled off it has a wider sweep than any other jazz bass. The CTS pots may have something to do with this but the BadassII definately doesn't!