Bad Ass Bridge

[blood5150]

I just picked up a new Fender Aerodyne Jazz Bass today... I have heard that the stock bridge is so-so and should be replaced with a "bad ass" bridge.. I am foremost a guitar player and bought this bass for recording and light gigging... Is this upgrade necessary? This is my 1st bass purchase so...

[RockStarNick]

If you check out talkbass forums, MANY people will say that the badass is SO not worth the money.

Check out the Gotoh 201 4 string bridge.

I got one for my squier jazz. AWESOME awesome bridge. Solid as a rock. nice and beefy. Improved sustain to my ears too. sounds really thick and punchy, and it was a direct, 5 screw retrofit.

warmoth has the gotoh bridge for like 25 bucks. Great value.


PS. THat aerodyne is AWESOME looking. VERY Duff McKagen esque!!!! I love it.

[jay42]

You might better spend your hours starting the soon to be eternal search for the perfect strings. I like DR. If you're interested in becoming slap happy, imo, you want lighter gauge strings than what probably came with the Aerodyne.

There are a lot of bridge designs. Some still swear by Leo's originals. I have a Hipshot A style...can't remember if it's aluminum or brass. Stew-Mac.

[blood5150]

bump

[fretless]

The Badass will make a very noticable difference. More punch, a little more "zing" in the high end. Due to it's mass it will also make everything sound a little more "even", if that make any sense.

I've put them on a number of basses that I've owned, and everytime it was a dramatic upgrade. However, they've gotten pretty expensive ($70 or so!!). The Gotoh may be a much better option. While I have no direct experience with the Gotoh I've heard it makes for a much improved tone. If keeping costs down I'd give the Gotoh a shot. In fact, I'm probably going to get one to put on my fretless Jazz bass in the near future. Hard to justify spending nearly $100 on a stinkin' bridge ya know?

One note: since this is your first bass experience you might want to simply "get to know" your new instrument first, and then if you feel it's lacking in some way do an upgrade. The Aerodyne is a GREAT sounding bass out of the box, so initially I would argue to just leave it be.

Congrats on your new bass! Hope you enjoy it..and remember - learn to THINK like a bass player - it's not a guitar!

[The Golden Boy]

Originally Posted by fretless

The Badass will make a very noticable difference. More punch, a little more "zing" in the high end. Due to it's mass it will also make everything sound a little more "even", if that make any sense.

Not my experience at all.

From a couple of posts of mine at TB:

Originally Posted by The Golden Boy

No.

IME, if you've got a functional bridge- if it isn't broken or cracked, the saddles aren't drifting and it intonates- it's not much of an upgrade.

Around the turn of the century I thought it would be a good idea to "upgrade" my Jazz, so I picked up a Badass II. I didn't know what to expect- a certain 'zip' to the tone, or it would magically sound "better" and have so much "sustain" I wouldn't know what to do with it. I put it on, and I couldn't tell the difference.

On paper, it makes all the sense in the world. The larger footprint, the longer string traverse, the troughs to prevent saddle drift... it all adds up to a "better" bridge... on paper.

In practical application- the only difference is this big shiny block of a bridge on your bass. If you think that's an "upgrade," cool. Have at it.

For those of you that have changed bridges and have experienced a magnificent transformation of your sound- did you change strings when you did it? So you've got your new bridge with new strings... think for a second...

Over the past 8 years or so, I've switched bridges back and forth- sometimes kept the old strings on, sometimes changed strings when changing the bridge. I've notice NO appreciable difference- I don't even notice the couple of extra ounces over the stock bent piece of metal bridge.

The only reason I've used the Badass as long as I've used it is because I forked out the money for it. I currently have the stock bent piece of metal that has just as much "tone" and "sustain" as the Badass.

Originally Posted by The Golden Boy

Seriously.

"Sustain" is one of those buzzwords that sound really important, but in all practical applications means nothing. IMO and IME, the amount of sustain in an instrument is based mainly on the materials of it's construction and secondarily it's method of construction. A bolt on, maple necked/ash/alder bodied instrument is going to have more sustain than a mahogany body/necked instrument, whether neck through or set-neck. That's just the way it is- the way the woods work together.

Perhaps there is something to be gained, tonally, by replacing the bridge. But REALLY, IMO and IME, it's not noticable.

It's been hinted at (actually outright stated) in this thread, that the Badass bridge is "badass." Regardless of the name stamped on that shiny piece of metal. Regardless of who's used it- how does it OBJECTIVELY affect your instrument?

People have said it's "improved their tone" but how has it done so?

Tell me how.

I've replaced the bridge a dozen times in the past 8 years on my bass. I've changed strings when I've replaced the bridge. I've kept the same strings when I've replaced the bridge.

What have I done wrong to have not noticed a difference?

For those of you that love the product and believe in it- tell me exactly what it's done.

Replace the bridge with the stock bridge. Or another bridge. Show me I'm wrong.

Perhaps it is a wood thing. Maybe a "good" bridge only makes a difference with alder or basswood.

Maybe it only makes a difference on basses with REALLY bad hardware.

The ball is in your court- prove it.

[tkozal]

I wouldn't bother, the bridge on the Aerodyne is fine

[Bassomatic]

Originally Posted by tkozal

I wouldn't bother, the bridge on the Aerodyne is fine

+1.

Ditto to GoldenBoy's posts, too.

[Funky Chicken]

I have a Badass on my '72 Jazz. I bought the bass in 1994 and it was shipped to me from Florida. It arrived needing a full setup/fret dress, the works. The original bridge was pitted badly enough to need replacement, and I brought it to my then-favored repair guy. He had a new Badass in stock but no stock-type bridge, and the Badass goes on without drilling, so now I have a Badass on the bass. I dunno if it helps or not, and I don't play the bass enough anymore to start switching out parts. The only thing I can say in defense of a Badass is that it has a wider range of intonation adjustment than most stock Fender bridges, so it may help get an older bass with a funky neck or truss rod closer to playable.
In the case of your new bass, you will probably spend upwards of $100 to switch out the bridge on a $650 bass. I'd just play the thing.

[blood5150]

cool... nice to know.

any other opinions?

[MuseCafeChris]

I put a Bad Ass on a Squier that I sold recently, but I changed pickups at the same time, so I can't tell you how much difference (if any) the bridge made in terms of tone. I liked the fact that it was heavier-duty than the stock bridge.

I got the Bad Ass second-hand, but as-new. I doubt I'd have paid full-price for it.

[walterw]

i seem to remember the aerodyne bass having its bridge recessed into the body a little, in which case a leo quann wouldn't fit anyway.

you might consider some real steel vintage-style threaded saddles, though, which will give a bit more brightness and sustain, and which will allow for correct string spacing over the pickups.

or just get a fender usa vintage reissue bass bridge, which is all steel, has the aforementioned saddles on it, and will fit right on.

[S KEE]

Not worth it. The way Fenders sound is partly because of the bridge.

[walterw]

Originally Posted by MuseCafeChris

I put a Bad Ass on a Squier that I sold recently, but I changed pickups at the same time, so I can't tell you how much difference (if any) the bridge made in terms of tone. I liked the fact that it was heavier-duty than the stock bridge.

I got the Bad Ass second-hand, but as-new. I doubt I'd have paid full-price for it.

not to hijack, but did you cut slots in those saddles for the strings to rest in, carefully aligned between the pickup magnets? or are they just sliding around on top there? that can make a big difference in the clarity of the tone.

[Fender4000]

I don't know if I would say it doesn't do *something*. I think it is one of many factors that makes the Geddy Lee Jazz Bass sound so sweet.

If the bridge on my Tony Franklin broke, I'd probably replace it with a BadAss II.