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Fender '75 American Vintage Jazz bridge upgrade

C

chrisfrancis27

Dec 6, 2011
5
0
London
www.gefunkt.co.uk
#1
Hey all

I've seen quite a few posts about replacing the stock bridge on a 4-string American-made vintage Jazz, but just want to be sure I'm making the right choice before I embark on replacing mine. First things first, reason for upgrading:

This is NOT a cosmetic issue. The factory bridge has been great for the 5 or so years I've had the instrument, but has started giving me no end of grief! The saddle height adjustment screws on the G string became loose in the threads, to the point where the natural vibrations actually shook them completely out, dropping my string height to minimum! From what I've read, this has happened to others too. I got replacements, but didn't realise the bottom of the screws weren't rounded like the factory ones, so they've started scratching into the bridge plate! But the main problem, aside from the screws being loose (I tried the nail varnish trick which works like a charm), is that the G-string saddle is slipping sideways and seriously affecting the tuning - in fact it even slid so far it fell 'off' the side of the bridge plate (the outer height-adjustment screw was directly against the body)!! I would have thought the string tension would pull it back to the right place, but this isn't happening. The saddle length adjustment screw for that saddle is visibly bent now too.

Basically, I think the lack of string-spacing grooves for the saddles is allowing them to travel way too freely, and I'm sick of having to nudge them back into position all the time. I do play with .45s and quite a low action, so that's probably a bit less tension than others, but it shouldn't be causing this much trouble. I don't do any crazy string bending, I don't thrash it around, but I do play a lot of slap and obviously that string gets 'popped' the most, so maybe that's a factor.

So, my question:

What, in your experience, is a great drop-in replacement bridge for an Invalid Link Removed It's a string-through with 5 mounting holes, I gather that's pretty standard. I had a look at the Gotoh, but it looks like the bridge plate is about 3 times thicker than the Fender! Could that prohibit me from getting a nice low action?

Any advice appreciated! :)
 
#2
Wow! If your g-string actually was pulled off the baseplate, there's something else going on as well!

Is the neck angle off? Maybe it has drifted downward so the neck needs to be adjusted to straighten it? Also make sure the bridge was located properly to begin with (on center-line and perfectly perpindicular to the neck).

Also (once the odd pulling issue is resolved), consider setting up your bridge saddles so they sort of 'arc', following the neck radius. I set up my vintage style Fender bridges so that the outside ends of the saddles are a little lower than the inside ends on the E and G strings. It seems to help hold the 4 saddles together and I don't get any drift.
 
#4
Thanks for getting back so quick!

Yeah, I totally didn't mean string-through body, it's just a regular rear-loading! My bad. :D

As for the neck being off, I definitely think that could have been a factor. I took it long-haul in the hold of a 747 (never again) and found the neck tension to have changed quite a bit, with a horrific "creak" when pressing down on it!! But I took the neck off, cleaned the groove and re-bolted it, and now that's fine. But the saddle is still slipping, so I reckon there is probably something else going wrong too.

The neck has a Micro-Tilt adjustment, so I could probably try tilting it further backwards (therefore pulling the strings tighter), but I'd worry about that affecting intonation. :hmm:
 
#5
The tension isnt the issue (and avoid using the micro tilt, it's better to shim the neck: wider point of contact with a shim). Assuming the neck is straight, try my saddle radius trick. That, along with nail polish in the slipping screw should do the trick. If not, you will need a bridge upgrade... Hipshot stuff is great & then there's the popular Leo Quann Badass II. Any new bridge will require a good set-up from scratch + possibly a neck shim if the plate is thicker.
 
#6
That is awesome, thanks so much man. I'll try adjust the saddles like you said so that they kind of arc slightly like an upright would, and yeah I'm whacking on the nail polish as we speak! (on the bridge, not my nails...)

Didn't know that about the micro-tilt either, guess it's more of a gimmick than a long-term solution.

Thanks!!
 
#7
chrisfrancis27 said:
That is awesome, thanks so much man. I'll try adjust the saddles like you said so that they kind of arc slightly like an upright would, and yeah I'm whacking on the nail polish as we speak! (on the bridge, not my nails...)

Didn't know that about the micro-tilt either, guess it's more of a gimmick than a long-term solution.

Thanks!!
Click to expand...

The micro tilt works, but I dont think it is a good long term solution as the neck just sits on a little set-screw. Its not good for neck/body vibration transfer. Almost every Peavey T-40 bass that I've repaired (also has a similar tilt adjustment) has a crack in the neck associated with the tilter.

Tilting your neck won't really change tension either. You will still have the same tension-at pitch, assuming you're using the same strings.
 
#9
Yeah threaded saddles are the key here and the cheapest option. I also have my saddles sit in a slight arc and they hold well. If you have to have a new bridge, Badass and Hipshot are drop in replacements that likely won't require neck tinkering.

Changing the neck angle won't mess with intonation! Nor will it increase string tension.
 

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