Hi mass Bass Bridge

[BigRedX]

11 hours ago, deepbass5 said:

after all you must all agree if you have ever used a tuning fork - strike it, then ground the the end hard down on a solid surface . Hey ! presto  you can now hear the note loud and clear. That is what a high mass bridge will do to help your strings pick up the natural tone of your wooden bass and better transfer that signature frequency to the strings that in turn will be amplified via your pick ups. may be this all comes back to the Old tone wood debate, A well constructed bass with seasoned woods, body and neck will resonate better than cheaper cuts. and the high mass bridge is simply confirming - you can't make a silk purse from a sows ear. ?????

 

But it's got nothing to do with the mass of the bridge and everything to do with the improved engineering that normally goes along with these designs. 

[BigRedX]

14 hours ago, Geek99 said:

And flat wounds since those are vintage whereas rounds are not 

 

Surely round-wound strings have now been around long enough (since the mid 60s) to also be considered "vintage".

 

Same with "high-mass" bridges - the original Badass Bridge dates from the 70s.

[WinterMute]

11 hours ago, Boodang said:

Replacement pickups definitely the quicker and easier route to a vintage tone. Put some Creamery 60s style pups in my Squier Jazz.... what a transformation. 

I had the 74's in my fretless Squier, really brought the thing to life, shame they're not made anymore.

[pst62]

I fell for the hi mass bollox years ago, swapped out a BBOT for a Badass II, all It resulted in was a lot of arsing around and a higher action, sold it on here, went back to the BBOT, and there I've stayed.

The only time I've noticed a difference in a Hi Mass is on one my Thunderbirds, where I replaced the 3 point north Sea oil platform for a Babicz FCH3.

 

[tegs07]

1 hour ago, BigRedX said:

 

Surely round-wound strings have now been around long enough (since the mid 60s) to also be considered "vintage".

 

Same with "high-mass" bridges - the original Badass Bridge dates from the 70s.

Vintage is is subjective. To my kids anything from the 80’s is vintage.

Edit: maybe a broad definition is anything from your parents era is vintage. Anything from their parents era is just history.

Edited November 12, 2021 by tegs07

[BigRedX]

2 minutes ago, tegs07 said:

Vintage is is subjective. To my kids anything from the 80’s is vintage.

 

Yes it is, but while "vintage" doesn't have a strict definition like "antique" does it tends to refer too anything more than 25 years old (but less than 100) so all those 80s things are indeed vintage now.

 

As are most of the 90s!

[tegs07]

4 minutes ago, BigRedX said:

 

Yes it is, but while "vintage" doesn't have a strict definition like "antique" does it tends to refer too anything more than 25 years old (but less than 100) so all those 80s things are indeed vintage now.

 

As are most of the 90s!

I think there is a cultural context as well in terms of vintage clothing and vintage instruments being seen as desirable, whereas simply being “old” is just outdated.

Edited November 12, 2021 by tegs07

[deepbass5]

Just to add to the debate,

 

I watched the Freddie tribute concert again last night and noticed all three precisions i saw him playing had high mass bridges fitted, maybe he has a neck dive issue ? just saying 😁

[Doctor J]

He first fitted a Bigass bridge during the recording of Fat Bottomed Girls.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There's the door, I'm going, I'm going!

[Thunderbird]

On 12/11/2021 at 05:49, karlfer said:

Buggered if I can hear any difference when it's being banged through 500 watts of Orange 😁.

I find bananas really make a difference compared to oranges lol

[peteb]

On 11/11/2021 at 11:35, Doddy said:

I notice a definite improvement in sustain and (yes) tone with a higher mass bridge. You may notice it, or you may not, but it's there. 

 

 

Yes I agree, but whether you prefer the tone or not (or even if you think that it is important) is down to the player. However, you should be able to notice the difference if you A/B a bass with a BBOT and then with a high mass bridge fitted. 

 

On 11/11/2021 at 17:11, Mickyk said:

So having read all the replies on this, the general consensus seems to be that the Hi Mass bridge doesn't equate to a more vintage sounding tone. But if you did fit  one then it would add to the aesthetics of the instrument, hmmm or is the jury still out.

 

 

If you are really chasing a pure vintage tone then I would have thought that a high mass bridge is not the way to go. Old Fenders, etc all had the original, rather flimsy BBOTs fitted. 

 

Edited November 15, 2021 by peteb