I already am aware of the vastly superior design, functionality & ease of use when comparing the Hipshot Ric replacement bridge to a stock Ric bridge, but is there ANY measurable affect on tone or sustain if you go with the Hipshot?
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Hipshot's Rickenbacker Bridge - Benefits?
- Thread starter J Hud
- Start date
- Feb 16, 2008
- 21,240
- 23,636
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- John K Custom Basses
i actually prefer the stock bridge. on a ric that i played with a hipshot, the saddles wobbled a little bit due to them not having a sharp enough angle for a solid witness point.
the only thing i liked better about it is that you could palm mute the strings better when using a pick, but i almost never use a pick anyway. if i were going to get one, i'd get the aluminum one (as opposed to brass), since i've never been a fan of what high mass bridges to for the tone, but like i said, i don't have any problems with the stock bridge on either of my rics and love the way that they play and sound.
the only thing i liked better about it is that you could palm mute the strings better when using a pick, but i almost never use a pick anyway. if i were going to get one, i'd get the aluminum one (as opposed to brass), since i've never been a fan of what high mass bridges to for the tone, but like i said, i don't have any problems with the stock bridge on either of my rics and love the way that they play and sound.
Glad you like the stock bridge!
If I go with the hipshot (which I surely will since I, unlike you, am not a fan of the stock unit), I plan on modding the Hipshot bridge by milling holes in it to accommodate a string-thru body application. Yes, this means that I will be drilling the Ric and installing ferrules.
By going string-thru on that bridge I will greatly increase the angle of the strings before the saddles. This increased angle, from around 20 degrees to 70 or so, will in turn increase the down-pressure placed on each saddle and "should" effectively eliminate that infamous "saddle wobble' inherit to the Hipshot unit.
Alum vs Brass. Hard call. Alum is cool since it will facilitate a slight weight reduction in the over scheme of things. Brass is cool as it is of greater mass and could have a measurable impact on tone & sustain.
Hard call.
If I go with the hipshot (which I surely will since I, unlike you, am not a fan of the stock unit), I plan on modding the Hipshot bridge by milling holes in it to accommodate a string-thru body application. Yes, this means that I will be drilling the Ric and installing ferrules.
By going string-thru on that bridge I will greatly increase the angle of the strings before the saddles. This increased angle, from around 20 degrees to 70 or so, will in turn increase the down-pressure placed on each saddle and "should" effectively eliminate that infamous "saddle wobble' inherit to the Hipshot unit.
Alum vs Brass. Hard call. Alum is cool since it will facilitate a slight weight reduction in the over scheme of things. Brass is cool as it is of greater mass and could have a measurable impact on tone & sustain.
Hard call.
The adjustability of the Hipshot is very much superior, especially the side to side adjustment, of which the RIC piece has no adjustability.
This can center the string perfectly over the pickup pole when necessary.
The brass one is heavy, no doubt about it.
Everyone who has tried both says that the tone is different between the brass and aluminum pieces.
I only have a brass one to go by.
More sustain?
Maybe, hard to tell.
The tone is still close to the stock sound, but it's hard to A/B with what I have.
Wobbly saddles are the only real downside, and you have that accounted for already, so you should be good to go.
I did have to shorten two of the intonation screws (D + G) on mine, but that's no big deal.
This can center the string perfectly over the pickup pole when necessary.
The brass one is heavy, no doubt about it.
Everyone who has tried both says that the tone is different between the brass and aluminum pieces.
I only have a brass one to go by.
More sustain?
Maybe, hard to tell.
The tone is still close to the stock sound, but it's hard to A/B with what I have.
Wobbly saddles are the only real downside, and you have that accounted for already, so you should be good to go.
I did have to shorten two of the intonation screws (D + G) on mine, but that's no big deal.
- Feb 16, 2008
- 21,240
- 23,636
- Disclosures
- John K Custom Basses
Ric5
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- Jan 29, 2008
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- I like 5, 8, 10, and 12 string basses
Benefits - Palm muting and easier intonation. As far as tone I can't say. But there is a brass and an aluminum model. I would think the Aluminum would give more of a Ric tone.
i don't think the difference in bridge mass is going to affect the tone in a negative way. i didn't notice anything noteworthy when i did that mod a few years ago. rick purists sometimes say that the stock bridge gives it a more "springy" sound buuuut that's a bit of a stretch. functionality is by far the most worthwhile consideration when it comes to bridges, and since you've solved the saddle wobble problem i think you'll be happy with the mod.
Does anyone have any experience w/ the brass model? If so, have you noticed it adding any depth or fullness to the tone or any impact to the sustain?
I have tried the brass model numerous times on my basses. It really doesn't do very much for the tone at all except, maybe just maybe, remove some of the definition/clarity in favor of a slight warmth. MAYBE. It's really hard to hear even just that.
Considering these bridges saddle wobble like nobody's business I'm happy to use the stock bridge. I wouldn't even call the Hipshot vastly superior, or what have you, except for the fact that it is very easy to adjust string parameters like length, side-to-side, and height. Also, the guys I've talked to at Hipshot are really nice, and I think they are trying to redesign this bridge into something that really is "vastly superior". But it's taking a while.
I guess if you like high action you should consider one, as then it is less likely to saddle wobble.
My 4001FL currently sports a Hipshot; the previous owner put it on and I haven't bothered to replace it yet. Some day. Here's a pic of that bass in its current form:
Considering these bridges saddle wobble like nobody's business I'm happy to use the stock bridge. I wouldn't even call the Hipshot vastly superior, or what have you, except for the fact that it is very easy to adjust string parameters like length, side-to-side, and height. Also, the guys I've talked to at Hipshot are really nice, and I think they are trying to redesign this bridge into something that really is "vastly superior". But it's taking a while.
I guess if you like high action you should consider one, as then it is less likely to saddle wobble.
My 4001FL currently sports a Hipshot; the previous owner put it on and I haven't bothered to replace it yet. Some day. Here's a pic of that bass in its current form:
- Feb 16, 2008
- 21,240
- 23,636
- Disclosures
- John K Custom Basses
i understand that the hipshot is much easier to adjust the intonation, but once i set my action and intonation on the stock ric bridge, i never have to change it. i mean, IMO, it's not like you should be making intonation or action adjustments very often anyway.
I just installed the brass Hipshot (chrome) on my 4001 C64S. I highly recommend it in terms adjustability, stabilty and playability. I've never been happier with my Ric. That said, I'd be hard pressed to say that I've noticed a significant difference in the tone. In other words, I'd say that making the change is more or less tone neutral. I consider this to be a completely no regrets move.
I agree, I'm just throwing people a bone for the sake of harmony. I admit sometimes when I have to intonate a Ric bridge it gets irritating--not if I just have to do it once, but say if I change strings a few times, I get tired of the procedure. Still you're right, it's nowhere near as bad as people make it out to be. For me, the stock bridge makes a lot more sense than any of the aftermarket versions I've seen.
I have yet to mess with my stock bridge on my own, however, the last time I went to my tech for a full setup, he wound up pulling the bridge apart and "rebuilding it" (his words). the one irritating thing (besides the inability to palm mute w/ the stock bridge) was that when played unplugged there was a pinging plunky kind of sound that came from the bridge. I didn't even mention it to my tech, but he caught wind of it on his own and deemed the culprit to be "really sh***y screws and springs", and said the hardware they used to assemble the newer bridges was just garbage. He swapped out the screws and springs, and lo and behold the annoying sound is gone. Not that it had any improvement in overall tone, but still.
If you're going to go body through, consider offsetting the holes so that the G string has as sharp a down angle as possible, so that you get a tad more sustain and not quite as twangy a tone, and the E string as far back as possible so the break angle is less so you get as many overtones as possible, since sustain is not an issue with the mass of the E string.
But the stock bridge on my 4002 has been great for years stretching into decades. After settling on standard brand and gauge of string, I haven't had to intonate mine in years. So, even though a stock RIC bridge may be a little bit of an exercise to get where you need it in the first place, once it's there, it should not need adjustment, save only rarely.
Unfortunately, in the last few years there was an issue with RIC saddles, screws and strings. These have now been sorted out, and they are now the best they ever have been.
But the stock bridge on my 4002 has been great for years stretching into decades. After settling on standard brand and gauge of string, I haven't had to intonate mine in years. So, even though a stock RIC bridge may be a little bit of an exercise to get where you need it in the first place, once it's there, it should not need adjustment, save only rarely.
Unfortunately, in the last few years there was an issue with RIC saddles, screws and strings. These have now been sorted out, and they are now the best they ever have been.
I own three Ric 4003's.
One developed a little tail lift that wasn't really hurting anything at all. It had stabilized and still had plenty of break over the saddles.
I did a little research on the Hipshot and rolled the dice (aluminum).
No noticeable improvement in tone or function whatsoever. A slightly more versatile and complex saddle adjustment system that also is not what I would call an improvement over the original. The bass sounded virtually the same with the Hipshot as the original bridge. The only possible "benefit" is I'm certain the Hipshot will not develop tail lift due to its design. FWIW.
That's my experience. YMMV.
Finally some value-added insights! Thanks very much!
If it is true that Hipshot is redesigning their bridge, it would be killer if they built in a string damping pad like the stock version but one that was lever activated so I could engage it on-the-fly for selected passages of tunes live.
If it is true that Hipshot is redesigning their bridge, it would be killer if they built in a string damping pad like the stock version but one that was lever activated so I could engage it on-the-fly for selected passages of tunes live.
Their Tbird replacement bridge is a HUGE improvement over the Gibson floating design.....makes adjustments SO much easier. I'll never go back to the Gibson bridge. I just assumed their Ric bridge would be a huge improvement (adjustment wise) over the original Ric design.
For anyone who has one, could simple grinding on the bottom of the saddles fix the "wobble" problem or is is caused by something besides just shape?
