importance of the bridge on a jazz bass

There are a lot of opinions/preferences on bridges here on TB...I prefer vintage Fender.

 

I also prefer the Fender stamped steel bridge.

 

(vintage)

 

Me too

 

There are a lot of opinions on this & no "right" answer.

I just installed a BadAss on a friends Jazz that had the stock vintage style. Spent a lot of time with the instrument & I could detect zero tonal/sustain difference. He insists it sounds better. ?

If you've had trouble with bridge saddles drifting on a stock vintage bridge, then try a replacement. Virtually every popular bridge is good! I wouldn't expect a tonal difference though (unless you were already expecting a difference, in which case keep which ever makes you enjoy the instrument more!).

 

vintage so far, but i have a babicz "WANTED" post

 

I suspect you should get the one that looks best to you if you don't like the one you have.

I'm not saying there's no difference tonally, I'm just saying that you can probably get more improvement in tone from a few really good focused practice sessions.

Perhaps the best question is how is your current bridge failing you?

 

Out of all the bridge I like the Gotoh 201 the best



Still has the vintage vibe with the added mass, like the high mass bridges on the new American Fenders.

I just put one on my custom Fender Jazz Fretless bass.

 

My Badass bridge sits in the parts bin. It's a good bridge, but so is the original. Between the two, I prefer the vintage look. Tonally, the original style bridge may sound a little more organic and a little less metallic to my ears, but that may be a matter of hearing with my eyes. The real world difference is negligible.

 

I prefer the Fender American Deluxe from a few years ago, the one with the black springs and the 3 groove saddles. They have a heavier plate but look correct and you can adjust the string alignment.
Rocky

 

I like the newer fender ones or the aftermarket ones. The actual vintage bridges on those old fenders were not very kind to your knuckles.

 

Bridges are important on all basses....

 

Okay, I 'm intrigued with this statement. How does a bridge hurt your knuckles?

 

+1 on the Gotoh

 

I spent ungodly amounts of money in super bridges.
I did a lot of testing and finally realized that they didn't change much to the tone.
Now I go by looks and features.
Does it fit the idea I have for the bass? Is it easy to set up? How fast do I load strings in there?
To me it's all that counts.

 

i really like the Babicz Full Contact Hardware bridges. lots of sustain

 

I love the Babicz FCH look, adjustability and resonance...

 

I feel that while the Fender vintage threaded saddle bridges aren't the most stable on the market, they are part of what makes up the Fender sound. There is an airyness to the acoustics that just aren't there with the big clunker bridges.

 

Like said, difference in tone between bridges is hardly noticeable. A well mounted bridge will never need to be adjusted sideways, So a simple bridge does the job > go by looks.

Changing the nut will have a far greater influence: bone: more punch, graphite: more sustain.

If you want to really improve your tone, buy top notch pickups.