Crossing That Bridge

I think it’s a waste of time and money, but that doesn’t mean it is. It might make your bass sound slightly different. It’s not gonna necessarily sound better.

 

I like the high-mass vintage bridge that’s standard on most recent MIA Fenders. I have one of those beastly Bad Ass Fender version on my Dimension Deluxe and while I don’t have any issues with it, I’ve wondered if a standard MIA bridge would fit.

 

I've changed out 4 bridges for high mass bridges. It made a discernable difference on one bass (and quite an improvement). So according to my data, your odds are one if four if altered sound is your goal.

 

improvement/improved is subjective.
at best, "most people" would not hear a difference.
I myself have always gone back to the traditional-style bridge.

 

You know its only a piece of bent metal, but those original Fender bridges are tough to beat. I'd save my money.

Sometimes less is more.

 

only as a counter weight ( proven effective in some previous applications ) , I prefer the KTS bent type .

 

I was once a believer in high mass bridges. However, my ears and experience with them has since made me reach the conclusion that there’s far more hype than substance to their claims.

About the only reasons I can think of to swap out a bridge are either because: (a) the one you have is broken or otherwise defective; or (b) you don’t like the way your current bridge looks.

tl:dr - Save your money. Buy yourself some strings.

 

good point!

 

I think they look kinda cool. I have 2 fenders that came with hi mass bridges, I’d never drop $$ on one. I have considered, for no good reason particularly, that bridge that lets you tweak string spacing.

I vote no on the “upgrade”.

 

I have a babicz full contact bridge on my jazz bass. It pleases me. Mine is of the zinc variety so it isn’t high mass, but it’s rock solid where the old bent plate G saddle would always slide around sideways. I also feel that there was in improvement in tone. But that’s just how I feel, I can’t prove it. Either way it solved my sliding G saddle and both the engineering, stability, and perceived tone please me. I say upgrade your bridge if you want, especially if you’re having stability issues, or just want to try something new. There’s a lot of bent plate purists here that will get emotional and insist there is absolutely no reason to change a bridge from Leo’s most holy design, but hey, if that’s your idea of fun, have a little fun. $50 isn’t much to risk on it.

 

Heartily seconded. I don't give much thought to what kind of bridge is special to whoever, but the simplest way to think of it is to look at how a string vibrates: Any string, of any kind, will move the least at the spot where it's anchored. Even with a different anchoring spot, it's still not going to move much. Better pickups will do far more for one's sound than a bridge swap.

 

I have only ever changed bridges for looks. But I do think that the 2-Tek does make a difference.

 

I swapped out the stock bent-plate bridge on my Aerodyne to a Hipshot Kickass. It already had sustain for days, and it did not improve the sustain, sound, or tone at all. But it looks cool and it is easier to adjust string to string spacing. I am happy with the result, but it has more to do with cosmetics and assuaging a little OCD about string spacing than any improvement in tone.

 

The advantages of some high-mass and aftermarket bridges is they can make string changes easier and can be easier to adjust for string height and sometimes even string spacing. It can also make the body heavier to counter neck dive. The effect on sound is usually quite negligible in my experience.

 

And a bridge cover.

 

I put a Babicz bridge on an old Jazz bass.
Looked great and made set up easy, but it didn't really make that much of a difference otherwise.

 

I dropped a high mass bridge onto my Squier fretless Jazz. The standard one it came with felt a bit flimsy. The screw holes lined up exactly. I like the look and now I play like Jaco (not).