High Mass Bridges vs. Vintage Bridges

[Batmensch]

Ed Friedland did an A/B test with the three Squier Classic Vibe models, The 50's and 60's P-basses, and the 60's Jazz and equivalent Fenders. The only one you could tell a difference between was the 60's jazz and a Fender Custom Shop 60's RI, and to me, the Squier CV had a more authentic 60's Fender tone than the CS. In that case at least, I believe a majority of people wouldn't be able to tell if the labels were covered.

 

[Makatak]

I have a stock bridge on my Jazz , it sustains for days and never moves .

 

[Zapp]

I can totally believe this.
I've had the "jazz bass[es] on steroids" et cetera.
I did side-by-side comparisons and the CV [current vintage] had the tone - the VM [squier] was close, and different a little, but the CV had the chops especially down low. surprising for its weight/mass and humble origin.

I don't say 'fender goofed'... I say Kudos to the whole Squier team

Ed Friedland did an A/B test with the three Squier Classic Vibe models, The 50's and 60's P-basses, and the 60's Jazz and equivalent Fenders. The only one you could tell a difference between was the 60's jazz and a Fender Custom Shop 60's RI, and to me, the Squier CV had a more authentic 60's Fender tone than the CS. In that case at least, I believe a majority of people wouldn't be able to tell if the labels were covered.

 

[jc-bass]

Hello guys!

I just wanted to share some helpful discoveries I made with the Fender vintage bridges.......it may sound very dumb,....but it can help with some peoples addiction to swaping bridges!

I´ve owned a lot of Fender basses and always noticed a somehow anemic sound with the G string, while the rest of the strings sounded tight and focused. I always ended up changing bridges (Hipshot, Badass....) which fixed the problem but gave the basses a different sound....which I noticed...

Last year I decided to make myself a jazz bass out of Warmoth parts and I used a Fender vintage bridge also. I followed a step by step clonation of a jazz bass I had, same wiring procedure....and same thing hapened.

What happens is that the Fender bridge plate flexed upwards not against the body, leaving the G side with an almost paper size gap between the body and the plate. Brought it to my luthier and he fixed the problem drilling two holes in the upper corners of the bridge plate and fixing it to the body with two more screws. Problem solved!

...but I realized that it´s not suposed to be like that.....so I took the bridge out to check out why it was not laying flat against the body.

I realised that the tip of the ground wire under the bridge (which is always bent to the G side so it makes an anchor anle) was giving enough space to lift the bridge up on the G string side...eventhough the bridge screws where puting all the pressure against it!!!!!

I checked out my other Fender basses.......same thing happened! So I just took the tip of the wire, and bent it to the side of the bottom, directed to the screws right in the middle of the bridge. Now the plate was laying right flat against the body!!!! Restringed and.....voilá!!!! Now it sounded great!!!

How dumb I was!!!! Did the same thing with my other Fender basses and...hey...G string is back!!!!

Just wanted to throw some help to those who find problems with these bridges.....they are great! Just, check out twice before you swap bridges cause chances are that this might be happening to yours. I´ve helped a couple of friends with the same problem, and they are happy as they can be!!! Always doublecheck that the bridgeplate is laying totally flat against the body...it´s supposed to do the work!




Cheers!.- JC

 

[pyroponic]

Lots of replies so not like this matters but my first impression when I read this thread title is that the wood of the bass body is what resonates and produces the tone. Not the bridge, that is just there to transmit the vibrations to the body of the bass. As long as that is made of high quality metal like steel or brass that is milled and not cast (for better conduction of sound waves) a simple vintage style bridge is fine. You can keep it simple and still have all the adjustment you need for the strings. Less mass on the bridge = less absorption of energy by the bridge and more transmitted into the wood body of the bass. Is my science right, it's just my inituitive response. I think that a large, heavy bridge will suck tone from your instrument, I would prefer a vintage bridge with massive anchor bolts instead of wood screws.

 

[EdHunter]

I swapped my tiny, pathetic original Fender bridge for a 201 and its been superb. Beforehand, due to my heavy touch, the strings would move around on the saddles, and the saddles themselves would slide all over the place. Stick on a nice chunky bridge with grooves for the saddles, and no more issues with any of that...

 

[Zapp]

pardon my total ignorance but what's a 201?

I swapped my tiny, pathetic original Fender bridge for a 201 and its been superb. Beforehand, due to my heavy touch, the strings would move around on the saddles, and the saddles themselves would slide all over the place. Stick on a nice chunky bridge with grooves for the saddles, and no more issues with any of that...

 

[Legattabass]

pardon my total ignorance but what's a 201?

Gotoh 201: Invalid Link Removed

Speaking of which, last night while putting on new strings I swapped OFF the 201 from my P Bass and was -amazed- at how much more articulate and chunky the tone was with the stock bridge restored.

To make sure it wasnt the strings, I tried the same new strings on the 201 again. Sure enough, the difference was in the bridge: to me, it sounded like the 201 improved sustain and "eveness" in tone (if that makes any sense) but robbed it of ... "Ooomph!" and warmth.

So, back to the stock for me. YMMV

 

[cnltb]

I recently tried a Gotoh 201 and ended up disappointed with it. I actually prefer the feel and sound of the stock vintage bridge on my MIM 60's Jazz. I really did not notice much difference in sustain like many people boast. The sustain of my bass is great with both bridges. I also prefer the softer feel of the cheapo vintage bridge vs. the higher tension of the 201, and I've tried both round core and hex core strings with both of the bridges, and my favorite combo was hex core with the vintage bridge - the feel here was perfect. And I even prefer the tone of the vintage bridge. The 201's tone was much heavier/bassier sounding than I suspected - too "heavy metal" sounding for me.

Anybody in agreement with me on this?

(I'm just bored right now. Looking for something to talk about).

For me the lighter the bridge the better, if the wood/material used for the instrument is good and it has been put together well.

 

[ack]

I haven't been playing long, and I'm trying to learn more about instruments by reading as many threads as I can stomach. There are two claims within this thread that leave me puzzled:

1. Several people mentioned the "feel" of a bridge. Please explain. Whether or not you have a HMB or a LMB, you shouldn't be able to "feel" a difference when you're playing.

2. Why is "sustain for days" important for a bass?

Trust me; I'm not trying to stir up any crap - I'm basically curious.

 

[michaeln]

jcbass, that's by far the most useful part of this entire discussion. Great detective work on your part!

 

[Batmensch]

I haven't been playing long, and I'm trying to learn more about instruments by reading as many threads as I can stomach. There are two claims within this thread that leave me puzzled:

1. Several people mentioned the "feel" of a bridge. Please explain. Whether or not you have a HMB or a LMB, you shouldn't be able to "feel" a difference when you're playing.

2. Why is "sustain for days" important for a bass?

Trust me; I'm not trying to stir up any crap - I'm basically curious.

1. Not sure. I know I can't feel the difference between the high mass bridge on my MIA Jazz and the low mass bridges on my other basses. Others may have different experience, although I don't see how.
2. Not everybody feels that way. It all depends on your playing style and what kind of music you primarily play. I play mostly blues and older R+B so I don't need or want a lot of extra sustain. AAMOF, I use a mute to reduce sustain a bit in order to get that vintage "thump", much like what Jamerson and other bassists of his era did. For my purposes, a low mass bridge is more appropriate. If you're into a more modern sound, say, like Geddy Lee just for one example, extra sustain might be desirable, and a high mass bridge might be appropriate.

 

[SchizoBassist]

I'd consider upgrading my vintage bridge but don't particularly feel the need for a high mass bridge. The older Fender Deluxe bridge, with grooves for the saddles, looks like an improvement on the standard low mass that can sometimes slide around a little. I'm not convinced that the screw pattern would line up though.

 

[tangentmusic]

I'd consider upgrading my vintage bridge but don't particularly feel the need for a high mass bridge. The older Fender Deluxe bridge, with grooves for the saddles, looks like an improvement on the standard low mass that can sometimes slide around a little. I'm not convinced that the screw pattern would line up though.

This bridge looks like a nice balance of a HMB and LMB.
Medium mass anyone? The grooved saddles are a plus.
With 7 screw holes, it may or may not line up with the Fender 5 holes, but just may work.

 

[Zapp]

I rather like the Musicman bridges [later models i.e. 2002 Sterling for instance]. Would that one be considered "high mass" or low or idk??

 

[bassgod76]

I'd consider upgrading my vintage bridge but don't particularly feel the need for a high mass bridge. The older Fender Deluxe bridge, with grooves for the saddles, looks like an improvement on the standard low mass that can sometimes slide around a little. I'm not convinced that the screw pattern would line up though.

I used this bridge in my Squier refurb. It's a pretty nice piece, and a vast improvement over the single slot saddle bridges. Also, the threads are more coarse, so they hold a string better from side to side movement versus the vintage bridge.
It requires the 3 screw mounting layout, which is not the same holes as the 5 screw. The 4 holes are for string-thru.

Mounted

Strung up

 

[blipndub]

I've got a Wilkinson bridge I pick up on eBay for my P-Bass. Brass saddles, and it looks exactly like a vintage-style bridge. Sustains like a mofo!

I like these too. Not because of sustain that makes no sense to me, but I like how stable it is.

 

[bass.strings]

I put a BadA$$ V on my 98' MIM Jazz 5 and WOW!!!!! Sounds so much better now.

 

[conqr]

First time I changed the cheapie VMJ bridge to a 201 I was not quite as impressed as I thought I'd be. I noticed a definite darkening of the tone - a little more low mid, less cutting bell like top end and no significantly discernible change in sustain. I figured it was partly due to the change of string height, material etc etc.

However the thing looks so cool I persisted with it until I got some top end back, and I do notice better articulation and sustain of harmonics especially. Overall it's a keeper.

 

[NortyFiner]

My Squier VM P is sporting a Gotoh 201, as have most of my past Fender/Squier basses. Why? A few reasons...

- Aesthetics. I think that traditional Fender/Squier stock bridges are a triumph of function over form; they fulfill their task adequately, but IMHO they feel flimsy when doing setups (I have broken screws on stock bridges) and they look cheap. The Gotoh both looks and feels more solid and reliable to me.

- Setup. The Gotoh has grooves that help keep my saddles and string-to-pickup alignment where they are supposed to be. I have had some problems with saddle movement and alignment on stock bridges.

That's it. No smoke and mirrors about sustain, tone, or any other magic words that you want to invoke. The Gotoh looks better to me, feels better when I am working on my bass, and helps keep my instrument properly set up, and to me, those things easily are worth the Gotoh's relatively mild $30 price tag. It's a subjective, yet practical judgement on my part.

Your mileage, of course, may vary.