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Hipshot's Rickenbacker Bridge - Benefits?
- Thread starter J Hud
- Start date
I have a Hipshot on my 4003 and have never had any issues with "saddle wobble". Again, I love the adjustability of this unit. It's solid ... As for tone, I've noticed no real differences (at least to my ears). I'd recommend it based on the ease of adjustment alone.
Main benefits: ability to palm mute and play closer to the bridge; ability to adjust string spacing (needed on my Rick 3001).
Negatives: wobbly saddles - it's a real issue, but not maddening.
Neutral as to tone (aluminum) and appearance.
All in all, it's a slight positive for me for this particular bass. You have to balance whether you feel like paying this much for a slight benefit... it will not change your world.
Negatives: wobbly saddles - it's a real issue, but not maddening.
Neutral as to tone (aluminum) and appearance.
All in all, it's a slight positive for me for this particular bass. You have to balance whether you feel like paying this much for a slight benefit... it will not change your world.
I had the brass one on a Univox Stereo Bass (Ric copy), and I did not experience any saddle wobble. I remember getting the brass one specifically because someone here on TB had mentioned that the aluminum Hipshot's height adjustment screws were not tight enough, causing the saddles to creep down as the bass was played. The brass bridge I had did not do that at all.
Tone-wise, I could tell no difference from the stock bridge. Same long sustain, same punch, same clank.
Tone-wise, I could tell no difference from the stock bridge. Same long sustain, same punch, same clank.
Bingo!
If you have spacing or intonation issues with the stock unit, the Hipshot solves this completely.
The adjustability is excellent.
Hiho,just a quickie-Glad to hear that not many people notice any change in tone or sustain-That to me is a quality job,keeping the same tone and sustain-ie character is a hard job to pull off.
I love mine,it looks the nuts ,playability is superb without those screws trying to shred your hands and easy to adjust.Mind you if you keep the same strings and gauge you do it once.
+1 on the ground-cut the ring off,tease the ends of the cable out a bit and jam it under the bridge as you tighten the screws up,mine has been like that for years-no problems.
I love mine,it looks the nuts ,playability is superb without those screws trying to shred your hands and easy to adjust.Mind you if you keep the same strings and gauge you do it once.
+1 on the ground-cut the ring off,tease the ends of the cable out a bit and jam it under the bridge as you tighten the screws up,mine has been like that for years-no problems.
+1
My only difference was I got the wobble to stop. There's a trick to it, you have to work with them for awhile, but they will stabilize. In its own way, the Hipshot is as idiosyncratic as the stock bridge, which makes me wonder why people talk it up so much.
I put a Hipshot on a 4003 that had a little more tail lift than I was comfortable with (a tiny bit of tail lift is normal and you see it in the vast majority of Rics). The lift had stabilized and had been the same for over a decade, so it wasn't getting any worse, and there was still plenty of string break over the saddles.
I put an aluminum Hipshot on anyway just to see what would happen. Again, fussy saddle adjustment, and no noticeable improvement in playbility or tone for me.
Once I get the stock bridges on my 4003s adjusted, they are set for a long, long time.
Just put one on here.
The only issue I had was the CHEAP screws as one sheared off during the install and had to be drilled out(PITA). Did the "ground wire" thing.
The only issue I had was the CHEAP screws as one sheared off during the install and had to be drilled out(PITA). Did the "ground wire" thing.
The Hipshot bridge functions exactly like a Fender bridge with the added lateral adjustment feature, a nice touch. Nothing magical or mysterious. I don't understand why it should need to settle in, stabilize, what have you.
On Fenders you simply adjust the strings to the height you want, correct the intonation when you change the strings and off you go. Same with the Rickenbacker. I've never had to use duct tape or loctite on a Rickenbacker bridge just to render it playable.
The hipshot is a nice idea from a fine company (and looks killer) but it let me down on the gig. Trying it out allowed me to appreciate the vastly superior reliability of the stock bridge.
On Fenders you simply adjust the strings to the height you want, correct the intonation when you change the strings and off you go. Same with the Rickenbacker. I've never had to use duct tape or loctite on a Rickenbacker bridge just to render it playable.
The hipshot is a nice idea from a fine company (and looks killer) but it let me down on the gig. Trying it out allowed me to appreciate the vastly superior reliability of the stock bridge.
"...but is there ANY measurable affect on tone or sustain if you go with the Hipshot?"
Speaking of the brass hipshot replacement, I would say the answer to your question is, No.
HOWEVER, I found that it improves the feel of the bass. With my old bridge (on my '76 4001), which had been lifted for years, plucking the strings created a slight rattling feel. Hard to explain. It was similar to the feel I get when I play many semi-hollow basses. I prefer a feel that is more solid and chunky. The hipshot got me there.
Speaking of the brass hipshot replacement, I would say the answer to your question is, No.
HOWEVER, I found that it improves the feel of the bass. With my old bridge (on my '76 4001), which had been lifted for years, plucking the strings created a slight rattling feel. Hard to explain. It was similar to the feel I get when I play many semi-hollow basses. I prefer a feel that is more solid and chunky. The hipshot got me there.
Wow deja voodoo zombay.
My 2 cents,the aluminum hipshot is fab,i’ve had them on 2 different basses,experienced NONE of the alleged wobbling or any other problems. They aluminum one pretty much retains the sound of the OEM,and is about the same weight. Sonic improvements from my experiences are better consistency across all 4 strings.
My 2 cents,the aluminum hipshot is fab,i’ve had them on 2 different basses,experienced NONE of the alleged wobbling or any other problems. They aluminum one pretty much retains the sound of the OEM,and is about the same weight. Sonic improvements from my experiences are better consistency across all 4 strings.
The new bridge allows an old school foam mute. I use this on my P-bass and love the tone and feel.
I can't speak for Hipshots, I've never owned one.
I know most people don't use the stock mute, but I've started to. I trimmed down the stock mute on my MapleGlo Rick (with flats). It's nice to be able to 'dial in' the amount of mute you want. 1/4 turn of each mute screw changes the sound of the bass. I don't use the mute on my Fireglo Rick (with rounds), so I removed the top mute screw, as it digs into my hand. So I guess you would lose the adjust-ability of the mute on a Hipshot (if you use the mute...).
I know most people don't use the stock mute, but I've started to. I trimmed down the stock mute on my MapleGlo Rick (with flats). It's nice to be able to 'dial in' the amount of mute you want. 1/4 turn of each mute screw changes the sound of the bass. I don't use the mute on my Fireglo Rick (with rounds), so I removed the top mute screw, as it digs into my hand. So I guess you would lose the adjust-ability of the mute on a Hipshot (if you use the mute...).
