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Lowest Profile 5 String Bridge?

Lownote38

Lownote38

Aug 8, 2013
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4,808
Nashville, TN
www.discogs.com
#1
I have a 5 string with a Hipshot A bridge on it. (It's a set neck construction, so no mention of shimming the neck, please). I'm trying to find a 5 string bridge where I can set the action much lower than I can with the Hipshot. The Hipshot bottoms out, and I'm not even close to where the action could be. The only remedy thus far is removing the string spacing adjustment spools from each saddle, and filing a slot in each saddle underneath that. That's how it is now, and even though it isn't noticeable visually, I'd rather have a different bridge that can go lower! Any suggestions are welcomed!
 
#3
sissy kathy said:
A bent plate will probably get you as low as possible without routing to inset the bridge:

Fender American Deluxe Jazz Bass V Bridge for 5 String

You can grind the saddles to get even lower too.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the suggestion! My only issue with the Fender 5 string bridges is the string spacing. It's too wide for my liking. Schaller has a bridge that seems to get much lower than a Hipshot does, and it still has adjustable string spacing. They're hard to find and really expensive, though!
 
#6
Lownote38 said:
Yikes! That's the most expensive price I've seen for that bridge. I've seen a few on eBay that were about $30 cheaper. I was hoping to find someone in the US to buy one from (if I go the route) so I could avoid the shipping fees to get it sent from Europe.
Click to expand...
I was addressing the 'hard to find' portion of your remark. I'm not in the habit of using anything other than a bent plate, so have no basis of comparison.
 
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#8
I'm confused.

Is this bridge original equipment on this axe, or was it added later? Is this a production axe or a custom?

My first thought would be the setup of this bass. It's rare that low action is simply a matter of lowering the bridge saddles as a fix. For instance, if you have too much relief in the neck (or, too much 'bow'), that will raise your action, or an incorrect nut, just as a few possibilities.

Austin is certainly not without good Guitar Techs. Have you had it evaluated by someone qualified? The fix may be present without changing bridges.

A little more info would help a lot to point you in the right direction, but I've been playing and adjusting my own axes for years, and I can't imagine bottoming out a bridge unless there were serious problems upstream.
 
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#10
JW56789 said:
I'm confused.

Is this bridge original equipment on this axe, or was it added later? Is this a production axe or a custom?

My first thought would be the setup of this bass. It's rare that low action is simply a matter of lowering the bridge saddles as a fix. For instance, if you have too much relief in the neck (or, too much 'bow'), that will raise your action, or an incorrect nut, just as a few possibilities.

Austin is certainly not without good Guitar Techs. Have you had it evaluated by someone qualified? The fix may be present without changing bridges.

A little more info would help a lot to point you in the right direction, but I've been playing and adjusting my own axes for years, and I can't imagine bottoming out a bridge unless there were serious problems upstream.
Click to expand...

Okay. Some clarification for you. The bass is a custom built bass with a set neck. The relief is perfect. The bridge the bass is equipped with is a Hipshot A style 5 string with pretty narrow spacing. I'm in Nashville, so yes, I've had more than a few qualified people look at it (including myself, and I am qualified). The issue is that I have not met another bass player who plays with action as low as me. With bolt on neck instruments, it was easy to get what I wanted by shimming the neck. I can't do that in this case. The Hipshot A saddles bottom out before I'm even close to how low I want the action. At the moment, The Hipshot saddles have the width adjustment piece removed, and a groove filed into each saddle below where that piece would be. That was the only way to get it where I want it. I don't like what I had to do to those saddles to make the bass work (although it plays perfectly now), and was wondering if there is a lower profile bridge than the Hipshot A. I've been setting up my own basses for over 20 years, because if I bring it to a pro, I always end up lowering the action anyway.
 
#11
OK, now then . . . . fortunately you've been around and know what's involved, and there are great techs in Nashville.

I'm going to assume when you say 'set neck', it's a glue joint, right? So . . . . . IF there's not a lower profile bridge to be had, then the only thing I can see is one of four things:

a) Steam the neck off (as you would a box guitar) and reset it to work for your action, or . . . .
b) Counter-sink the appropriate bridge, ala Spector, so you can have proper saddles and adjustments, or . . . . .
c) Steam off the fingerboard and lower the surface where it meets the neck, or . . . . .
d) New Bass Time !

I'd vote for either a) or b), provided there's no big finish issues involved, and this is an axe you want to spend this extra money on. There's enough Gibsons and acoustics floating around NashVegas that I'm sure there are qualified 'steam' guys. Or on the other hand, the guy that built it may be best for a neck reset. Routing a small recess to countersink the bridge would be the least invasive. D) by far is the easiest cure.

Your dilemma is not unheard of: The late John Entwistle's basses had action so low, they were virtually unplayable by anyone except him, so you are in good company.

Best of Luck !
 
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#12
JW56789 said:
OK, now then . . . . fortunately you've been around and know what's involved, and there are great techs in Nashville.

I'm going to assume when you say 'set neck', it's a glue joint, right? So . . . . . IF there's not a lower profile bridge to be had, then the only thing I can see is one of four things:

a) Steam the neck off (as you would a box guitar) and reset it to work for your action, or . . . .
b) Counter-sink the appropriate bridge, ala Spector, so you can have proper saddles and adjustments, or . . . . .
c) Steam off the fingerboard and lower the surface where it meets the neck, or . . . . .
d) New Bass Time !

I'd vote for either a) or b), provided there's no big finish issues involved, and this is an axe you want to spend this extra money on. There's enough Gibsons and acoustics floating around NashVegas that I'm sure there are qualified 'steam' guys. Or on the other hand, the guy that built it may be best for a neck reset. Routing a small recess to countersink the bridge would be the least invasive. D) by far is the easiest cure.

Your dilemma is not unheard of: The late John Entwistle's basses had action so low, they were virtually unplayable by anyone except him, so you are in good company.

Best of Luck !
Click to expand...

Okay. Here we go. Yes, the set neck is a glue joint. It is contoured so there isn't a heel, though. The neck blends right into the body. The finish is a clear gloss, so there would be finish damage that I don't want to deal with. Plus, the contour where the heel meets the body was done after the neck was set. I don't want to even have anyone try to take the neck off and re-set it. (addresses your option "a")
To address counter-sinking the bridge (option "b"). The Hipshot A has the quick string release, and those holes sit so low that the bridge could only be lowered (by counter-sinking) about a millimeter. That isn't enough. Most bridges with quick release are like this (unless there's a separate tail piece).
The fret board is rosewood, and if I had that steamed off, it would have to be raised and not lowered (option c) which would mean adding material. That would end up looking worse than the bridge saddles do (which only bother me anyway).
d) is not an option. This is a custom made bass that I love everything about... other than the bridge issue that throws off the geometry. I have other basses anyway. I don't need another one.
I'm simply looking for a bridge that will go lower than a Hipshot A (which is pretty chunky). I love this bass and am just posing a simple question regarding bridge height. The Hipshot bridge I have is black, so where I had to file the saddles is now gold. The other option I was thinking of was getting 5 new gold saddles from Hipshot ($25) and filing those. It wouldn't be nearly as obvious if the color stays the same. I wish they still offered the saddles with the piezo type saddle inserts. Those are still adjustable as far as the width goes, but you can get non-piezo inserts (that come with the KickA$$ Bridge) that will fit, and can be filed down.
 
#13
How far off is your action? 1/32", 1/64" more or less?

Can you mill down the back side of your Hipshot A? Someone with a machine shop or you might be able to do that yourself depending on your tools and time. That'll lower your bridge and get your action down.

If you don't have to take it down too much, you can almost grind it off by passing the back side of the bridge over and over on a full sheet of sandpaper and checking it with calipers to remove the amount needed.

The bridge could be inset into the the body but that would take near surgical removal of wood and risk would be high for finish marring.

Good luck!

Is this bridge?

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
 
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#14
bassdude51 said:
How far off is your action? 1/32", 1/64" more or less?

Can you mill down the back side of your Hipshot A? Someone with a machine shop or you might be able to do that yourself depending on your tools and time. That'll lower your bridge and get your action down.

If you don't have to take it down too much, you can almost grind it off by passing the back side of the bridge over and over on a full sheet of sandpaper and checking it with calipers to remove the amount needed.

The bridge could be inset into the the body but that would take near surgical removal of wood and risk would be high for finish marring.

Good luck!

Is this bridge?

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
Click to expand...

Yep. That's the one. One luthier suggested tilting it forward, or insetting it into the body on the front part of the bridge. Even at their lowest point, those saddles are more than an 1/8" too high due to the string spacing adjustment spool on each one. I don't think there's 1/8" I could grind down anywhere on the bridge plate itself. Plus, as I mentioned earlier, the quick release string holes on the back of the bridge don't have more than a millimeter below them, so if I did anything to grind down the back of the bridge, I wouldn't be able to get the ball end of the string in there. It's a crazy design in that the saddles themselves are higher than the bridge plate even when lowered all the way. I could get a new set of saddles in brass (gold color), and shave the bottoms of each saddle. I'm not sure that would even offer enough room, though.
 
#17
bassdude51 said:
You can look through this stuff and see if there's anything that clicks.

You might try calling Hipshot's customer service for advice and perhaps they might have a "rabbit in a hat" for ya.

Welcome to Allparts Music Corp. - Guitar, Bass, and Amp Parts Supplier

Go down 11 items to bridges and then go from there................
Link Removed
Click to expand...

You basically read my mind regarding contacting Hipshot. I contacted them today and am waiting for a response. They've been great in the past!

Oh yeah. I know all about Bass Parts Resource. I've purchased a bunch of stuff from there. Same with Allparts.
 
#19
Chasarms said:
I doubt there's a bridge out there that is going to get you 1/8" lower. That's WAY off. It's hard for me to believe a reputable could miss that much. Are you absolutely certain the neck relief is ideal?
Click to expand...

Yes. The relief is perfect. I am absolutely certain. This bass was built by hand. I've measured, and even an old Fender bent plate bridge goes lower than this Hipshot, so I was just asking if anyone knew of one. The person who built the bass isn't way off. It's the way I like my setups that's really different. He's used to people who really pound on the bass (slap, slap, and more slap), so they usually want much higher action than I do. I'd have the exact same issue with a Fender bass if you couldn't shim the neck on them. I should have thought about it when I had the bass built. Either way, the solution I am currently using works fine. I just wish there was a bridge that I didn't have to put a file to in order for it to get low enough.
 

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