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Which bridge?

#6
Action and mass are not really related. The BAII and Gotoh have adjustable saddles - you need a good setup.

That said, the only time I've had to shim a neck is with the BAII. With the Gotoh I haven't had to shim the neck. They both have fairly thick base plates. If that raises the action, lower the saddles. If they can't go any lower, the neck needs shimmed.
 
#10
I replaced a vintage fender bridge last week with a gotoh 201, and they sound a bit different. The Gotoh is very sturdy compared with the fender, but this is not always an advantage, as it does not allow the saddles to move sligthy due to the plate grooves so the strings can't vibrate as freely as that the vintage Fender one, losing a bit of the typical "fat" bottom end of the Fender.

Also, the saddles are made from steel in the fenders and from brass on the Gotoh, which will give you a bit different mids and mid highs. The Gotoh is a very good bridge (much better built and engineered), but if you want the vintage fender sound, you should go for the Fender (the Gotoh gives you a slightly more modern sound). This is just a matter of the sound that you want to get from your bass.
 
#12
pbassist said:
I replaced a vintage fender bridge last week with a gotoh 201, and they sound a bit different. The Gotoh is very sturdy compared with the fender, but this is not always an advantage, as it does not allow the saddles to move sligthy due to the plate grooves so the strings can't vibrate as freely as that the vintage Fender one, losing a bit of the typical "fat" bottom end of the Fender.

Also, the saddles are made from steel in the fenders and from brass on the Gotoh, which will give you a bit different mids and mid highs. The Gotoh is a very good bridge (much better built and engineered), but if you want the vintage fender sound, you should go for the Fender (the Gotoh gives you a slightly more modern sound). This is just a matter of the sound that you want to get from your bass.
Click to expand...

Thanks, do you think it would be an upgrade over the SX? Also, I thought the Fender was brass - Link Removed
 
#13
Gotohs and shims many times go together. They have on the two basses I have used the Gotoh on. There is a Wilkenson vintage style bridge with brass saddles and a steel plate that looks interesting. Anyone give one of these a go?

http://cgi.ebay.com/TOG-WILKINSON-V...SS-SADDLE_W0QQitemZ320306748613QQcmdZViewItem

And one that always gets praise but I have never used is the Hipshot Vintage Bridge. I would like to try one but they are more change than I am willing to waste just to try out. The $30 price for the Gotoh at Warmoth is hard to beat.
 
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#15
AqueousView11 said:
Thanks, do you think it would be an upgrade over the SX? Also, I thought the Fender was brass - Link Removed
Click to expand...

Well, I'm comparing the Gotoh with the Fender stock one that came with my Fender MIM bass... I really don't know much about the quality of the stock SX bridge, but looking at some photos seems very similar to the Fender vintage bridge.

Anyway I think that the Fender will not make any difference, and the Gotoh maybe will improve a bit, but not much. The Gotoh is much better made, but the audible difference is very subtle. Anyway the Gotoh is not too expensive for the quality, but if you expect a huge improvement in your sound you will be disappointed - I think that upgrading the pickups will make a more radical change here.

About the brass Fender bridge AFAIK, the vintages bridges that Fender uses in their current basses are made from steel, although I have seen older models with brass ones... but I could be wrong, maybe somebody could post some info about this.
 

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