Replacement Bridge for Stingray 5

[ricknote]

I'd like to try a different bridge on my SR5.
Something with a thicker tailpiece like a Badass.
I haven't been able to find one at any of the common
hardware makers site that is made for a direct replacement.
Same screw holes and covers and fits the two outside lugs.

Anybody seen this?

 

[Lo-E]

I've never seen a plug'n'play replacement for a MM bridge.

 

[walterw]

ain't gonna happen, and anyway it's wildly pointless; the stock bridge is plenty high-mass and rock-solid. there's literally nothing to be gained.

 

[Turnaround]

I'd like to try a different bridge on my SR5.
Something with a thicker tailpiece like a Badass.
I haven't been able to find one at any of the common
hardware makers site that is made for a direct replacement.
Same screw holes and covers and fits the two outside lugs.

Anybody seen this?

The reason you haven't found a replacement bridge for a MM is that there's no reason to replace it - i.e. not enough people have found that it advantageous to replace it to make it worth while producing one.

Of course, you may be the exception.

 

[Slowgypsy]

As already mentioned, the stock MM bridge is first rate, and any replacement would hardly be "better", but could be different. That said, what about the original bridge are you wishing would be different? Or are you just in "mod mode" and wanting to try something different for it's own sake?

 

[ricknote]

I guess I'll give up on that mod.

Different bridges and materials like brass and aluminum
do change the feel of the instrument under the fingers.

Some bridge changes I've made to Fender instruments over the years have sometimes made no difference and other
times improved the feel quite dramatically for the better.

I wouldn't call changing an SR5 bridge pointless. How can we
know if we can't try it and evaluate it objectively.

It would have been a nice experiment but, on to other things.

I need to replace the horn in my SWR cab anyway.

Thanks for the reply's

RT

 

[walterw]

Different bridges and materials like brass and aluminum
do change the feel of the instrument under the fingers.

Some bridge changes I've made to Fender instruments over the years have sometimes made no difference and other
times improved the feel quite dramatically for the better.

"feel"?

how can a different bridge change the feel unless it was adjusted differently?

it's yet to be proven that it really changes the sound, let alone the "feel".

I wouldn't call changing an SR5 bridge pointless.

i would

How can we know if we can't try it and evaluate it objectively.

you can "objectively" look at the construction, from the two big set-screw post things that clamp the whole thing down into inset metal inserts to the way they also capture the saddles to prevent any sideways movement to the overall massiveness of the thing, and safely assume that there's nothing to be improved upon here.

 

[ricknote]

walterw,

I can "objectively" look at the stamped steel bridge where the
strings are anchored by a somewhat thin piece of metal no matter how many screws you attach it with.

I've played Musicman and Fender basses for 30 years.
I've toured all over the world with them.
I love em', and I can tell you, different bridges do sound and feel differently. It is subtle though, I admit.

So what your saying is that Marcus Miller was foolish for putting a Badass bridge on his 70's jazz. It really makes no difference. Apparently it did for him and many others.
Why then do some basses string through the body?
Why do Warwick basses have two piece bridges?
Why does Fender bother with brass saddles?
Etc, etc.
If it makes no difference why do they bother.

By "feel" I meant that it changes the vibration characteristics of the instrument. I've done this several times with Fenders. Bridges will change the feel of the instruments' vibration under your fingers.

I was simply looking to take a swing at slightly improving
an instrument I like. It may work better, it may not.

Looks like I won't get the opportunity to try.
It certainly wouldn't have been the first "pointless" thing
I've done to my basses.

RT

 

[Dave W]

I can "objectively" look at the stamped steel bridge where the
strings are anchored by a somewhat thin piece of metal no matter how many screws you attach it with.

Just an FYI, the bridge on my SR4 is physically heavier than my BAII. It's a pretty chunky hunk of metal, and the SR5 is even bigger.

I agree with everyone and would leave the stock bridge in place.

 

[mdogs]

walterw,

I can "objectively" look at the stamped steel bridge where the
strings are anchored by a somewhat thin piece of metal no matter how many screws you attach it with.

I've played Musicman and Fender basses for 30 years.
I've toured all over the world with them.
I love em', and I can tell you, different bridges do sound and feel differently. It is subtle though, I admit.

So what your saying is that Marcus Miller was foolish for putting a Badass bridge on his 70's jazz. It really makes no difference. Apparently it did for him and many others.
Why then do some basses string through the body?
Why do Warwick basses have two piece bridges?
Why does Fender bother with brass saddles?
Etc, etc.
If it makes no difference why do they bother.

By "feel" I meant that it changes the vibration characteristics of the instrument. I've done this several times with Fenders. Bridges will change the feel of the instruments' vibration under your fingers.

I was simply looking to take a swing at slightly improving
an instrument I like. It may work better, it may not.

Looks like I won't get the opportunity to try.
It certainly wouldn't have been the first "pointless" thing
I've done to my basses.

RT

Well, for one thing, comparing changing bridges on Fenders to changing bridges on MM's is apples and oranges. The stock MM design is light years ahead of the basic Fender design. Also, if it is so assured that a new bridge will be an improvement, forget about the plug and play aspect and install a "higher" quality bridge regardless of the screw hole pattern. Seems like a no brainer to me...

 

[ricknote]

Also, if it is so assured that a new bridge will be an improvement, 
forget about the plug and play aspect and install a "higher" quality bridge 
regardless of the screw hole pattern. 
Seems like a no brainer to me...

That's the thing. There's no way to know for sure if a different bridge would be an improvement and I don't want to drill or change the bass permanently in any way.

I seem to getting a lot of blowback like I'm bashing the SR5
bridge. I'm not. I've had it for more than 10 years and play it on gigs all the time.

I was just willing to blow a $100 or so on a "different" bridge just to see what happens.
Maybe it could improve the low B. ( My Lull and Bacchus low B's are much better). Maybe not. Who knows.

I've been eying a Nordstrand pickup for my Zon anyway.
On to bigger and better things.

 

[FunkMetalBass]

As for the low B, try a different set of strings. Might I recommend the Circle K Balanced 142 or 150 set?

As for the MM bridge, you'll have to go custom. As others have said, there's virtually no market for MM replacement parts except for those who are trying to get their hands on actual MM parts.

Truthfully, the only thing I wish MM would do different with their bridges is to implement a quick-load top-load design instead of having to put the strings through bridge holes.

 

[bottomzone]

I have yet to hear of anyone changing the bridge on a Music Man, other replacing it with an original. The Stingray is a classic and really doesn't need fixing. I am seriously considering getting one myself!

A Groove is a Terrible Thing to Waste!

 

[walterw]

So what your saying is that Marcus Miller was foolish for putting a Badass bridge on his 70's jazz. It really makes no difference. Apparently it did for him and many others.

to be fair, the '70s fender bridges had the single groove per saddle, which was a poor design (unlike the original threaded-rod saddle '60s bridges). the saddles separated and slid around, and the spacing wasn't even right to line the strings up between the jazz pickup magnet pairs like leo designed.

(that's my own little "feel" pet peeve; when the strings are properly between the magnet pairs, there's a nice little compression of the attack, especially if the pickup is closer and you hit it harder. people say it doesn't matter, but i "feel" it when i play.)

anyway, whether or not it made a big tone difference, the badass was an improvement over the '70s fender bridges just mechanically as far as i'm concerned.

the current MM bridge has no such drawbacks.

 

[arsie]

The only bridge I'd want to replace my SR bridge with is the Sabre or G&L bridge.

 

[Solid Rock]

Hey if anyone hears of a SR 5 bridge for sale, let me know.

 

[walterw]

Not likely; music man seem singularly hostile to the idea of any of their parts getting out there to be put on different instruments.

I imagine one would only show up as removed from a broken bass. Even the whole eBay parted-out thing seems like a slim chance with MM.

 

[stelles75]

Oooooh... this is some solid thread necromancy. I would argue that the "traditional" style saddles could most definitely be improved, from how the saddle heights are adjusted to alternate string spacing options. Not to mention alternate materials. A heavier or lighter bridge (or more or less surface area covered by the mount) would absolutely affect tone to the player's taste. To say that a stock Stingray bridge can't be improved upon is ridiculous. Not to mention, they vary on the Music Man basses fairly wildly to begin with. This thread makes me want to most definitely locate an upgrade, just out of spite (mostly at the idea of the manufacturer being hostile).

That out of the way, here's my new Herrick bridge pickup moments before it ships. It's wound to a hair under 20k and has both neo and alnico magnets.

 

[Geri O]

Oooooh... this is some solid thread necromancy. I would argue that the "traditional" style saddles could most definitely be improved, from how the saddle heights are adjusted to alternate string spacing options. Not to mention alternate materials. A heavier or lighter bridge (or more or less surface area covered by the mount) would absolutely affect tone to the player's taste. To say that a stock Stingray bridge can't be improved upon is ridiculous. Not to mention, they vary on the Music Man basses fairly wildly to begin with. This thread makes me want to most definitely locate an upgrade, just out of spite (mostly at the idea of the manufacturer being hostile).

That out of the way, here's my new Herrick bridge pickup moments before it ships. It's wound to a hair under 20k and has both neo and alnico magnets.

What a crock.

Where did the manufacturer (MM) say or do anything hostile in this thread? Why the angst at them?

Okay, what do you find wrong with the stock Stingray Bridge? And what would you improve? And what wildly variations are you seeing between the bridges?

Based on the highlighted sentence above, you need more important things to prioritize in your life.

 

[stelles75]

It's a valid argument! It makes no sense that there should be no acceptable alternative (read the post above mine about Music Man feeling hostile).

Also, don't take my cynical attitude so srsly. This came up on a Google search while searching for a suitable replacement for my Ray35 and the consensus seems to be similar. I think that is a really odd attitude and I felt like pointing it out. #opinionz