New Bass Player Question

[Derekuda]

Hello all,
I recently started learning bass and bought a used bass guitar on craigslist. I had a buddy look at it a little later on and he told me one of my saddles is broken. I looked a lot on ebay and eventually found out what bridge it is, and its an Ibanez Accu cast BII Bass Guitar Bridge. The thing is, every time I find one, they range from $150 to $250 dollars! Is there a reason its so expensive? Is there anywhere I can buy replacement saddles for this bridge?

I feel like maybe I have shot myself in the foot buying a used bass.

The bridge and saddles look exactly like the picture below i found on an ebay listing.

Thanks in advance for any help.

 

[Stylee Mousse]

Put up a picture of your broken saddle. And the bridge as a whole.

There may well be a simple and inexpensive way to fix this.

 

[TheDuff]

Interesting.

I have never seen a bridge exactly like that.

Ibanez has a reputation for producing great affordable guitars.

If it needs to be replaced many bridges are available but the screw pattern might require that you align and position a new bridge and drill new holes.

No big deal if you think and go slow.

If you need to get a new bridge there are many very inexpensive bridges for it available on places like Am a zon.

On the other hand pictures of the saddle will show if something can be done to remedy the situation.

 

[buldog5151bass]

I would buy a bridge with threaded saddles, so you cam adjust spacing if necessary. You'll have to re-drill holes, but it's not that difficult, as long as you get scale length correct. I'm not really familiar with Ibanez, but they are known to have tighter string spacing. This will allow you to get the right spacing (and its inexpensive).

https://www.ebay.com/itm/363357132379?chn=ps&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-117182-37290-0&mkcid=2&mkscid=101&itemid=363357132379&targetid=2295557531950&device=m&mktype=pla&googleloc=9003427&poi=&campaignid=21388819155&mkgroupid=173029508548&rlsatarget=pla-2295557531950&abcId=9447217&merchantid=7874024&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=21388819155&gbraid=0AAAAAD_QDh8jlJbxX8P87vb3DFkm0xh5m

 

[MD]

Ask here - https://www.talkbass.com/threads/the-ibanez-club-part-6.1011701/

 

[red_rhino]

$150 to $250 dollars!

Yeah, that seems way too expensive. What model Ibanez did you buy? Post pics of the bass and closeup of the bridge.

I would buy a bridge with threaded saddles, so you can adjust spacing if necessary. You'll have to re-drill holes, but it's not that difficult, as long as you get scale length correct.

I don’t think spacing is the issue the OP is trying to resolve, and drilling new holes is not something I would recommend unless there’s no other solution. Even then, unless you’re confident in your woodworking skills, take it to someone who’s experienced at doing that.

 

[Derekuda]

Put up a picture of your broken saddle. And the bridge as a whole.

There may well be a simple and inexpensive way to fix this.

So the circled part is supposed to be a screw. Whatever it is, is completely seized up and I cannot get it out. I cannot lower or raise this saddle at all because of it.

 

[Derekuda]

I would buy a bridge with threaded saddles, so you cam adjust spacing if necessary. You'll have to re-drill holes, but it's not that difficult, as long as you get scale length correct. I'm not really familiar with Ibanez, but they are known to have tighter string spacing. This will allow you to get the right spacing (and its inexpensive).

https://www.ebay.com/itm/363357132379?chn=ps&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-117182-37290-0&mkcid=2&mkscid=101&itemid=363357132379&targetid=2295557531950&device=m&mktype=pla&googleloc=9003427&poi=&campaignid=21388819155&mkgroupid=173029508548&rlsatarget=pla-2295557531950&abcId=9447217&merchantid=7874024&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=21388819155&gbraid=0AAAAAD_QDh8jlJbxX8P87vb3DFkm0xh5m

This seems like a reasonable price. Let me ask you, could i buy saddles similar to this style and just stick them in my current bridge or is something like that not possible/won't work?

 

[buldog5151bass]

This seems like a reasonable price. Let me ask you, could i buy saddles similar to this style and just stick them in my current bridge or is something like that not possible/won't work?

I don't know if the screws are the same pitch, or if the saddle is narrow enough. It's a maybe.

 

[Derekuda]

Yeah, that seems way too expensive. What model Ibanez did you buy? Post pics of the bass and closeup of the bridge.

I don't actually know what the model is. There are no markings anywhere other then a serial number on the back.

 

[red_rhino]

So the circled part is supposed to be a screw. Whatever it is, is completely seized up and I cannot get it out. I cannot lower or raise this saddle at all because of it.

This is not an uncommon problem. The replacement parts are easily available. Search “bass guitar saddle screws” and you’ll get a ton of options. Monsterbolts, Allparts, StewMac, etc.

monsterbolts.com

Your challenge is getting the old one out without destroying the saddle threads. WD40 or some sort of penetrating oil and let it sit for a while. If that doesn’t work, take to to a local guitar repair shop; they’ve probably dealt with this before. This should be fixable without replacing the entire bridge.

 

[hvymetallurgist]

Beautiful bass! Looks an awful lot like an 90s RD707, don't think I've seen one with those EMG Select pickups, but they're great. I was worried as I started reading that you might have an older Ibby with a sculpted body (like a Saber) which would complicate things. My vote would be to look at any aftermarket bridge given the slab body - will need to drill new holes in all likelihood, but no biggie.

Alternatively if you know someone with an ultrasonic cleaning bath, you could drop it in and that seized grub screw will eventually be removable as all the funk comes off. Can get replacement grub screws at a hardware store (I'd replace all at once)

 

[ElectricMessiah]

Ive stripped and rebuilt these before, its common for the grub screw to seize in the saddles due to the nature of two dissimilar metals oxidising differently, they basically fuse together if left unlubricated.

I would take it to a machine shop for the best results if you are unsure what you are doing, these saddles are bespoke for this particular bridge and as far as ive searched there are no modern replacements. It would be possible to machine four new brass saddles using 12mm thick brass rod although it would be a custom job and probably worth more than your willing to pay. Used saddles do appear on the used market from time to time, you can expect to pay maybe $20 each saddle (give or take)

Here's one i had with a snapped intonation screw that i managed to remove. Your guitar appears to be an Ibanez RD707

 

[Lobster11]

It occurs to me that given that the bass has this problem it probably hasn't been properly set up in a while. It would be worth bringing it to a shop for a professional setup, and you can ask when you bring it in if they can fix this and what it would cost.

 

[Derekuda]

Beautiful bass! Looks an awful lot like an 90s RD707, don't think I've seen one with those EMG Select pickups, but they're great. I was worried as I started reading that you might have an older Ibby with a sculpted body (like a Saber) which would complicate things. My vote would be to look at any aftermarket bridge given the slab body - will need to drill new holes in all likelihood, but no biggie.

Thank you for the compliment and advice.

 

[Derekuda]

Ive stripped and rebuilt these before, its common for the grub screw to seize in the saddles due to the nature of two dissimilar metals oxidising differently, they basically fuse together if left unlubricated.

I would take it to a machine shop for the best results if you are unsure what you are doing, these saddles are bespoke for this particular bridge and as far as ive searched there are no modern replacements. It would be possible to machine four new brass saddles using 12mm thick brass rod although it would be a custom job and probably worth more than your willing to pay. Used saddles do appear on the used market from time to time, you can expect to pay maybe $20 each saddle (give or take)

Here's one i had with a snapped intonation screw that i managed to remove. Your guitar appears to be an Ibanez RD707

View attachment 7518922View attachment 7518918View attachment 7518919View attachment 7518920View attachment 7518921

That looks absolutely AMAZING! How hard was that to do?

 

[ElectricMessiah]

@Derekuda For me it was pretty straight forward although im a vehicle mechanic to trade so seized nuts and bolts is just like bread and butter for me, your skill set and your results may vary. I painted mines with enamel paint but in hindsight i should have done powder coat instead.

I would encourage you to take it to a machine shop/engineering shop to have them remove the fastener, its just an M3 allen grub screw, its a very common and globally available fastener, these particular ones are grade 10 high carbon steel, the material the saddle is made from is called ZAMAK, which is an alloy of zinc, tin, brass, copper etc.

I wouldn't encourage you to punch new holes in the face of the guitar to fit a new bridge when you can just watch the used market and pick up a saddle for $20-30, you may have to wait a while before one turns up but they are available. When you do get the saddle fixed or if you manage to find a replacement, strip the whole thing down if you want to refurb it, if you don't have the skills to refurb it then at the very least make sure the fasteners all move freely and lubricate them with a very small amount of grease or oil.

Its not difficult work but as i said, it largely depends on your skill set. Also worth noting that because this is a Japanese instrument, all measurements and fasteners are metric

Good luck

 

[tpaul]

Can you turn the broken screw from underneath with a vice grips, after letting it soak in WD40?

If not, is the saddle with the broken screw sitting too low, too high or just right?
If just right = no need to rush into a repair. Just play it.
If too low = stick a coin under it.
If too high = either the broken screw is sticking out a lot underneath in which case see my previous comment about the vice grips; or you need a neck adjustment. You may be able to increase the neck tilt with an adjustment or a shim and raise the other saddles to match the broken one.

If none of this makes sense to you, take it to someone who repairs guitars and basses.

 

[JamesGrant]

So the circled part is supposed to be a screw. Whatever it is, is completely seized up and I cannot get it out. I cannot lower or raise this saddle at all because of it.


View attachment 7518859

The pic is good. Is it that the grub screw has been screwed in from the reverse side and what we are seeing is the tip rather than the screw head? Weird if so!

 

[micguy]

This is a metallurgy problem - wrong metals for the job. The reason the E saddle is the one that's frozen is almost certainly because the previous owner played with his or her hand resting there, and the sweat (over time) fuzed the metal of the saddle and that particular screw together.

If you're going to go forward with this bridge (or another bridge of the same design), it's a good idea to, on a regular basis, rotate those saddle screws so they don't get fused. Unfortunately, lubricating them (which would help some with corrosion and freeze-up), is likely to make the saddles slip so that your action lowers while playing, which is a bad thing as well.

This used to be a bigger problem decades ago - with incandescent lights, stages used to be a LOT hotter than they are today. LED lights have reduced the amount of heat and sweat on stages by a considerable margin.