edwinhurwitz
Supporting Member
Pyramid Gold flats. The best for the short scale flat tone. I use LaBellas on my Fenders.
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Pyramid Gold flats. The best for the short scale flat tone. I use LaBellas on my Fenders.
Hey guys I need some help! My new Hipshot bridge came today and I installed it. But when I tried to tune up it pulled the inserts right out of the body.How do I fix this??
Not trying to hijack your issue and wish I could help you but this issue has me a little concerned too.
I just bought a Hipshot for my custom Gibby and am getting a little concerned how many posts here talk about inserts lifting out during install.
Is there any connection to the Hipshot or is it a design flaw with the threaded inserts?
Any opinions or comments welcome before I do my install.
It’s a flamed maple, custom SG Bass so I don’t want any surprises.
No problem at all. I'm happy to share what I've learned if it will help anyone. Based on my experience and the research I've done over the last couple of days, it's actually both the Hipshot and the Epi design. I'll explain...
First, unlike a Tbird or similar two piece design, the one piece EB bridge puts all the tension on those inserts. This creates problems on it's own. If the inserts are loose for whatever reason, the problem is multiplied.
Second, there is a gap between the top of the inserts and the bottom of the Hipshot bridge. When tightening down the Hipshot bridge, this can create a ratchet effect which can pull up the inserts. Especially if they are loose to begin with. Some people have apparently inserted washers underneath the Hipshot to close this gap. But this can tend to undermine the whole point of the Hipshot, which is that it is supposed to be tightened down directly against the wooden body.
So far, the options I've come down do are either inserting a wooden dowel and re-drilling, or using some kind of adhesive to keep the inserts from falling out. I don't have the tools for drilling, so I'm going to use adhesive. I'm still deciding on what kind of adhesive I'm going to use.
Many people seem to have no issues at all. If you have a Gibson, I'm assuming the higher quality means you are less likely to have any problems. But perhaps not. In any case, I hope I've helped. Good luck.
D'addario ECB81S. Just stated that a couple of pages ago but since you asked. D'addario is not the latest and sexiest but to me it has always sounded great and never given any problems.
With ECB81S you need to shave a little of that colored fabric off of the bridge end of the string when installing them to the Epiphone EB-0.
GHS Precision Flats on my EB-3, Pyramids on the EB-2, would likely recommend GHS for the first-time-flats-user.
Is this why the Babicz bridge comes with a shim plate?
Babicz FCH-3 Point Bass Bridge
I have a few Gibson's with the standard 3 point bridge and I honestly don't understand why most people don't like this bridge. It is a simple design and yet fully adjustable with a large and a small screwdriver. People complain that they are hard to adjust ....... good gravy man, a 5 year old could adjust these things. Loosen the strings and turn a screwdriver ........ re-tune
I guess if I was to replace the standard 3 point bridge I'd use the Babicz, Gibson used them for a short period of time and there must have been a reason they chose it over the Hipshot, especially given the fact that the Hipshot is the less costly of the two.
Your mileage may vary .........
Babicz FCH-3 Point Bass Bridge
I have a few Gibson's with the standard 3 point bridge and I honestly don't understand why most people don't like this bridge. It is a simple design and yet fully adjustable with a large and a small screwdriver. People complain that they are hard to adjust ....... good gravy man, a 5 year old could adjust these things. Loosen the strings and turn a screwdriver ........ re-tune
I guess if I was to replace the standard 3 point bridge I'd use the Babicz, Gibson used them for a short period of time and there must have been a reason they chose it over the Hipshot, especially given the fact that the Hipshot is the less costly of the two.
Your mileage may vary .........
Last edited:
Thanks for the clear explanation!No problem at all. I'm happy to share what I've learned if it will help anyone. Based on my experience and the research I've done over the last couple of days, it's actually both the Hipshot and the Epi design. I'll explain...
First, unlike a Tbird or similar two piece design, the one piece EB bridge puts all the tension on those inserts. This creates problems on it's own. If the inserts are loose for whatever reason, the problem is multiplied.
Second, there is a gap between the top of the inserts and the bottom of the Hipshot bridge. When tightening down the Hipshot bridge, this can create a ratchet effect which can pull up the inserts. Especially if they are loose to begin with. Some people have apparently inserted washers underneath the Hipshot to close this gap. But this can tend to undermine the whole point of the Hipshot, which is that it is supposed to be tightened down directly against the wooden body.
So far, the options I've come down do are either inserting a wooden dowel and re-drilling, or using some kind of adhesive to keep the inserts from falling out. I don't have the tools for drilling, so I'm going to use adhesive. I'm still deciding on what kind of adhesive I'm going to use.
Many people seem to have no issues at all. If you have a Gibson, I'm assuming the higher quality means you are less likely to have any problems. But perhaps not. In any case, I hope I've helped. Good luck.
Well, I guess "fully adjustable" means different things to different people...
Individual string height can't be adjusted on the 3-point, yet both Hipshot and Babicz address this issue.
String spacing can only be adjusted on the Hipshot, so Supertone FTW in my book.
BTW, I lived with The Oil Rig on my RD Standard for over a decade, and it was a "set and forget" situation indeed, but there were no other options back then...nowadays, both the Tilt-O-Matic and The Oil Rig are ancient history on my basses.
YMMV.
- Apr 18, 2008
- 16,002
- 1
- 31,690
- Disclosures
- I'm highly opinionated and extremely self-assured
They can be “adjusted” if you know how to file the notches in the saddles.
But yeah, I understand what you mean. I prefer the Hipshot as well.
I haven't used flats on Epiphone yet, but on other basses I have; GHS Precision Flats and LaBella Deep Talkin are very good.
My opinion: LaBella is a slight step forward in terms of "thump".
My opinion: LaBella is a slight step forward in terms of "thump".
I’ve been very happy with LaBellas on my SG bass. Very balanced, great feel and tone.
I had GHS P flats on it originally, and really didn’t feel like I got a very strong tone on the E string. Put that same GHS set on a Gibson LP Jr DC bass and think they’re great, no issues at all. Sometimes it’s just about finding the right matchup.
I had GHS P flats on it originally, and really didn’t feel like I got a very strong tone on the E string. Put that same GHS set on a Gibson LP Jr DC bass and think they’re great, no issues at all. Sometimes it’s just about finding the right matchup.
If you drop the nose too much setting up the 3point it can lift the inserts. And that’s where the problem begins.
I have 5 basses with the 3 point and never thought about the bridge on any of them after they were set up. The only reason I'm switching it out on my latest SG bass is for looks...I know that's pretty superficial but while I have never had trouble with the "oil rig" it's kind of ugly compared to the Hipshot!
It's a fairly easy way to enhance the looks...maybe even the playability of the bass. We'll see...
One thing that bugs me about the Hipshot design is how it only uses 2 of the bolts instead of 3. I feel like this makes the problem worse by putting all the tension in just those 2 places. Odd design decision if you ask me.
Well, the Supertone sits flat on the body as opposed to The Oil Rig which is always raised above it at some level, so there's no need for the third point...the tension is actually lessened by this approach
Well that's a good point. But the Babicz one also sits flat and it uses a 3 bolt design. So *shrug* lol.
Well, some people prefer Babicz while others - myself included - favour Supertone. Both of them are superior to The Oil Rig no matter how one chooses to look at it...
Perhaps the bolt to bushing force is not increased by the Hipshot, but the lever arm forces applied to the bushings vs the body certainly is (due to the design of the Hipshot).
Those cavities are a major design flaw. The Babicz does not suffer from that inherent deficiency, and will not lift any bushings. Likely the bolt would neck off, strip, or damage the bushing at extreme torque values. None of those things are good, granted, but the bushings would not have lifted in the process.
If you like the Hipshot, go for it. But be aware of that obvious flaw and plan accordingly (something to take up that empty cavity space). Obviously they are functional, as many seem to love them. I had one, I didn’t love it, but spaced out the cavity as needed. No damage was done, everyone lived happily ever after.
This is just a Caveat Emptor type situation…
