Ah, okay, you mean the saddle deflects when you pluck the string. I guess I could see that, maybe, although it seems like you'd have to be playing unusually hard.
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BadAss II bridge opinions...
- Thread starter JimmyKickButt
- Start date
Ah, okay, you mean the saddle deflects when you pluck the string. I guess I could see that, maybe, although it seems like you'd have to be playing unusually hard.
Yeagh, I guess thats how it doesn't happen to some people with a more consistent touch, but I like to emphasize the occasional note. It only happened in situations like mentioned earlier, ending of a song etc, probably a bit too hard, but by that time the adrenaline is flowing! And nobody dose everything right 100% of the time, so the aftermarket ones solved the problem for me.
I've got a stock bridge and I tried to see how hard a pluck it would take to get the saddles to move. To my surprise it really isn't crazy hard. You have to pluck hard, but not crazy hard. So "keeps saddles in place during hard playing" can be added to the list of reasons a person might want an aftermarket bridge, along with "looks cool".
Is the saddles moving around really a problem though? It's mainly the E string that moves but it comes back into position after the pluck. You could say it would make the string feel more elastic and less firm, but the amount the saddle moves is so small compared to how far your finger pulls the string when you pluck it. I don't know, it seems insignificant to me.
Are you sure the saddle movement took away from the playing feel or was it just the principle of it that bugged you?
Lol, I have the issue of E string saddle movement, which was one of my reasons for looking into a different bridge, though I don't think it affects playing significantly. Though, I would say that the principle of it bugs me.
i absolutely love mine. i put it on my Dean metalman ML 2A and its great. The sustain is incredible. i love it. i'd recommend it to anyone.
I heard they got discontinued? i have had 2 of them , there good bridges but i took mine off, if your looking for one PM me
The baddassII bridges are very good but they also cause a sound tweak often referred to as treble zing/zingyness. If you want a bit more treble aing to your sound, theyre good choice, otherwise maybe not. Ive had them on basses before and more often replaced them with other high qaulity bridges that have better tonal balance for me.
His best bridge design was his last one, but alas, the G&L saddle-lock is not for every Fender (or clone/derivative) instrument.
ive got a badass bass II on my `92 fender jazz. amazing sustain and aesthetically pleasing.. i shimmed my neck and added some relief and i have a real nice low action.. id recommend one anyday of the week ; )
It's a nice bridge but I'm not sure I'm convinced that saddle movement is really a problem with the stock Fender bridge.
BTW, I wonder if Leo Fender kept notes on these kinds of things? If so, that would make a fascinating book -- a compilation of his notes.
Had no idea this was still going, apologies for my absence
. String movement is a problem IMO, but not a massive one of course. The string can move when plucked as we have been through, but the question is; how slightly is it moving every time you pluck (even lightly)? The answer is....a bit! Thats was my point in the first place, this = lost energy, which isnt good no matter how hard or soft you play. So thats how I came to the improved feel theory, if the strings are not moving it feels firmer. Its either my theory, or some other witchcraft you can think of
, because the feel is definitely different.Also if you play hard, the saddles end up looking horrible
.Yeah, I thought this one had settled to the bottom too, but then it popped up so I had to get my two cents in. 
The problem with the lost energy argument IMO is that the saddle pops back into place as soon as you release the string, so it's stationary through all but the first few fractions of a second of the note. I just have a hard time seeing that as making much difference. I know I didn't hear a difference when I replaced my BAII with a stock Fender -- but OTOH I didn't get to directly AB it, so I can't say that with 100% certainty.
The feel argument has more going for it but even then it seems like such an exceptional kind of thing. You really have to pluck hard to make it happen. I've watched my saddles as I've played, and it really doesn't happen for me unless I go out of my way to make it happen. Nor have I heard other people complain about it.
Overall I think shifting saddles is probably not a problem for 95% of people 95% of the time (at least), which to me makes it not really a problem.
But that said -- I hear ya bro. If your saddles are moving around on you and you can feel it, I can see why you would want a different bridge. And maybe there are more people out there who have had the same experience and I'm just not aware of it.
The problem with the lost energy argument IMO is that the saddle pops back into place as soon as you release the string, so it's stationary through all but the first few fractions of a second of the note. I just have a hard time seeing that as making much difference. I know I didn't hear a difference when I replaced my BAII with a stock Fender -- but OTOH I didn't get to directly AB it, so I can't say that with 100% certainty.
The feel argument has more going for it but even then it seems like such an exceptional kind of thing. You really have to pluck hard to make it happen. I've watched my saddles as I've played, and it really doesn't happen for me unless I go out of my way to make it happen. Nor have I heard other people complain about it.
Overall I think shifting saddles is probably not a problem for 95% of people 95% of the time (at least), which to me makes it not really a problem.
But that said -- I hear ya bro. If your saddles are moving around on you and you can feel it, I can see why you would want a different bridge. And maybe there are more people out there who have had the same experience and I'm just not aware of it.
Yeah, I thought this one had settled to the bottom too, but then it popped up so I had to get my two cents in.
The problem with the lost energy argument IMO is that the saddle pops back into place as soon as you release the string, so it's stationary through all but the first few fractions of a second of the note. I just have a hard time seeing that as making much difference. I know I didn't hear a difference when I replaced my BAII with a stock Fender -- but OTOH I didn't get to directly AB it, so I can't say that with 100% certainty.
The feel argument has more going for it but even then it seems like such an exceptional kind of thing. You really have to pluck hard to make it happen. I've watched my saddles as I've played, and it really doesn't happen for me unless I go out of my way to make it happen. Nor have I heard other people complain about it.
Overall I think shifting saddles is probably not a problem for 95% of people 95% of the time (at least), which to me makes it not really a problem.
But that said -- I hear ya bro. If your saddles are moving around on you and you can feel it, I can see why you would want a different bridge. And maybe there are more people out there who have had the same experience and I'm just not aware of it.
Yeagh, its not a problem for everyone, but I have come across a good few people who do have the problem. So it makes me feel like I'm not too in the minority (hopefully more than 5%!).
I still think that even a slight give will decrease the feel of tension, making the strings feel looser when plucked, and tighter when held firm. Its the thing I noticed the most when first changing my bridges.
Thats my way of thinking anyway,
.
I'd much prefer a Hipshot A bridge or a Schaller roller bridge over any of the BA bridges, personally.
I have installed close to 100 of those things over the years, mostly as replacements on Fender pattern instruments. I've never figured out an effective methodology for an A/B test of the results, but I have come to some firm conclusions about them. As always, I could be wrong!
A Badass bridge will not make a significant enough change in the tone of your bass to change a bass that you are not sure about into a bass that you like enough to keep. Your bass with its newly installed Badass will eventually get sold or traded away.
I agree with the Guitar Scientists who say that "every change affects the tone." I believe that many or most of those changes are not audible, or significant enough to warrant the time and effort expended.
A Badass bridge will not make a significant enough change in the tone of your bass to change a bass that you are not sure about into a bass that you like enough to keep. Your bass with its newly installed Badass will eventually get sold or traded away.
I agree with the Guitar Scientists who say that "every change affects the tone." I believe that many or most of those changes are not audible, or significant enough to warrant the time and effort expended.
