Need Opinions on High Mass Bridges

[Thegrandwazoo]

I use higher-mass bridges on Fender-style builds not because they make much of an audible difference (they do, but not enough to hear or benefit from in any real-world situation), but because they're usually a lot more solid and never move around unless I want them to. A bent-steel bridge gets the jerb done just fine, but if I have my druthers when the instrument's assembled, I always use something a bit more substantial. I LOVE my Music Man bridges, and they're not especially 'high-mass', they're just rock-solid.

 

[Thegrandwazoo]

A lot of major brands don’t seem to know that the vibration of your string enters your bass Only at the bridge and the nut. So if you can justify 10 seconds discussing tone wood or neck construction then why disregard the bridge with cheap bent sheet metal? I’m talking to you Fender. I love Fender basses. Step 1, I buy a bass. Step 2, if it’s a Fender I replace the bass with something purpose built to transfer the string vibration to the body.

Yeah, but with solid bodies a lot of that stuff simply doesn't matter. I know, I'm a filthy heretic and can never be trusted for any reason, but seriously, strings, pickups, technique and controls/preamp are 90+% of solid body tone.

 

[Thegrandwazoo]

No comment on a high mass improving tone, not my jam.

I like a nice piece of machine work too, including how it's finished. The Babicz is nicely made, well designed, and looks the part. I have a couple and like them a lot.

On the basis of looks, in the high mass dept, I like Fender's Big Block bridge. It's just beautiful.

View attachment 3839592

Wow, that is a gorgeous bridge! Can those be had separately, are they super-solid side-to-side (looks like they have grooves for the height adjustment screws), and do they use standard Fender screw patterns? I've used Hipshot 'A' bridges on builds for a long time, but they're honestly not so great and I REALLY like that design.

 

[bassrique]

If you can drop in the strings for a quick change, then it's a good idea. Otherwise I'll say lightweight tuners are a better choice.

 

[JimmyM]

I don't like high mass bridges, but I really like the saddle work on some of them. Wouldn't call Babicz high mass, though...it's aluminum and decidedly lower mass than most. But I just went through replacing all my high mass bridges on my Fenders with Fender threaded saddle bent plates, and I'm not looking back.

 

[Kukulkan61]

My Pbasses came with high mass bridges from the factory,I consider these high mass, I switched the bridge on my jazz for aesthetics only but I've always liked the vintage threaded saddle bridges of Fender..

 

[Iridescentone]

If you're wondering it's going on a Blonde Fender Classic 50's PBass.

If your Classic 50's P is like mine was, then I don't blame you for dumping the stock bridge. Mine was flimsy, with narrow gage intonation screws and sloppily machined threads. Junk, really. The result was the 1st string saddle always wanting to slide away from its neighbors.

Replaced it with a proper, more robust, Genuine Fender Vintage bridge. Wider gage intonation screws with tighter thread tolerances, heavier bent steel plate, and of course threaded saddles for the ultimate ease of string spacing adjustments. One of Leo's more effective designs (IMO), and yet so simple that it's hard to improve on in terms of functionality. $28 from MF on ebay. Problem solved.

Still, while that original Fender bridge design works very well....it ain't particularly pretty to look at, so I'm with you on getting something "nicer".

 

[HalfManHalfBass]

The only good feature I like about some 'high mass' bridge upgrades are those that allow for easy string changes.

I hate bridges that need the whole string length to be threaded through a tiny hole and the risk of burning through the body finish behind the bridge as the string acts like a file.

Apart from that, as mentioned before, you can use a heavy brass bridge to balance a neck heavy bass better.

Personally, I have always found those that allow for adjustable string spacing a waste of time and unnecessary effort. I only want 19mm on my 4s and 18mm on my 5s, and the bass should have been built well enough from the start to have its strings perfectly centralised between the fretboard edges and over the pickup poles.

 

[Anthony Fury]

"Sustain? Because you're playing a lot of ballads? The longest note I've ever heard someone play on a bass happened inside of 3 seconds of a bunch of slapping and that was it." -a really famous bass guitar maker

I will piggyback on the "it might matter, but not enough for you to care about" thoughts. I have a 6061 aluminum bridge on one bass and a wood bridge on another...they both play and sustain as much as any other bass.

 

[BurtMacklinFBI]

I don't know whether or to what extent a high mass bridge affects tone. What I do know is that I have two Gibson Thunderbirds with Babicz bridges and I don't experience anything like the terrible neck dive people often complain about when discussing 'Birds. Granted, given the attitudes around here toward Gibson it's safe to assume some people are probably exaggerating a little bit, but I suspect the main reason I'm not having these terrible neck dive issues is that nice, heavy bridge.

 

[Swerve]

I notice a difference but it’s mostly tactile and when unplugged. Take an unplugged jazz bass with rounds, slap an open E with a high mass bridge and there is a tighter, more focused, percussive sound that sustains out longer than with an old school bridge. But once I plug in through the amp I can’t really hear a difference.

One other thing I’ve noticed is the high mass bridge can make the strings feel more stiff, especially if you play with flats.

 

[Spectre Gunner]

Ray Ross Bridge. The best engineered bridge ever designed (just my opinion). Holds the strings straight without crossing a bridge like a piano wire, easy and straightforward to adjust, bolt on replacement for Fenders and maybe some others. But this is how a bridge should have been made to begin with. What is the benefit of having the wire bend up over the saddle? Yeah, you can get buy with it but why do that when something else exists? The bridge is not something Leo got right the first time (again, just my opinion). In fact his earlier bridges only allowed you to intonate strings in pairs, not individually. That came later. This is innovative and makes you wonder why no one designed it like this in the first place. Bu the obvious reason is that the machining would have cost much more to do this back in '51. Today, we have sophisticated CNC machines and this is one case of taking advantage of new technology to improve a bass component.

Back in the day, it was just easier and faster to simply fold a small piece of sheet metal 90 degrees, poke some holes in it, tap some threads and keep the assembly line moving fast. One issue I have with that old bridge design is it that the 90 degree bend it is not rigid. It if flexes even minutely, then it is absorbing string energy which shortens sustain and may effect tone + or -. Most 50-'s-60's bass players were not so critical as they are today. But many players are more sophisticated and demanding these days.

There is nothing wrong with using a classic design bridge especially, when you are trying to capture more of that classic sound or upright sound and especially the vintage look.

Some are adverse to change and trying something different takes some time to adjust before forming a fair option. I'm not married to the past and I'm willing to try different things, I might be surprised and actually like it (or not). But hey, at least I experimented and learned something.

Ray Ross Bridges - Ray Ross Bass Bridge

 

[JimmyM]

Ray Ross Bridge. The best engineered bridge ever designed. Holds the strings straight like a piano wire, easy and straightforward to adjust, bolt on replacement for Fenders and maybe some others. But this is how a bridge should have been made to begin with. What is the benefit of having the wire bend up over the saddle? Yeah, you can get buy with it but why do that when something better exists? The bridge is not something Leo got right the first time. In fact his earlier bridges only allowed you to intonate strings in pairs, not individually. That came later. This is innovative and makes you wonder why no one designed it like this in the first place. Bu the obvious reason is the would have cost much more to do this back in '51. It was just easier and faster to fold sheet metal.

Ray Ross Bridges - Ray Ross Bass Bridge

Can't agree. I don't like the speaking length of the string to have the ball end winding as part of it, and couldn't care less if there's a bend in the string at the saddle. It's never affected the sound adversely, nor has it contributed to breakage unless the angle was ridiculous. But hey, if you dig it, have fun.

 

[AlexanderB]

As for some/many people not hearing a difference...

I have two visually identical Ampeg cabs, but one is stock (typical fat, slightly growly Ampeg tone), and the other has Eminence Deltalite II 2510 drivers in it.
They sound way different, and I can tell quickly which one is which.For band practice, I bring either of them, plus my LMII.

The rythm guitar player, seasoned pro and also very good bass player, and very interested in gear, cannot say which is which... I do not expect him to identify a bridge upgrade!
However, the trumpet player, also a seasoned pro that kwows NOTHING about bass amps or PA, spontaneously commented on my bass sounding much clearer and more articulate when I at one occasion brought my rack pre + AB power amp, instead of my regular LMII!

So no, a lot of you will hear no difference, because you do not have the capacity. And yes, some of you will hear it.

 

[Hopkins]

So look, I know this isn't as hotly contested as "tonewood" or even poly vs nitro. BUT! Is a high mass bridge worth the cost?

I design water and sewer systems now, but I ran a machine shop for 15 years before and I appreciate nice machine work. I think it's cool, so a nifty hunk of metal is just beautiful to me. I really want to buy a Babicz bridge ONLY because it looks awesome - tone is not the priority here (despite the poll option).

Do you like high mass bridges? Hate them? What's your faves? Also if you have a Babicz let me know how you like it.

If you're wondering it's going on a Blonde Fender Classic 50's PBass.

The Babicz isn't anything I would consider high mass. It weighs less than a bent steel stock bridge.

 

[Spectre Gunner]

I don't think the marketing folks would appreciate science stepping on their marketing toes. So it's always going to be subjective.

However, one thing is for sure, every little upgrade even small is eventually going to add up to one major upgrade. All the little subtle things you can do for your instrument is going to accumulate into a significant impact or upgrade or at least something audible. That's my theory for what it's worth.

Too bad there is no real science to back up any claims. But for now, my ears and subjective belief is all that I have to go on until some real science can finally prove something.

 

[okabass]

I feel that standard 7ender bridge and a hi mass can both work very well.
I made this hi mass bridge in 1979. It weights 271 grams or 0,6 lbs.
Dropbox - IMG_20200523_115139.jpg - Simplify your life
It has 7ender saddles and made of bearing bronze. I used it some years and then back to standard 7ender bridge. Then some 20 years with a WAL bridges (and basses). Now some 5 years 7ender bridges. I perhaps give it a try again.

 

[TrevorG]

I have a high mass on my ultra p. It's not just the length of sustain but the richness of tone that remains that impresses me. I prefer the look of the old bridges but not enough to lose any of the guitar's character..

 

[Lagado]

I changed out a high mass to a low mass, there was no discernible difference. Ever heard a P or J bass with a sustain problem because of the bridge? Me neither.

 

[GravyGoodness]

.....I just went through replacing all my high mass bridges on my Fenders with Fender threaded saddle bent plates, and I'm not looking back.

That's on mine and it hold the strings just as well as all these fancy ones were all blabbing over here. I would like to know though, why you specifically chose those to replace your other bridges with?