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I don't know why people hate on Fender bridges...

G

georgestrings

Inactive
Nov 5, 2005
9,730
145
#1
... I mean, have you ever tried to set up a Ric or a Gibson??? - their bridges absolutely BLOW, when compared to even the lowly, cheap bent tin Fender - let alone the current MIA Fender bridges... It doesn't take a genius to figure out that a person might want to raise or lower individual string saddles, or adjust intonation without using contortions - yet, it seems to have escaped Ric and Gibson...

I flipped a 4001 earlier this year, and just aquired a Gibson Thunderbird - but had forgotten just how crappy both their bridges were...


- georgestrings
 
#3
mmbongo said:
Scraping the string through the little metal hole in the back is the dumbest design ever. Other than that, they work. Use a Hipshot once though, and you'll want to rip that Fender bridge off with a crowbar.
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Used a Hipshot and would never replace a Fender bridge with one. There is a greatness in the simplicity and it's a design that has proven itself to be solid. Putting the strings through the back hole is not at all troublesome.
 
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#6
Spencer! said:
The Fender bridge sounds great but I can't use it because I need a quick-loading bridge. Unfortunately I hate the Hipshot A bridge that seems to be on every bass, so there aren't a lot of options.
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The Hipshot A bridge is heaven sent!

BUT, look into the Hipshot vintage bridge if you don't like the A. It's just like a Fender bridge, only built much better and it has quick load slots for the strings. No more ruining your strings by scraping them through that hole, super quick string changes, and you can even take the strings off without ruining them with this bridge.

vintage-5-stg-chrome.jpg
 
#7
georgestrings said:
... I mean, have you ever tried to set up a Ric or a Gibson??? - their bridges absolutely BLOW, when compared to even the lowly, cheap bent tin Fender - let alone the current MIA Fender bridges... It doesn't take a genius to figure out that a person might want to raise or lower individual string saddles, or adjust intonation without using contortions - yet, it seems to have escaped Ric and Gibson...

I flipped a 4001 earlier this year, and just aquired a Gibson Thunderbird - but had forgotten just how crappy both their bridges were...


- georgestrings
Click to expand...

I don't get it either. The bridge is perfectly fine, and it's a lot better than a number of other ones out there.
 
#8
mmbongo said:
The Hipshot A bridge is heaven sent!

BUT, look into the Hipshot vintage bridge if you don't like the A. It's just like a Fender bridge, only built much better and it has quick load slots for the strings. No more ruining your strings by scraping them through that hole, super quick string changes, and you can even take the strings off without ruining them with this bridge.

vintage-5-stg-chrome.jpg
Click to expand...

I've tried that, and it does seem like the perfect bridge but it doesn't quite sound like the Fender bridge. Dave at NYBW who builds my basses tried to get Hipshot to make a steel version and they wouldn't.

I HATE the A bridge....it's been a constant source of rattle and buzz on all of my basses due to the string saddles not being held in place by anything.
 
#9
mmbongo said:
No more ruining your strings by scraping them through that hole....
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In 32 years of playing bass, I've never once "ruined" strings by loading them through the hole in a Fender bridge. Not once. If you're ruining strings, then you are doing something wrong. Load them straight through with the saddle flipped sideways, pull aside slightly, re-seat saddle, put string on saddle...pretty simple, takes mere seconds.
 
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#10
Dark Horse said:
In 32 years of playing bass, I've never once "ruined" strings by loading them through the hole in a Fender bridge. Not once. If you're ruining strings, then you are doing something wrong. Load them straight through with the saddle flipped sideways, pull aside slightly, re-seat saddle, put string on saddle...pretty simple, takes mere seconds.
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I have to switch between flats and rounds quickly in the studio - getting strings that are already wound to the pegheads in and out through that little whole is a huge pain.
 
#14
How often are people changing strings where this is really an issue? I've used high-end bridges like Hipshot and Warwick and the lowly Fender bridge. I don't find any hassle in using a Fender and I imagine the quick-change feature is like the power seat option in cars: Oooh look fancy...but how often do you really use it? Personally, I mess w/ my strings once every 6-9 months. Once they're on, they stay there. If you're taking the same set on and off your bass constantly...you're killing your strings for one, and I think there's an issue that needs to be addressed somewhere else. As far as damaging the strings goes, I just can buy that pulling the strings through a Fender bridge is in any way destructive. Continuous abrasion? Yes, but not a quick pull through. To be perfectly honest, I've had more annoyance w/ the fancy bridges not holding my string ends while winding than any issue with the cheapos. Of course this is all IMO, IME, YMMV, etc, etc.
 
#15
Spencer! said:
I have to switch between flats and rounds quickly in the studio - getting strings that are already wound to the pegheads in and out through that little whole is a huge pain.
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Nah. I did about 6 string flops this past Friday night on my MIA Fender P with a bunch of old flats I had laying around and it was no issue. And honestly, that sounds like an issue you'd have on any bridge. I don't see how it's so much worse with a Fender bridge than any other.
 
#17
jmattbassplaya said:
Nah. I did about 6 string flops this past Friday night on my MIA Fender P with a bunch of old flats I had laying around and it was no issue. And honestly, that sounds like an issue you'd have on any bridge. I don't see how it's so much worse with a Fender bridge than any other.
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Because on modern bridges, you can remove the ball of the string out the top of the bridge. It is way quicker, no matter how fast you are at swapping strings with a Fender bridge.
 
#18
Spencer! said:
I've tried that, and it does seem like the perfect bridge but it doesn't quite sound like the Fender bridge.
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My old Schwinn Varsity frame doesn't ride like my Paramount. There's no reason to expect a Hipshot bridge to sound exactly like a Fender. How important is that to your audience? Or to you, and why?

I've had several Vintage bent-plate bridges and A-Style bridges. I would never think of asking Hipshot to replicate something that's already available for $10 from Hong Kong with one eBay click.

I HATE the A bridge....it's been a constant source of rattle and buzz on all of my basses due to the string saddles not being held in place by anything.
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Are you talking about Hipshot A-style bridges? Something most certainly is holding my saddles in place. It's the string, and they don't rattle at all. You may need to contact Hipshot and see if they can help you figure out what's wrong.
 
#19
My cheap Ibby has a simple bridge as well. I also have to feed the strings through the end plate. So what! It´s the combination of bridge and body which makes the quality. A simple bridge mounted firmly to a stable body acts as a heavy, massive reference point. To my opinion the simple L-shaped bridges are the real winners.
 
#20
RBrownBass said:
My old Schwinn Varsity frame doesn't ride like my Paramount. There's no reason to expect a Hipshot bridge to sound exactly like a Fender. How important is that to your audience? Or to you, and why?
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It's pretty important on my P bass because I'm trying to get the sound of a vintage one.



Are you talking about Hipshot A-style bridges? Something most certainly is holding the saddles in place.
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The saddles are held down by the strings, but nothing them is holding them in place. the side-to-side movement of the strings makes them rattle against the sidewalls, and the problem is compounded when using low-tension strings or drop tuning (both in my case).
 

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