ClassicVibes Posted June 11, 2020 Share Posted June 11, 2020 What advantages does a hi mass bridge have over a BBOT bridge? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassassin Posted June 11, 2020 Share Posted June 11, 2020 I think in real, quantifiable terms, some people think they look better. 3 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wateroftyne Posted June 11, 2020 Share Posted June 11, 2020 The BBOT bridges are rubbish, which is why hardly any classic basslines have been recorded using one. 2 1 21 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted June 11, 2020 Share Posted June 11, 2020 They look different. They may change the sound - although whether which one is best is entirely subjective and most likely unnoticeable in a full band mix. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ezbass Posted June 11, 2020 Share Posted June 11, 2020 Have we potentially been victims of bridge, snake oil salesmen? Goes out, buys popcorn, sits back and munches... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daz39 Posted June 11, 2020 Share Posted June 11, 2020 Which Metal is best for bridges?... 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geek99 Posted June 11, 2020 Share Posted June 11, 2020 16 minutes ago, Daz39 said: Which Metal is best for bridges?... Hard metal, not cheese metal or death metal 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClassicVibes Posted June 11, 2020 Author Share Posted June 11, 2020 Do hi mass bridges provide better intonation than vintage/BBOT bridges? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peteb Posted June 11, 2020 Share Posted June 11, 2020 (edited) 1 hour ago, ClassicVibes said: What advantages does a hi mass bridge have over a BBOT bridge? Well, we haven’t had this one for a while… The main advantage that a hi-mass bridge has over a BBOT is that you get longer note decays when using a brass bridge, hence more sustain. Whether you want or need that little bit of extra sustain is another thing, as is whether you think it’s worth the extra weight / £80 to buy a decent hi-mass bridge. Many people like the vintage style / sound of the BBOT and a lot of people think that ‘Leo got it right first time’. But there’s a reason why so many people started fitting Badass bridges to their 70s Fenders when they came out (including me) and why Leo used a much more solid bridge when he broke free from Fender and started building Stingrays! Also note that modern American Standard Fender basses may look like they are wearing a BBOT, but they are in fact much sturdier. It's all a matter of what you prefer... Edited June 11, 2020 by peteb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hooky_lowdown Posted June 11, 2020 Share Posted June 11, 2020 3 minutes ago, ClassicVibes said: Do hi mass bridges provide better intonation than vintage/BBOT bridges? What? Either something is intonated or its not, you don't get "better intonation". 😆 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClassicVibes Posted June 11, 2020 Author Share Posted June 11, 2020 2 minutes ago, hooky_lowdown said: What? Either something is intonated or its not, you don't get "better intonation". 😆 I guess stability is a better word. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted June 11, 2020 Share Posted June 11, 2020 I went through the swapping to hi-mass bridges a few years back, and although not massively different I felt that the mids were somehow slightly subdued and both top and bottom end made a tad sharper, so making the sound slightly more modern. And my overall thoughts were I preferred the sound with the BBOT bridges, so they went back in and I sold the hi-mass ones. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hooky_lowdown Posted June 11, 2020 Share Posted June 11, 2020 2 minutes ago, ClassicVibes said: I guess stability is a better word. Stability in which way? Better sustain has already been mentioned, what sort of stability are you referring to? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted June 11, 2020 Share Posted June 11, 2020 13 minutes ago, peteb said: The main advantage that a hi-mass bridge has over a BBOT is that you get longer note decays when using a brass bridge, hence more sustain. Whether you want or need that little bit of extra sustain is another thing, as is whether you think it’s worth the extra weight / £80 to buy a decent hi-mass bridge. Debatable. Sustain is a function of how quickly the vibrations of the string dissipate through the rest of the instrument and is based on the mass of the instrument and how flexible the body, neck and anything else the strings may be attached to are. As a percentage of the overall bass weight the additional weight of the high mass bridge is negligible. The only way a high mass bridge could affect the sustain would be if the original bridge was not securely attached to the body. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pineweasel Posted June 11, 2020 Share Posted June 11, 2020 9 minutes ago, hooky_lowdown said: Stability in which way? Better sustain has already been mentioned, what sort of stability are you referring to? Stability of the saddles themselves? Most replacement bridges are better engineered and hold the saddles firmly in place, whereas they can wander a bit on the simple BBOT. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daz39 Posted June 11, 2020 Share Posted June 11, 2020 Calm down you lot - this thread's just stalling time until we've all formulated our ideas on tone woods. 1 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daz39 Posted June 11, 2020 Share Posted June 11, 2020 1 minute ago, pineweasel said: Stability of the saddles themselves? Most replacement bridges are better engineered and hold the saddles firmly in place, whereas they can wander a bit on the simple BBOT. If you play fast enough, no one will notice. *Reader: I do not play fast enough. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peteb Posted June 11, 2020 Share Posted June 11, 2020 (edited) 55 minutes ago, BigRedX said: Debatable. Sustain is a function of how quickly the vibrations of the string dissipate through the rest of the instrument and is based on the mass of the instrument and how flexible the body, neck and anything else the strings may be attached to are. As a percentage of the overall bass weight the additional weight of the high mass bridge is negligible. The only way a high mass bridge could affect the sustain would be if the original bridge was not securely attached to the body. Surely the only thing that is debatable is to what extent it affects the sustain? Replace the BBOT on an old (not particularly well made by modern standards) Fender and you can (or at least, you should be able to) notice the difference. The following is from Hipshot on the pros and cons of hi-mass (i.e. brass) bridges. Please note that Hipshot also make lo-mass (aluminium) bridges (as well as better engineered versions of the BBOT) so they have no reason to guild the lily (they also do a pro and cons list for the aluminium model): Advantages and disadvantages of BRASS bridges You’ve probably heard many times from many people that brass bridges have great sustain. Do they? Yes, they do. You can get nice long note decays when using a brass bridge, however there are a few tradeoffs to this. Brass is a dense and heavy metal as it is made of copper and zinc (and possibly a small amount of tin depending on brass type). As such, most of the string vibration stays within the bridge and is not transferred out to the body because of its high mass content. The advantage is that you’ll get great sustain for your notes, but the disadvantage is that your tone won’t have as much punch in a mix. Edited June 11, 2020 by peteb 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger2611 Posted June 11, 2020 Share Posted June 11, 2020 I swap out the bridges on my main gigging Precision's to Gotoh 201 bridges, I find them more comfortable if I am palm muting and I have had a couple of bridge failures at gigs over the years where a grub screw that has been stable for years has suddenly decided to unwind during a set leaving a flappy out of tune string sitting right on the fret board, I have never had that with a Gotoh bridge. Does it give more sustain or change the sound in any way.....not that I have noticed 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassassin Posted June 11, 2020 Share Posted June 11, 2020 I'm sure I remember someone on here, must've been 5+ years ago, did an A/B with a BBOT & a BA2 - same bass, same strings etc, and the consensus from the clips was that the BBOT sounded marginally better. Hope I'm not hallucinating that. I like hi-mass bridges largely because they look better, I'm hard pushed to hear any difference at all. I do have a few basses with Schaller 3Ds, being able to adjust string spacing, mostly for accuracy over pickup poles, can be a benefit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NancyJohnson Posted June 11, 2020 Share Posted June 11, 2020 I prefer the visual aesthetic of a BadAss or whatever the Hipshot is called (KickAss). These feel nicer under your palm - I've never been cut on the wrist by a BadAss/KickAss. Better (and possibly more stable) adjustability. Beyond that, I honestly doubt they provide anything more, tonally or otherwise. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean-Luc Pickguard Posted June 11, 2020 Share Posted June 11, 2020 (edited) I really like the Fender hi-mass bridge that looks a bit like a badass but with chromed brass saddles. It almost seems wrong that it only costs £30. Edited June 11, 2020 by Jean-Luc Pickguard typo 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave_bass5 Posted June 11, 2020 Share Posted June 11, 2020 3 hours ago, Roger2611 said: I swap out the bridges on my main gigging Precision's to Gotoh 201 bridges, I find them more comfortable if I am palm muting and I have had a couple of bridge failures at gigs over the years where a grub screw that has been stable for years has suddenly decided to unwind during a set leaving a flappy out of tune string sitting right on the fret board, I have never had that with a Gotoh bridge. Does it give more sustain or change the sound in any way.....not that I have noticed Exactly the same for me. I also like that they are 19mm string spacing. Some of the basses ive replaced the bridge on were 20mm. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owen Posted June 11, 2020 Share Posted June 11, 2020 I did the whole two bridges one bass thing some time ago. The difference - for me - was negligible when I was in a room on my own. The difference with a band? Infinitess........infinatess.........infinti.....so small as to be not there - for me. For the record, going from 9v to 18v on my EMG pre-amp was equally underwhelming. There - I said it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LukeFRC Posted June 11, 2020 Share Posted June 11, 2020 I’ve done some swaps too. Slight differences. High mass nice on jazz. Prefer BBOT on a precision Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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