No, the first ME were all 19mm
The newer ones ( like mine ) are either 18mm or 19mm.
I had to swap my bridge because I didn't enjoy the feel ( plus the visual ) of the 18mm bridge.
The fretboard looked too big for the 18mm string spacing
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The newer ones ( like mine ) are either 18mm or 19mm.
I had to swap my bridge because I didn't enjoy the feel ( plus the visual ) of the 18mm bridge.
The fretboard looked too big for the 18mm string spacing
- Nov 4, 2003
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Hey all….
Posted up one of my NYC 5’s here in the classifieds
PJ 5 formerly owned buy our Tully!
Love it, just love two of my others more.
Posted up one of my NYC 5’s here in the classifieds
PJ 5 formerly owned buy our Tully!
Love it, just love two of my others more.
Frank Kreber was talking about the Babicz Full Contact Bridges and that is what I was referring to.
In that case, my bad... I also have one Babicz bridge, the FHC-5 and I can confirm it's 19mm.
Hello Alessandro, have you posted a photo of the 18 mm bridge here?
This is my Metro Express with the 18mm bridge from factory
My previous Metro Express came with a 19mm bridge, you can clearly see the differences when you look at the pickup pole spacing and the fretboard edges.
Did you add the bridge to this bass later? How do you rate the effect in terms of improving the resonance? Are the dimensions suitable for a Metroline?
Yes, I swapped the bridges, I just found one 19mm bridge from another Metro Express. The holes were the same, so it was a very easy job.
Didn't notice any changes other than the spacing.
Ok, you are absolutely right regarding the visual aspect…
I don't know why they made such change, makes me wonder.... Cause to me, wasn't a clever move.
It looks 10 times better with the 19mm bridge
The 18mm bridge fulfills a demand that has nothing to do with appearance. It's for those who want a Sadowsky but don't like the feel of 19mm.
There is some difference in appearance, but it will only be noticed by us bass nerds. The rest of the world sees an elegant bass guitar.
Yes, I'm very partial to 18mm spacing.
I'm sure I could adapt to 19mm, but I'd rather not.
I've been playing 18mm for about 25 years.
No problem.
I do wish Babicz made an 18mm 5 string bridge - I think they are really well designed and look great!
the SMX design team could have reduced the neck width if they decided that 18mm would be the default spacing for a 5. The B and G string are too far from the edges, it felt weird.
Sure, but changing that bridge without any other adjustments doesn't sound reasonable.
If they wanted to fulfill that demand, then they should've come with a proper solution.
It's like the same situation when Fender brought the Ultra Jazz Bass V with that horrible bridge with the string falling out the fretboard.
What you're demanding is a retool for a narrower neck to go along with the narrower string spacing. That's an extremely expensive proposition, which is why many, many companies -- even huge ones -- don't offer multiple string spacing options.
IMO a narrower bridge is a perfectly reasonable solution. As you say, if bridge spacing is too wide for the neck then strings can flop off the side, but this is the opposite. On that note, narrower spacing allows greater side-to-side vibrato on the outside strings, the G in particular, because there's more "wiggle room" (pun intended) on the outside edges of the fretboard.
P.S. Doesn't matter in the slightest if strings are not perfectly centered between polepieces. Except maybe to those who are OCD about that sort of thing.
What you're demanding is a retool for a narrower neck to go along with the narrower string spacing. That's an extremely expensive proposition, which is why many, many companies -- even huge ones -- don't offer multiple string spacing options.
IMO a narrower bridge is a perfectly reasonable solution. As you say, if bridge spacing is too wide for the neck then strings can flop off the side, but this is the opposite. On that note, narrower spacing allows greater side-to-side vibrato on the outside strings, the G in particular, because there's more "wiggle room" (pun intended) on the outside edges of the fretboard.
P.S. Doesn't matter in the slightest if strings are not perfectly centered between polepieces. Except maybe to those who are OCD about that sort of thing.
But they do that already. They even offer different "Just-A-Nut" sizes.
So I'll assume the necks are different, right?
Anyways, I'm not demanding, I'm just saying that this bridge change wasn't reasonable. Especially when you can get two identical basses with different bridges without having asked for it.
See, when I ordered my new Metro Express, I was expecting to receive the very same instrument with just a different wood on neck (roasted maple).
And I had to replace the bridge because I wasn't aware of that change. You can even get one bass like mine without knowing if it will come with the 18mm or 19mm, is basically a random stuff.
