What's great about the 'Badass' bridge?

[David Jayne]

Nice theory.
Unfortunately the bridge is not moving, only the strings are.
At least on my bass.

.

So your bass doesn't vibrate at all? Are you sure?

Heavier things are harder to vibrate, especially quickly, than lighter things. This is not a theory.
For this reason a heavy bridge will pass less high frequency vibration(treble) to the body, where it is lost. It will tend to reflect it back to it's origin (strings) where it will be picked up and heard.
Very subtle, more noticeably on lighter bodied basses. But very subtle.

 

[fkh006]

So your bass doesn't vibrate at all? Are you sure?

Heavier things are harder to vibrate, especially quickly, than lighter things. This is not a theory.
For this reason a heavy bridge will pass less high frequency vibration(treble) to the body, where it is lost. It will tend to reflect it back to it's origin (strings) where it will be picked up and heard.
Very subtle, more noticeably on lighter bodied basses. But very subtle.

If you say so...

 

[dalkowski]

well,, for me the GREAT thing about the badass bridge is, every single time i get a bass that has one mounted to it, i pull it & some sucker here at TB gladly gives me $60.+ for it

Sheer genius!

 

[millsbass5]

I'll just be honest. Back in 1984, when I was 18 years old, I purchased a Badass Bridge simply because of the name. It's a pretty badass name, actually. That was my view on 'em as a young whippersnapper.

 

[4001]

I'd like to see an a/b/c ect. comparison of the Badass I , II, Fender stock and whatever other aftermarket bridges using equipment that can record tone, sustain and all of that other stuff that makes up claims of this or that bridge being superior to the other so we can put an end to all of all of the opinions and use solid facts to provide a definitive answer to this question that comes up here on TB every other month.

 

[Stone Soup]

Nice theory.
Unfortunately the bridge is not moving, only the strings are.

The entire bass is vibrating.

 

[Makatak]

I've tried almost every bridge design on the market, and nothing sounds as good to me as the vintage Fender bridge.

+1 Nothing wrong with the `ol Bent Tin bridge , I Had one on my Jazz Bass and it had incredible sustain and never moved on me

 

[Slough Feg Bass]

I picked up a Fender JP-90, it sounded pretty good.
I did want for more mid/high snap, because I am going up against a Les Paul & SG, both with vintage Marshalls.
My tech recommended the BA-II, so I said yes, he put it on, and I noticed the difference immediately. More sustain, more snap. Seemed like the strings had a better tension closer to the bridge. Still has plenty of beef, no loss there.
I have an early 60's P-bass, and it just rules. I would not change anything on there, even though the stock bridge is rusty & pitted, the bass as a whole sounds great.

 

[David Jayne]

I'd like to see an a/b/c ect. comparison of the Badass I , II, Fender stock and whatever other aftermarket bridges using equipment that can record tone, sustain and all of that other stuff that makes up claims of this or that bridge being superior to the other so we can put an end to all of all of the opinions and use solid facts to provide a definitive answer to this question that comes up here on TB every other month.

It's been done, with conclusive poll results showing that small differences can be heard. Wish I could find the thread.

 

[meatwad]

I like the appearance of high mass bridges such as the BAII, and the added ability to drop-in the strings (on most), as such -

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

 

[jbybj]

The BAII has much longer intonation adjustment than the stock Fender bridge

This has been very useful to me. I have never replaced a stock bridge, except for the floating corian bridges that come stock on Wishbasses. For some Wishbasses, and other customs, when I have to choose a bridge, I appreciate the long throw of the intonation adjustments. It means when mounting the bridge, I have a little more leeway on "correct placement". There is nothing more frustrating than mounting a bridge only to discover you need another 1/8" in length to properly intonate your E string, but the saddle is already as far back as it will go.
They don't sound any worse than other bridges I have used......

 

[basmicke]

I've gone back and forth between a vintage stock fender bridge and a BAII I got in -80 when I saw Jeff Berlin use the first BA on B.I.T.
To me there's a difference. The biggest difference is in the feel under my picking fingers and how hard I need to pull the string to achieve a more snappy, dynamic sound and because of that I also get the impression that the frequency response gets a little bit different. The BA gives you a more solid tone. With similar action it takes more force to get the string to buzz and a more even tone. Also the open string sounds more defined longer. That's what I've found, IMO is the advantages of the BA bridge.
The vintage bridge on the other hand gives a more organic, not as stiff, sound and the looser feel of the string under your picking fingers makes it fuller sounding when playing with a lighter touch. It doesn't need as much force to get vibrating.
So the good thing with the vintage bridge, to me, is that it's more sensitive and dynamic and that suits my finger playing better but if I would slap a lot on a Jazz style instrument with a maple fretboard like the Marcus Miller model I would go for the BA bridge.
Also, on the vintage bridge of mine the strings move a little bit sideways and aren't completely still as on the BA. Wether that's a good or a bad thing I'm not sure. Switching bridge also requires you to get used to play on each of them sometime to adjust your touch for a decent valuation. I don't think there's any musical difference in which one you prefer to use. It's just like with different strings brands. They will all feel a bit different under your fingers at first but after a couple of weeks you adapt.

 

[meatwad]

Drool..

Went OT, sorry!

 

[SirMjac28]

It's name. BADASS. How could that not be awesome?

Other than that, probably not much. Not that I would know, but if Dan Atkinson has put them to the test, I'm not going to argue with him.

Yes Sir some car company should come out with a model that has the name.

 

[KevInDaBassment]

Yeah Leo Quann's might be the Badass bridge...Fender's stock bridge is the Goodass bridge, which is obviously better since we all love a goodass

 

[jbrew73]

+1.
The irony is that four saddle bridges don't intonate properly either.

Can you explain why the four saddle bridges don't intonate properly?

 

[Catbuster]

Drool..

Went OT, sorry!

As much as I love the Babicz... I just can't like it as much as the BAII on a Fender bass. It might lock in and all, but it's just... Not a big, heavy, solid hunk of metal.

Nice theory.
Unfortunately the bridge is not moving, only the strings are.
At least on my bass.

It's just a part sold to people that think they need it.
It is a bit more adjustable though.
Never needed that feature myself.

Hey dude... The bridge has to vibrate, otherwise the bass won't work as well...

 

[lowphatbass]

Stock Fender Bridge=Just Fine
Badass Bridge=Just Fine

Some People, "Don't fix what isn't broke"
Some People, "Fix whatever I can because it's fun"

Some people hear/feel a difference, some don't. Some people are concerned with lateral movement of saddles, some aren't. Some people don't like stock Fender bridged because they're sharp/pointy.

Fender/Squier offers the "vintage high mass" on a lot of their basses, it seems like the top end(most expensive)basses still wear standard bridges.

 

[David Jayne]

Can you explain why the four saddle bridges don't intonate properly?

You can use it to get things in tune at the 12th fret, but it hardly matters. There are still out-of-tune notes all over the place.

 

[mattbass6945]

so why what would be the advantage of a two saddle bridge?