NEWB QUESTION ALERT!!! - How does the bridge affect sound?

[mikewalker]

I can only say that FOR ME, the "quick change drop-in string" feature is indeed the #1 bass guitar bridge development of the 20th century (or any century...)

 

[tjh]

I see some very thin, flimsy looking bridges and some that look like they weight a ton. How does the bridge affect the sound? At what point should a new bassist consider upgrading bridges?

.. any bridge that comes stock on a bass produced by a reputable manufacturer will be more than sufficient for anyone learning the instrument … I have tried them with all kinds of adjustability, and the heavy half-pounders, but I have always came back to the simple bent plate Fender style … If string spacing is an issue, add $15 threaded saddles, if not (and a new player is not going to know if string spacing is an issue) no reason to even think about it … I made a lot of money playing a used $150 Squier with a stock bridge all last summer while the USA Fenders sat home in the closet … nobody cared … especially me!

JMHO .. as always ...

 

[Father Gino]

Every piece of the puzzle affects every other piece I suppose, but it’s probably minute. So long as you can reliably set and hold individual string intonation and height, it’s an ok bridge. Big Poppa over at Earnie Ball Musicman insists that string though the body is a waste of time that offers no acoustic difference. On the other side of things, there’s a video out of Ed Friedland being amazed at the enhanced clarity offered by locking the locking bridge of a G&L don’t sweat it. Spend more time learning and playing. Don’t get sucked into buying more stuff until you have the experience to figure out if it’s worth the coin by yourself.

 

[GTHintz]

Great question. My findings are that the exact type of bridge and materials of the bridge don't really do a lot to sound. What really does a lot to sound is having a dialed in bridge that's all intonated and the action nice and comfortable for your fingers as well as set up for your string gauges. Having it set up really nice is what makes any bass sound better whether it's a 10k wal bass or a 80$ wal mart bass. I've seen HUGE changes in my bass tone just from learning how to set it up. So nice string action and pickup hight are probably the biggest tone changing factors. And the bridge adjustment is really vital to getting there.

 

[4001]

I swapped out the Badass II on my Fender Geddy Lee Jazz Bass with a standard Fender bridge and I did not notice any difference in tone or sustain.

 

[-Asdfgh-]

I have lots of experience swapping bridges out on fender style basses and I know without question that they do something.
Whether or not they improve or diminish the sound is subjective but they do make some difference

The only time I had it make a difference to tone was changing one BPOT for another, which might suggest in one or other of these I had not installed correctly!

 

[jnsnj]

You forgot cream binding....sounds oh so warm.....

Milky