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SHOW YOUR DISTRESSED FINISHES!

#2,001
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JIO said:
In retrospect, it's appears to be still open for debate as a universal improvement. I do think it can be an improvement sonically on a bass, but I would listen to a serious sound engineer doing an A/B test to inform me of an objective difference. Same with nut material - there's plastic, bone, brass, graphite and various hardwoods. I've used all of the above on my basses. One basses sound improves using say, brass, while using brass on another throws off that basses sound.

Also, I'm not enamored by they way they look on vintage 60's/70's Fender basses, but hey.., if that player feels it's an improvement then who am I to say it isn't. Marketing-wise, Getty Lee putting one on his 70's J gave everyone permission to mount one w/o needing to hear a difference - looking like Getty's J is good enough for some players. I have used the Hipshot KA bridge which I think is a better design based on that platform and looks a bit better. At the end of the day, the Schaller 3D is a much better HM bridge design and not as hulking as the BA. It has fully adjustable saddle height/width, has brass riser-plates for body/neck height discrepincies and is just slightly larger than a standard bent-plate bridge. It has stood the test of time (born in the 80's) still being used on many basses today.
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I would have trouble putting a BA bridge on a vintage bass today just cause it is cool when old basses are stock. Always been happy with my '81 bridge that came with the bass, really has a classic pre sound. A huge hunk of brass compared to the early folded metal ones though.
 
#2,002
CaseyVancouver said:
View attachment 3104339


I would have trouble putting a BA bridge on a vintage bass today just cause it is cool when old basses are stock. Always been happy with my '81 bridge that came with the bass, really has a classic pre sound. A huge hunk of brass compared to the early folded metal ones though.
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It's understandable because it's an original part of its history being born in the 80's. When I got my '66 P it had a 70's bent-plate Fender bridge that a shop in Seatle put on - probably because they had one sitting around and it was a Fender bridge. I know this because in doing research I found pics of it with an 80's Ibanez-style bridge on it. Everyone was swapping bridges back then - it was the dawn of aftermarket parts and the grass is always greener etc. I soon after found a 1960's Fender threaded saddle bent-plate bridge (that was a reason price) and that's what's on there now. Needless to say - the bass needs nothing to sound like it does. (other than a cord plugged into a B-15!) :)
 
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#2,003
CaseyVancouver said:
View attachment 3104339


I would have trouble putting a BA bridge on a vintage bass today just cause it is cool when old basses are stock. Always been happy with my '81 bridge that came with the bass, really has a classic pre sound. A huge hunk of brass compared to the early folded metal ones though.
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I agree on personally not wanting to put aftermarket on a vintage bass. If I were to obtain a vintage bass that had a good aftermarket bridge installed by a previous owner and it sounded good I would probably still obtain a stock unit and try it out as I tend to prefer that sound on my Fenders these days, but every bass is different.
The old threaded saddle bridges are really functional IME. You can zero-in the string alignment over pole pieces (if you’re into that) and there’s no little hex screws to strip out. A good, functional, simple design.
 
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#2,004
lowphatbass said:
I agree on personally not wanting to put aftermarket on a vintage bass. If I were to obtain a vintage bass that had a good aftermarket bridge installed by a previous owner and it sounded good I would probably still obtain a stock unit and try it out as I tend to prefer that sound on my Fenders these days, but every bass is different.
The old threaded saddle bridges are really functional IME. You can zero-in the string alignment over pole pieces (if you’re into that) and there’s no little hex screws to strip out. A good, functional, simple design.
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Totally agree - it's remarkable really that such a basic simple design introduced in the late 50's essentially nailed the function needed. On the other hand, another company bass bridge introduced at the same time has never been a good design solution and yet remains to this day on that iconic US bass primarily because of the way it looks. As I'm not one to slag someone else's bass of choice, I'll let you fill in the blank of which bass/bridge I'm referring to. :rolleyes:
 
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#2,007
But seriously...most big @ss bridges, even on the deck, don't get low enough without shimming the neck or filing the snot out of string slots...at least for me. While a shim can be a necessary evil it's one I try to avoid and i can usually accomplish my low action simply with a threaded saddle vintage bridge.
Now oddly, my Dirnts are fine and low with Bad Asses intact...perhaps some weird slab body demensional science but Steven Hawking took that secret with him.
 
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#2,008
God's Favorite Bass said:
But seriously...most big @ss bridges, even on the deck, don't get low enough without shimming the neck or filing the snot out of string slots...at least for me. While a shim can be a necessary evil it's one I try to avoid and i can usually accomplish my low action simply with a threaded saddle vintage bridge.
Now oddly, my Dirnts are fine and low with Bad Asses intact...perhaps some weird slab body demensional science but Steven Hawking took that secret with him.
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The issue is that not all basses conform to a standard anything. As far as HM bridges, I like the Schaller 3D because of it's designed-in spacers, which when needed are ideal. But to get to the nitty-gritty, I don't like the words BADASS embossed into it. I frankly wouldn't own a bass with one installed. It's something most peeps wouldn't care about, but I just have never been drawn to low-brow marketing. So when I saw the KA (KickAss which is marginally less distasteful) I tried it (twice) and as I've started - it's a decent design as Hipshot is known for. Fender has upgraded versions of their bent-plate and they are all good - it becomes a visual preference after a while, or at least a "if it's not broke don't fix it" thing.
 
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#2,009
God's Favorite Bass said:
But seriously...most big @ss bridges, even on the deck, don't get low enough without shimming the neck or filing the snot out of string slots...at least for me. While a shim can be a necessary evil it's one I try to avoid and i can usually accomplish my low action simply with a threaded saddle vintage bridge.
Now oddly, my Dirnts are fine and low with Bad Asses intact...perhaps some weird slab body demensional science but Steven Hawking took that secret with him.
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I think the Bad Ass II bridges are designed for a Fender, if it just says “Bad Ass” then it’s more likely to fit a Gibson or something else...
...just throwing this out there on the off chance that it’s not BA II’s that won’t get low enough.
 
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#2,010
lowphatbass said:
I think the Bad Ass II bridges are designed for a Fender, if it just says “Bad Ass” then it’s more likely to fit a Gibson or something else...
...just throwing this out there on the off chance that it’s not BA II’s that won’t get low enough.
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Original BA bridges were more for an experienced tech to install as one needed to file ones own slots for string spacing on the block saddles. The more recent variety has grooves in the saddle-blocks and if you were lucky they all lined up spaced the way you wanted. This could be said about the treaded Fender saddles, but those threads are tighter spacing so able to dial in more precisely.
 
#2,011
JIO said:
Totally agree - it's remarkable really that such a basic simple design introduced in the late 50's essentially nailed the function needed. On the other hand, another company bass bridge introduced at the same time has never been a good design solution and yet remains to this day on that iconic US bass primarily because of the way it looks. As I'm not one to slag someone else's bass of choice, I'll let you fill in the blank of which bass/bridge I'm referring to. :rolleyes:
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I initially thought Gibson, but those terrible bridges were introduced in the '70s if I'm not mistaken so you must be referring to that other company.
 
#2,012
winterburn69 said:
I initially thought Gibson, but those terrible bridges were introduced in the '70s if I'm not mistaken so you must be referring to that other company.
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The Gibson 3-point - close but no cigar. :) Yes, I am refering to the other company that unlike Fender and Gibson has only been made in the US. (hint: not Peavey)

hint 2: the bass the mayor used to play...
 
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