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Post subject: p-bass bridge replacement options
Posted: Fri Nov 20, 2009 10:38 am
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Hi Guys,

I have an old p-bass which I have repainted. It was stripped, I don't think its a Fender. I am thinking of getting another bridge simply because the one on there was black and it looked somewhat flimsy, and will need to re-bore holes in the guitar anyways since I plugged the old ones (the brige was slightly offset to one side).

What should I get considering I don't want to spend too much money on that. Anyone seen Chopper Music on the web. Seems they have pretty low cost replacement bridges. What would you think of that ?

Also, how much impact does the brige have on the bass (sound, playability, etc...)

Thanks,

Dan


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Posted: Wed Nov 25, 2009 9:49 pm
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When I modded my 92 AM STD PBass I put on a BadAss II bridge...what a great choice!!! Improved my sustain and the tone by 100%. IMO this might be a decent choice.


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Posted: Thu Nov 26, 2009 3:52 am
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For an easy and low setup, a Fender stock type bridge is hard to beat. I can get a lower setup with them than with many of the aftermarket bridges that are supposed to be upgrades. The new Fender high mass bridges are also very easy to setup.

The Gotoh bridges are really good. They make a vintage Fender style (203) and a high mass style (201.) Fender used them during the era of Japanese only instruments in the mid 80's. They are also very affordable.

As for how important a bridge is, it is very important when it comes to a low setup, stability (meaning the saddles don't slip up and down and the strings don't slide around on the saddles), intonation range and sustain. The larger the bridge mass the more sustain you get. That is about it.

The high mass bridges give you the same tone, only for longer. For some players endless sustain is not really desirable. Others want it.

The Badass bridges require grooves to be filed by an experienced luthier or guitar tech. They do make pregrooved ones such as the Badass II on the Fender Highway One basses, but they are hard to find right now.

I'd look at vintage Fender vintage style or at Gotoh high mass bridges. Both are quality products at a reasonable price. There are a few quality Fender vintage style bridges around. I like the one with the multiple grooves that look sort of like screw threads because string spacing is more adjustable than on bridges with only one groove. Bridges with NO string grooves at all allow the string to slide from side to side on the saddle which isn't as good as being held in one spot. Bridges with only one string groove lock you into that particular string spacing with no flexibility at all.

The eBay seller you mentioned, Chopper Music, sells what appears to be knockoffs of famous bridges like Fender, Schaller, and Gotoh. They are probably "OK" but will not be up to name brand quality because they are copies. The Wilkinson products are OK Japanese made bridges that copy other brands. But I'd rather have the Gotoh if I was going Japanese. I don't see any problem in using a Wilkinson vintage Fender style on a knockoff bass. A knockoff bridge on a knockoff bass should be ok.


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Posted: Thu Nov 26, 2009 5:46 pm
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You can find badass IIs at Bass Parts Resource for about a 100.00.


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Posted: Thu Nov 26, 2009 6:49 pm
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wade1127 wrote:
You can find badass IIs at Bass Parts Resource for about a 100.00.


They had no Leo Quan bridges at all two weeks ago because they were all out of stock. Guitar Parts Resource still doesn't have any with pre-grooved saddles like the ones on the Fender Highway One basses. So if you buy one of the ungrooved ones consider that over and above the 90 to 100 dollars for the bridge that a luthier will charge to install it and groove the saddles properly. This extra cost will vary of course. Replacement saddles are 18 to 20 dollars each (if you can find them) so I can not recommend taking a Dremel tool or files to it yourself.

I also don't think I can get as low of a setup with the taller Leo Quan BadAss saddles. I have a Badass III (pre-grooved) and I could get a lower setup with the original Fender bridge. Also Leo Quan STILL hasn't answered an email I sent to them about two or three months ago asking where to get a replacement part. I emailed them again earlier today asking the same question again. If they don't answer this time I won't bother again.

The Gotoh 201 high mass bridge with string grooves already there in chrome is $45. The 203 vintage style is $32. Also they carry the Original Fender Bass bridge with the thread type saddle grooves for $35 which is one of the greatest bridge designs ever. They have an Economy no-name bridge, which looks a lot like the Gotoh 201 for $19. Each of those are ready to be setup immediately by anyone who can screw in 5 screws and adjust intonation. Since we are talking about replacing the bridge on a knock-off bass the $19 no-name Economy bridge is probably better than the one that came on it.


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Posted: Thu Nov 26, 2009 9:19 pm
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I would go with the the Badass II.Find someone to cut your saddles build a firend ship with them.Its always good to have a friend that knows you to work on your bass.Thats just me.


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Posted: Thu Nov 26, 2009 10:50 pm
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Dan72 originally posted he was looking for a "NOT TOO MUCH MONEY" bridge and was asking about the super cheap knockoff bridges being sold by an eBay seller for about $15.

Immediately he gets pointed toward a very expensive option.

I figure an ungrooved BadAss II is going to run a minimum of $130 to $150 installed. I don't think that is the kind of money he was thinking about spending. Maybe I'm wrong but when someone says "not too much money" I am not inclined to direct them to a high end professional player bridge requiring installation by a qualified technician at even more expense.

I think it is more appropriate to direct him to some decent quality drop in replacements at an affordable price which he can install and setup himself without paying even more money for someone to set it up for him.

I've had an ongoing communication issue with Leo Quan over the past three months. I emailed Leo Quan again earlier today to see if they would reply to my second request for help on this one part. If they ever get back to me I'll post it here. I'm not holding my breath.

If you charge a premium price for your product, you should have premium support for the end user, meaning you and me.

I've never had a request for help ignored by: Ampeg, Fender, Connolly Music Company (Thomasik-Infeld's USA distributor), Seymour Duncan, Bill Lawrence Pickups, Lindy Fralin Pickups, Whirlwind, Aphex, Italia Straps, M.I.T. Cables, Line 6, Dr. Bass, Avatar, Shure, Peavey, Planet Waves or even by Behringer. Just Leo Quan fails to respond to a cry for help. I'll never buy another Leo Quan product unless it is already installed on the bass and I have no choice about it.


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Posted: Fri Nov 27, 2009 10:18 am
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Just go to bass parts they a lot of after market ones for 20.00.


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Posted: Fri Nov 27, 2009 10:35 am
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Guys,

thanks for your inputs.

brotherdave wrote:
wade1127 wrote:
You can find badass IIs at Bass Parts Resource for about a 100.00.



Quote:
The Gotoh 201 high mass bridge with string grooves already there in chrome is $45. The 203 vintage style is $32. Also they carry the Original Fender Bass bridge with the thread type saddle grooves for $35 which is one of the greatest bridge designs ever. They have an Economy no-name bridge, which looks a lot like the Gotoh 201 for $19. Each of those are ready to be setup immediately by anyone who can screw in 5 screws and adjust intonation. Since we are talking about replacing the bridge on a knock-off bass the $19 no-name Economy bridge is probably better than the one that came on it.


Brother Dave read me well, I was not planning on spending more than say $25-$35 plus shipping. Where would I find those described above in that price range ?

Thanks,

Dan


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Posted: Fri Nov 27, 2009 2:05 pm
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Bass Parts Resource is tha web site. They have all kinds of stuff.


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Posted: Sat Nov 28, 2009 9:43 am
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The actual direct link is: http://guitarpartsresource.com/middle_bass.htm


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Posted: Sat Nov 28, 2009 12:04 pm
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what a dick!


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