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Post subject: Vintage Bridge on a Standard P or J Bass
Posted: Sun Aug 09, 2009 10:37 am
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Does Fender Vintage Bridge with Threaded Saddles retrofit the modern Standard P or Jazz without drilling? I was thinking of getting myself a BA II or a Gotoh201 but I much preferred a lot more vintage feel and sounding.


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Posted: Sun Aug 09, 2009 2:49 pm
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Looks to me like the US Vintage should work on the MIM, but my only experience in actually putting one on a bass was a Japanese P-Bass and it dropped right in. Both bridges are said to be vintage style. The stock bridge on the Standard is called the "Standard Vintage" in the specs. Both use 5 screws. The replacement one is called the "Original Bass Bridge" and it has a nickel finish and should also have nickel plated screws included with it. This might look a tad mismatched with the chrome plated hardware. You can replace the screws, string retainer and tuners and go all nickel if you don't like the mismatched look. The critical bridge mounting screw holes are 0.75 inches apart. The part number is 099-0804-100.

I like the Fender bridges because they are low profile and you can actually set the strings lower than on many of the high mass aftermarket bridges with much taller saddles. The slot head on the height adjustment screws are easier to adjust since you don't have to find a hex key that fits. The ridged threads on the barrels work well. That is a time proven design and there is a reason it has endured so long. Some people say the set screws will move. This is especially true when played in a heavy handed manner. A popular tip is that a tiny little dab of clear fingernail polish helps to stop that. Keep the fingernail polish out of the screw head slot and don't overdo the nail polish either so it will break free easily when you need it to so you can make adjustments on purpose. You need just enough to get the job done.


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Posted: Sun Aug 09, 2009 7:27 pm
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I agree with that, nothing compares to the originals and as for me I like the low set ups ^_^ Cheers


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Posted: Wed Aug 12, 2009 8:02 am
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brotherdave wrote:
Looks to me like the US Vintage should work on the MIM, but my only experience in actually putting one on a bass was a Japanese P-Bass and it dropped right in. Both bridges are said to be vintage style. The stock bridge on the Standard is called the "Standard Vintage" in the specs. Both use 5 screws. The replacement one is called the "Original Bass Bridge" and it has a nickel finish and should also have nickel plated screws included with it. This might look a tad mismatched with the chrome plated hardware. You can replace the screws, string retainer and tuners and go all nickel if you don't like the mismatched look. The critical bridge mounting screw holes are 0.75 inches apart. The part number is 099-0804-100.

I like the Fender bridges because they are low profile and you can actually set the strings lower than on many of the high mass aftermarket bridges with much taller saddles. The slot head on the height adjustment screws are easier to adjust since you don't have to find a hex key that fits. The ridged threads on the barrels work well. That is a time proven design and there is a reason it has endured so long. Some people say the set screws will move. This is especially true when played in a heavy handed manner. A popular tip is that a tiny little dab of clear fingernail polish helps to stop that. Keep the fingernail polish out of the screw head slot and don't overdo the nail polish either so it will break free easily when you need it to so you can make adjustments on purpose. You need just enough to get the job done.



brotherdave

do you have any screenies on where to apply the fingernail polish?


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Posted: Wed Aug 12, 2009 5:37 pm
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No I don't but that is a good idea. However the clear polish wouldn't show up in photos anyway. Put the polish on lightly around either the barrel threads or the screw threads, which ever is exposed. If any gets polish get in the screw slot dab it out with a Q-Tip so you can get the screw driver in the slot for future adjustments. Just around the edges. If you have to put it on the top of the screw keep to the sides away from the screw slot. If the set screw extents above the barrel you can just put it on the threads. If it goes below you then have to put it on the sides of the barrel threads. It really doesn't take much. You also want to be able to break it free with just a little turn of the screw driver. I've seen some people recommend Loc-Tite, but the clear fingernail polish works and usually it just breaks right off with a little pressure. Loc-Tite isn't as cooperative to loosen up and we are talking about a very small screw slot here and you do want to be able to adjust it when you need to make a change.


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Posted: Thu Aug 13, 2009 4:09 am
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I'd agree Loctite would be a little to hard, and fingernail polish wow thats pretty convenient.. are there any other option besides nail polish?


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Posted: Sat Aug 29, 2009 9:05 am
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The other option is to let your bridge get rusty! LOL

I think the clear nail polish trick is the best way to deal with this problem and Dave outlined the best approach in using it.
Buy the cheapest bottle of clear nail polish at your local drug store.
It handy stuff to have around.

Loctite is the wrong stuff to use on Fender basses. I learned this the hard way and ended up breaking the saddle screw slot in trying to break a screw free on my Jazz bass bridge after using Loc-tite back in the 70's.
BTW:
I have found that the Fender bass vintage saddle screws are the hardest part to find at most Fender dealers. They just don't stock them.
I know I can get them online but I hate having to pay shipping on small parts or waiting to combine the order with other stuff.

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Posted: Sun Aug 30, 2009 2:08 pm
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So I'm gonna apply the nail polish on the barrel threads? the one that supports the strings? or height adjustment screws? or the ones at the back? I've played with an old bass the other day and it seems like it has the same problem saddles tend to move a lot..


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Posted: Sun Aug 30, 2009 11:28 pm
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The nail polish goes on the height adjustment screws. No other screws on the bridge will benefit from the application of the polish.
You don't want the polish to fill the slotted head of the height adjustment screws, so it was suggested that you may want to put the polish on the side of the height adjust screws, just a little dab above or below the theaded saddle barrel.

To restate the reason for doing this: You play your bass and find that the height of one or more strings keeps getting lower as you play, because the height adjustment screws are moving from the vibration of the bass.

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Posted: Mon Aug 31, 2009 8:54 pm
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oh that makes sense now... i thought the saddles where dancing around the bridge plate so it needs to be glued.. LMAO..

well the problem on my bridge, errr the saddles tend to move away..


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