LeftyBassist.com

hi i am thinking of changing the stock bridge on my 1975 fender p-bass the one i wanna change it for is a badass II bridge and just wondering what do you guys think should i do it on one hand i wanna change it but on the other everything is stock so dont wanna mess it up.

The Badass is a bigger bridge, and will leave an impression in the finish, possibly down to the wood itself. I'd recommend a direct replacement, one that uses the same holes, and is not bigger, just one with a bit more mass.... if that's what you want. The Gotoh 201, I believe is the number- is a good, reasonably priced choice, EXCEPT if you have heavy flats like on my p-bass- it bent the back edge up, a-la Rickenbacker. I took that Gotoh bridge off my Warmoth...and I put on- are you ready for this? A STOCK, old Pre-CBS Fender allthread saddle bridge I had in my parts bin. The sound of the bass actually improved. P.S., I'm a bass tech in Reno, NV., and yes, I'm lefty. Good luck....

so lhbassist would you just leave the stock bridge on?

What is it you're looking for that you want to change the bridge? More sustain?

yeah that and i would like a little more high end idk i just feel its lacking something maybe its all in my head

No no no, that voice in your head is absolutely right! The problem is the bass. It's just no damn good- only thing you could do now would be to sell it to me cheap and be rid of it!

But seriously... personally I've never had any more success with a high mass bridge on older Fender P basses than with a good quality Fender style bridge. Just doesn't seem to make an audible difference to me. I have had much better results with Badass bridges on Jazz basses.

okay i might keep the stock bridge for now maybe do a little more research

Dude... go read the "What was I thinking?" thread.

You are beginning to veer off on a downward spiral... and when you come to your senses, you'll go to grab your p-bass one day and realise that's it's not a p-bass at all anymore.

Then you'll freak out and want to sell it, and when you list it on eBay, Matt R will find it and it will be immortalized in one of his "HAHA! Look at what this guy did to his once awesome bass!" threads.

Seriously, though... here's what I think...

You're bored.

Your p-bass is probably fine... in fact, it probably sounds great. But... you've now been playing long enough where you're starting to figure out different sounds you want to hear in your head and, even though the p-bass sound is one of them, it can't be all of them.

P-basses are truly awesome (after playing for over 20 years, I'm just figuring this out myself and am now searching like a rabid animal for a good one), but they are kind of a one-trick pony.

Don't get me wrong... you can do a lot with them and they can transcend all musical genres, but... they still have one volume, one tone, and one pickup, and, if it can't reach a certain tone that's in your head, then you're SOL because a p-bass can only do what it can do.

So... here's my advice:

Your p-bass is kind of special... keep it stock. Don't fuck with the p-bass recipe. P-basses are like choclate chip cookies... they have like 7 ingredients but they're goddamned tasty. Never sell it. Love it for what it can do and what it does. There's a reason why so many people love them, and, even though you love them now, I think you'll probably even learn to appreciate those reasons more as you mature as a player and musician.

Start to explore other viable options... like multi-pickup basses... and active electronics... and onboard/offboard preamps... and amplification...

And start saving your money... or even take a second job, just to buy gear.

Experiment with other stuff and let different equipment get the tones you're hearing in your head... don't mess with your first true love.

\m/

wow thanks addison you have made me wanna leave my p-bass alone

Yes, but I'm never one to just leave it at that. A pickup swap may give you more of what you're not hearing... I heard an old Bartolini- a Hi-a actually, and it sounded amazing on the otherwise stock p-bass it was on. There's an easy way to swap pickups without modding the stock vintage wiring- IF your bass has the post '73 'open' rout, instead of the older 'tunnel.' New 250k pots and a Switchcraft mono jack and capacitor are relatively cheap. Make up a duplicate harness and drop it in to the pickguard -new pickup and all. You won't have to disturb the solder joints of the original harness...other than the grounds...but you can unsolder them from the brass plate under the pickup, and it won't be seen. Can't do that on a jazz bass. Completely reversible, and might make you very happy. There's a LOT of pickup choices. Just what is it that sounds "wrong" with your bass?

I just wanted to say again that my Warmoth P-bass seems to actually sound better with the vintage Fender allthread bridge on it. There sure are a lot of great sounding Fender basses with the stock bridges still faithfully doing their job..... I don't think, other than surface and screw rust, I've ever seen one 'fail.' I've been repairing Fender basses for about 40 years now. I have basses with Badass, Schaller, ABM and Gotoh and stock Fender bridges on them. The Badass does give you a bump in sustain, but even a bass with dead flats still sustains with the light but very strong Fender bridge on it.

um idk it just sounds like its too deep like i know its a bass but i want i lttle more high end i've tried pedals like the bbe sonic maximizer and EH steel leather with poor results i am kinda looking for that phil lynott tone where its bassy but also has a bit of high end to it too

I agree with Addison mostly and a bit with Lhbassist. Generally, unless something out and out fails (which has happened to me btw) you aren't really going to out think Leo Fender with subtle changes. And hardware change could do more harm than good if you discover it's not really doing much and you've permanently scarred something. Having said that, you can play around with pickups much more easily because anything you change can easily be undone, unless you reroute the interior or something which I don't recommend at all. Also, IMHO, pick-ups affect the basic sound more than the mass of the bridge.

thanks to everyone one more question would it be a bad idea to change the pickguard ? i would keep the original so later on down the road if i decided i didnt like it anymore i could put the original back on.

PRB - I am afraid the "what was I thinking" demon is floating above your head. I agree with pretty much everyone. Keep it original.

Now regarding your lack of brightness concern, I recommend to reconsider the way you eq your bass. Most bass players add too much bass (which muddys the attack and makes the sound dull) or scoop the mids too much which kills the mid-punch you need for rock playing. On a parametric eq, I recommend to have the bass knob between (like on a watch) 12:00 and 15:00 and the mids between 11:00 and 12:00 (for both knobs if you have a low-mid and a high-mid). I leave the highs flat at 12:00 but you can slightly play with it.
The rule is: never use extreme amounts of eq as the phase distortion will kill the sound.

If it still no good try your bass with a different amp. I have a feeling you actually need a different amp. If I recall, you got a peavey head. I recall they sound rather dull. You can buy all the boxes in the world, it won't replace a good amp. Save for a used Ampeg SVT

very true frenchy i gotta take a look at my EQ and your right those "what was I thinking" demons are floating above my head i guess because i play it so much and look at it everyday i get bored with it idk but iam going to try not to change anything but the pickguard is very tempting

make sure the screw holes are in alignment with the originals. i think fender has slightly changed their positioning over the years and no one wants to drill new holes. if anyone knows this is wrong, feel free to correct me.

and yes, try some new amps in the shops before you do anything to the bass.

It is correct, ordering a pickguard using the maker's template will lead to frustration. You have to send a PDF file with the contour of your current pickguard. Boycott those companies who charge 25% extra for lefties

110% agreed with Addison's last post: don't mess with it, get your gadget Jones out on a not so vintage p bass or another bass & try outboard stuff with the '75. I found the original Sadowsky outboard preamp & the Sansamp gave a big variety to passive basses, I currently have the Eden WTDI & love it, though I wish I hadn't sold either of the others. The amp you use itself should also perform the tonal variations you're after. Good luck with it & remember, if it ain't broke, don't fix it!!

From my experience it might improve the sound and the sustain or may be not. It depends on the instrument, the woods, the set-up, the strings etc...

For a long time I had a Ken Smith (very similar to a Badass) on my P75 and I decided to try the original bridge not long ago and i did prefer the original bridge afterwards. But on my P69 I did replace the original bridge with the Ken Smith and I like it better like that. As long as it is a direct replacement for the screws holes I don't see the problem to give it a try. it might help or not. But one thing I like about newer bridges is that the slots for the tuning screws stay in place because of the rails.