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Custom Classic Jazz Bass

#41
Nice "A" flame & Quartersawn neck wood from what I can see.. and the body is a two piece book matched.. or so it appears..


The important thing is how do you like it?? Is it worth the $2K to you? That's the important thing. It is a real looker for sure!
 
#43
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I installed the badass quickly. Intonation and action took a few minutes. Okay, here's the verdict. It has changed the sound somewhat. It's warmer, and a little more resonant. Maybe a bit more "woody". I'm not 100% sure that I like the change, so I'm going to get the un-groved saddles professionally groved and the bass set up again (The badass included groved and un-groved saddles). I'll let you know what comes out of this. I like the way the badass looks (chunky) , but that doesn't really matter to me much. I'm more concerned with sound and anyway, the stock bridge looked great too. I may end up going back to the stock bridge, but I'll wait and see what can be done with the badass. If I had to leave it how it is now (without getting the saddles groved and getting a setup), I'd switch back to the stock bridge.
 
#44
Good report.. also did you notice a significant weight difference between the two? I know the BadAss came out to replace the older "vintage" and MIM bridges as they were a bit anemic in terms of weight, but the MIA and CS ones were beefed up considerably...

So let us know how it turns out, I'm most interested in your assessment.

Also, VERY interesting that the bridge did indeed affect tone.. As Denis had said (but then I didn't doubt him).
 
#46
Dr. Cheese said:
Put the original bridge back on. Those Badasses are for MIMs, not Custom Shop Basses.
Click to expand...


:eek:

I was sort of trying to same the same thing in my above post, but wanted to exercise a bit more tenderness... :D

Either way, he's gotta be happy with it, and I'm sure he'll figure it out.
 
#48
keewa said:
Geddy Lee and Marcus Miller. renowned MIM players?
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both of them originally played 70's models with those lighter bridges and no string thru body.. The original Geddy Lee bass was a '77.. and I think Marcus Miller's was a '77 as well. like I said above, the BadAss came out to replace the vintage bridges (and subsequently the MIM) bridges.. the new MIA bridge is a lot heavier. Geddy and MM both probably got used to the bridge and now they have it built onto their "signature" lines.. it's not a bad bridge, but you really don't need the "extra mass" anymore with the new bridge.
 
#49
Sam pretty much made my point. the Badass is not necessary on a top of the line Fender. It was created for a period when Fender bridges were deemed inadequate. Many people still that the Badass is an upgrade for the MIM basses. The Geddy and Marcus models have the Badass because they are meant to be replicas of those artist's basses.
 
#56
After changing the bridges out a couple of times, I decided to go with the stock Custom Shop bridge. My reasons:

The Badass gave the bass too much "wood", if that makes any sence. And it also seemed to pull out most of the harmonics. I was missing all those overtones. The fundimental was clear (and woody) but the bass seemed to lack something.

This Badass is going to my band's bass player, who has a MIM P-Bass. It may be cool for him.
 
#58
Cool. Well your experience with the Badass III is almost polar opposites of mine. My Harmonics rang louder and clearer, and it enhanced the sustain of each note. Also I didn't find that it gave it a more "woody" tone. In my instance it enhanced the growl with the Bridge pickup soloed and gave off more punch with an even blend of both pickups. By the way, my bass was an MIA Fender with the exact same bridge.

I'm glad you tried and realised which you prefer, it's all preference after all. But in no way can one persons opinion be used as a 'reference' for future topics. Let this be known.
 
#59
needmoney said:
Cool. Well your experience with the Badass III is almost polar opposites of mine. My Harmonics rang louder and clearer, and it enhanced the sustain of each note. Also I didn't find that it gave it a more "woody" tone. In my instance it enhanced the growl with the Bridge pickup soloed and gave off more punch with an even blend of both pickups. By the way, my bass was an MIA Fender with the exact same bridge.

I'm glad you tried and realised which you prefer, it's all preference after all. But in no way can one persons opinion be used as a 'reference' for future topics. Let this be known.
Click to expand...

Is your Jazz bass a MIM or MIA? If you replaced an MIM bridge with a Badass III, then your results make sense... if otoh you replace a MIA bridge with a Badass III, then that's an interesting result indeed.. but then each one bass is different, in terms of harmonic response, and tone woods..
 
#60
Read my post. I clearly stated it's an MIA Fender. I am not unsure of my experience, so there is no need to question it. And yes you are right that each one is different. His is Ash and mine is Alder. His has Rosewood fretboard, mine has Maple. I just wanted to share my experience, without bias. Thanks.
 

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