Okay guys. I searched and got a wealth of information on the subject but nothing that fully answers my question. My bass' bridge isn't the best in the world. It keeps wanting to bend towards the scroll. So I got it fixed... but it's still doing it. so i've been calling Luthiers in my area that I found through TB and all have pretty much said that a crappy wood will do that. So i decided it's time to upgrade the bridge.
I called Alberti's Violins and had Al look for me and he said that a decent adjustable bridge runs between $150-200. He said $150 to install and $75 to reset the soundpost and strings and setup the bass. Since my problem right now is a crappy bridge I don't want to take any chances so I'm gonna go with the $200 one.
So in total it will cost me $425. He explained to me a couple of things though and as nice as he sounds I want to run it by people I trust so I'm turning to you all.
1.) my bass is worth probably $700-$1000. Would you put $425 in a bass that may not be worth twice that much?
2.) he said the adjusters on the bridge take away some of the sound. (I play pizz but MAY in the future get into arco... I'm not sure) Is that true? The bass isn't very loud as it is so I don't want to hamper the volume. Is it worth getting the adjusters? or is a static bridge fine?
3.) The action (especially down by the bridge ) is a bit high. An adjustable bridge is one way to fix that isn't it? Yea he can set the action low but incase I want to change it I have the adjusters.
4.) Is it worth going for the $200 bridge? I didn't get a brand name from him but I'm assuming you guys you probably tell by the price.
5.) What are the advantages could I get from a better bridge? The feet seem to sit on the bass fine right now. So I don't think it would be a better fit. But will it effect my tone? thanks a lot guys!
I called Alberti's Violins and had Al look for me and he said that a decent adjustable bridge runs between $150-200. He said $150 to install and $75 to reset the soundpost and strings and setup the bass. Since my problem right now is a crappy bridge I don't want to take any chances so I'm gonna go with the $200 one.
So in total it will cost me $425. He explained to me a couple of things though and as nice as he sounds I want to run it by people I trust so I'm turning to you all.
1.) my bass is worth probably $700-$1000. Would you put $425 in a bass that may not be worth twice that much?
2.) he said the adjusters on the bridge take away some of the sound. (I play pizz but MAY in the future get into arco... I'm not sure) Is that true? The bass isn't very loud as it is so I don't want to hamper the volume. Is it worth getting the adjusters? or is a static bridge fine?
3.) The action (especially down by the bridge ) is a bit high. An adjustable bridge is one way to fix that isn't it? Yea he can set the action low but incase I want to change it I have the adjusters.
4.) Is it worth going for the $200 bridge? I didn't get a brand name from him but I'm assuming you guys you probably tell by the price.
5.) What are the advantages could I get from a better bridge? The feet seem to sit on the bass fine right now. So I don't think it would be a better fit. But will it effect my tone? thanks a lot guys!
) with Nick that $425 is a reasonable price for the all the work you qouted...but the allocation of $200 of it being just the actual cost of the bridge is WAY off. Bump up the parts to show a lower labor rate? I would rather charge you cost for the bridge and show it all as labor. 
