Bass Bridge: METAL or WOOD? - what sounds better?? 

A wooden bridge would be perfect on a fretless, definitely a difference in sound

The sound difference felt as if the wooden bridge's pickups were "closer to the neck." Wider, woolier, softer, and warmer.

My favourite thing about this channel is how honest it is.

This video is useful in a "meta" way: it caused us to have a discussion about experimentation itself, and not the results of this particular experiment.

I can clearly hear the difference. More low mids (around 200Hz ) on the wooden bridge.

Dude! When Phil played that first lick on the wood bridge, I said "wow" out loud. So many harmonics coming out, so much effortless lower midrange leaping out. Really a wonderful sound. The metal bridge just kinda sounded like a nice jazz bass to me.

I was listening to this with no headphines and I could hear that the mids stood out more with the wood bridge

Well I watched it and heard through my TV speakers and I could hear the difference the Wood Bridge sounded more smoother and gave an even balance of volume with the strings in my opinion.

When I decided to venture into a 5-string world, I ended up doing a side by side comparison of a Smith bolt-on, CR-5 with a walnut body & an MTD with an ash body. On top of that, the Smith was MUCH heavier on my shoulder compared to the MTD, the latter being more similar to the Charvel Fusion that I had been playing for 7 years or so. My friends who I was jamming with both said that the sound and feel of me playing either bass was amazing, but at the end of the day, the Smith one out b/c of the feel that it still has while playing it. I can feel the resonance of the wood against my body, something I've always been particular about. Most people underestimate the acoustic playability of an electric instrument, and I honestly think that's more important than what happens when you plug it in. I feel this is especially true when it comes to playing bass. I suspect I'm also preaching to the choir.

In my humble opinion the wood bridge sounded more smoother, gave an even balance and cleary bring more low mids.

One of your best videos, Gregor. It underlines very well that all these discussions about materials and their impact on sound are almost impossible to conclude with a clear answer. And even though sometimes it seems obvious it may not translate into any meaningful impact on the listener, be it in a live situation or in the studio.

Very eye- (or ear-) opening video! This shows again what many often say and equally many people don't want to hear: There are so many more factors than the bass which form the sound, and the biggest factors are the cheapest changes. Maybe in this order: - Player - Strings - Pickup position - Pickup type and electronics - Setup/action - (a big gap) - Bridge construction - Neck joint construction (bolt-on/neck-through) - Fingerboard material - Neck material - Body construction - Body material And I think the quality of the woods are even more important than the wood type. BUT even though you can make a cheap Squier sound pretty close to a Wal with the right pickups and electronics and a good setup, it just feels so totally different, and that makes you play differently again. And we're back at the player.

I think metal is more rigid and metallic. Wood is warmer, softer, rounder, deeper and more natural. Listening on my presonus e5 reference monitor. But Slap sound better on metal bridge

I listen with a decent pair of pretty neutral headphones and I can hear differences although they are subtle. I find the wooden bridge richer and warmer in tone and gives a more mellow impression with a slower attack. The metal bridge has more punch to it with a quicker attack. Both sound amazing but a bit different. It can of course in part be my preconceptions that fools me...

Great video, I heard (and felt the wooden bridge was warmer) Pure vibration, especially low end, doesn’t translate through a recording the same way it interacts with us live. ❤

I feel like I can hear it Gregor, the wooden bridge is more natural, open, and toneful, and as you said the metal bridge is a bit more bright and compressed. The wooden bridge has a bit more mid-range honk as well. Both sound great though! I agree with what you're saying about the combined sensory experience of playing an instrument too.

Your demo on bridges was refreshing, you went into touch and feel. We player's all know this you could even throw in smell. Thanks for your channel.

I found your commentary at the end much more interesting than the original topic. Great video.

I really didn't think it would be that big of a difference! I'd love to see the same test with a fretless bass!

Even if some of these videos don't seem to go as planned, it's still awesome to see them and provide sort of a conversation starter! I could hear some subtle differences, but I do feel like they would be more obvious in person like you said.

Nice video and really helpful even if you didn't think so! For my speakers the wooden bridge sounded more warm with less high frequency spikes. But it is really helpful to see that in a recording the differences are not so obvious! And FINALY someone who doesn't want high mass bridge!! People are obsessed by upgrading their basses but we have to think first our sound and "feel" and then if we need to "fix" something.

Gregor ... ich höre auch genau diesen Unterschied, den du nach dem Kaffee beschrieben hast und ich bin sehr froh über dieses Video von dir 🤗

What you are hearing with a high mass bridge is more upper mid and high frequency energy being reflected back into the strings, as opposed to the wood bridge with less mass, and more absorption of the high frequencies, leaving a warmer, more bassier tone. It's like the "alembic" bass effect, a more rigid string support structure reflecting more of the string energy back into the strings, yielding a more metallic sound.

That was a very cool Idea Greg...the basses sound very similar...both great

This is an extremely great and practical video! Brilliant honesty! Thank you!

Thank you so much for your opinions that you shared after the demo. I'd rather hear a good opinion from another musician (who has proven I can trust their opinion) then, I can check it out myself and create my own opinion.

A dig the wood bridge. Very organic sound.

Very interesting these basses with the wood & metal. I have to agree on this one with the wood having a bit more mids than the metal although somewhat subtle to my ears. Very nice basses, good sound.

When is the host going to give us a demo? I don't care if he's not that good if he presents every single video at least he can give us a taste of his playing once just for fun lol.

I could hear the difference pretty well...I love this subject. I think it would be cool to dive into deeper.

That's because you hear the *natural* sound coming from the basses directly when they are played live, which is not recorded digitally through the line into the clips. The bridges play a huge role in the tone difference.

I was searching RU-vid for a 'bass bridge piezo' and I came across your video. I'd have to play the basses to 'feel' the difference. I listened to the sound clips a couple of times using my PJB headphones and like you Gregor, I couldn't distinquish between the two even when listening with my eyes closed. Nonetheless, an interesting experiment.

I love Jeff Bridges!

Could also be vibrations directly to your body as you play the bass...unless we are talking about “when you are in the room, it is obvious.”

I love the ‘simple’ Gotoh and Fender bridges too (and the G&L and Musicman (Ernie Ball) ones). I think the type of string is important too (flats?) The same goes for the choice for a fret(ted)(less) type of bass. The beautiful made Adamovic basses (not my personal style, but they’re great and extremely high quality) might react more different if they would have been both fretless and/or have different strings. Slapping and playing harmonics are easy on both bridges, because both wood and (light) metal bridges tend to be highly resonant playing these ‘styles’. Kind regards, Admar

The wood bridge sounds LOVELY!

I think I heard a difference right away, I preferred the sound of the wood bridge. Interesting test.

Well done! Well thought out!

Thank you, Gregor.

maybe the frequencies that made the differences in tone were in resonance with the room and were amplificated by the room when tested. and then, when you hear the recording those are more subtle

I’d love to hear a metal vs wood string comparison.

I could tell. More organic acoustic feeling for the wooden bridge, snappier punchier feel for the metal bridge. Really clear difference.

I actually found this quite helpful.

It was kind of neat to hear a RU-vid reviewer be confounded and simply own it.

I love the wooden bridge, the tone is very pleasing and natural. It's a shame that there are not any aftermarket bass bridge makers that offer a wooden bass bridge!

I have actually swapped bridges on basses and can confirm there is a noticeable difference in the sound and it is revealed in the studio. I'll go further to include that tuners also attribute to this. Also 'metal' bridge is still a bit general. For instance the Hipshot A-Style bridge that was on the bass you had in the demonstration comes in brass or aluminum. I tried both and found that I prefer brass over aluminum. Both sounded good but the aluminum wasn't quite to my taste. Many mid-range basses come with rather cheap tuners, especially the gotoh style like what you generally see on 5 and 6 string basses with the smaller peg. I have found that just changing the bridge and tuners, but leaving the instrument stock is a noticeable upgrade in tone. Where I disagree with you is the compressor analogy. IMO high mass bridge and quality tuners increase fundamental across the sonic spectrum. I have found that after this modification, I need less dramatic EQ curves applied to the sound. You just receive more from the strings as they are more anchored. Sustain is a little better too. Great video though and I've not played a solid body bass that has a wood bridge. Hope to get my hands on one just to mess around with it.

The difference is pretty obvious honestly so I don't really understand the self doubt in the video, but surprisingly though the difference is not where I thought it'd be. As some others already pointed out the very audible difference is in the lows to low-mids, there's a more complex and very satisfying thing going on in that range with the wooden bridge, and honestly I was really impressed by the sound effect it produced. It's almost like there's no downside to the wooden bridge, but obviously the logical thinking would be that you're going to get less sparkle when slapping on the wooden bridge, but that might be a very very small price to pay compared to the extra good stuff you get in return.

Great video and yes it was very useful. I think that the Metal bridge has the slight edge over the Wood bridge, that being said I want to see how a standard bridge would compare to a monorail or a 3 piece bridge similar to Warwick's 3d bridge design. I might be a bit harder to do a demo because it would have to be the same bass but nonetheless it would be a cool comparison to see and hear. Thanks Gregor for all the hard work and dedication you put into your videos and props to all the bassists on your channel.

I know I'm pretty much nobody, but I was fortunate enough to order and own an adamovic bass with wooden bridge. I love it. Tho, in hindsight, I personally think ordering my bass with hipshot bridge would have worked better for me, for the sake of convenience. I do hear some sound difference from your record, but I do personally believe it can be replicated just by adjusting hand position anyways. (And if I'm not wrong, the saddle for the wooden bridge is metal too, which makes its tone closer to metal bridge than fully wooden bridge)

Awesome, I just finally ordered a t-shirt. So what about the bridge’s?

No experience with a wooden bridge but the sound difference was very noticeable and I imagine that it's more so in person. I enjoyed the comparison and the commentary leads me to believe that it's a larger difference in person. I would've liked to hear your preferences and opinions.

Them be some sexy basses

First watching and listening I felt I could understand a difference in the bridge. Then listening to the frustration I decided to "rewatch" but just with my ears. They started to sound more and more similar. Most notably there's less of that high pitched string rattle (think music man with too low of action) on longer notes on the wood bridge, almost like how flatwounds don't rattle. But the attack is surprisingly similar, while the sustain is subtly different. IDK, either way a great experiment tests and possibly breaks a preconceived hypothesis... and so yeah, this was great

Best episode ever ! Thanks for the dimensional perspective.

It looks like the wooden bridge still has metal saddles. My only issue/concern with a wooden bridge would be longevity. That's quite a bit of tension on a relatively thin piece of wood.

Let's be honest. Leo fender designed the electric bass the way he did bc those were the materials on hand at the time. Nothing wrong with it, but folks should be open to different materials and build process.

Hmmm! Very interesting hearing the difference in sound. I’m not sure for versatile playing I’d like the wooden bridge but I now really want to hear a fretless to get a sound comparison.

I could tell the difference. Metal has more highs (very high) and wood smoother highs but a bit more mids. It felt like the metal is better for slap but the wood is better for finger style.

great explaination... honest...

It seems to give a more classical sting feel, wood as aposed to metal. This bridge would work very well with a fretless. I'll have to look into this.

I understand the point of view expressed here. Live is different than recorded. Hands on experience is different than listening to playback. With bass guitars, as a player, feel is often the key element (apart from tone) that determines my enjoyment of one instrument over another. I could imagine a wooden bridge changing the feel and responsiveness drastically.

Do you recall for how many minutes or hours each of the two basses had been played prior to making the recording? There is a significant difference in the tone (so I completely disagree with your conclusion that they sound exactly the same). But it sounds to me like a lot of the difference could be due to the strings on the wooden bridge bass being brand new and the strings on the metal bridge bass having been played for a few hours before making the recording. Is that the case by any chance? The result is that there is more note clarity on the wooden bridge bass - more more highs, more overtones, cleaner and crisper attack on the lows. The fact that the metal bridge bass lacks some of that crispness gives the illusion that it is producing more mids (or "compressed" mids), but actually I think if you looked on a scope, you'd find that the mids are about the same on both and the difference is more in the upper frequencies.

Wow I never had a wooden bridge on any of my basses but my wish bass a fretless. but listen to this video, and seeing the wooden Bridge I would buy a bass with it. Like the basses that was used in the video. really both sounded awesome .to me the wooden bridge sounded better on that style bass anyway. Yeah! doggie aka "FRIEND". keep the videos coming.

Just a hunch but I suspect wooden bridges would work better than metal for basses with a piezo pickup (under the bridge). A lot of fretless designs incorporate piezos, maybe this is why the fretless + wooden bridge combo is popular?

Interesting! I wouldn't think of putting a wooden bridge on a modern electric bass.

Hipshot brass vs aluminum please

I'd like to hear a DI'd bridge microphone placed closely between the bridge and bridge pickup, mixed in with the pickups feed. If the difference can be heard in the studio, but not the recording, I would venture that the recording is missing an audio perspective present to someone standing in the room. . I found recording a banjo with pickups this way really brings out the live emotion of it. Being hollow bodied allows for this setup. A solid body... Don't know... That would require a physical body mount and introduce other noises a microphone might be merciless with. Some sort of bone conduction or closed PZM EQ'd for the mids... 600Hz to 8KHz, maybe. It would probably have to mounted under the bridge and wired in with the other pickups. . This has me thinking, and that is the type of thought process I'm looking for!

This is some great content. More like this one, please!

1:15 the guy giving us the middle finger

Maybe the mix would have benefited from a room mic mixed in so you get direct sound and what the player hears

I was a little surprised by the "outro" disclaimer... I'm listening on high quality headphones and there's an immediately noticeable difference. I just happen to have the opposite preferences (I'm a "high mass bridge" guy) so for me the metal bridge always sounded better. I like that natural compression coming from the instrument itself.

The wood bridge has less brightness on the bass strings (E or A maybe) imo. This problem is also typical for fretless basses too...

tell me what is the wood bridge ? and ... where can I buy it, it sounds sensational !!!

It's a lovely wormhole to go down though because we have really only compared one tone wood in a wooden bridge construction. Clearly and ebony bridge would sound different to rosewood. 🤔

Sure there is a difference : what I hear is more metallic upper mids for the steel bridge and less of that for the wooden bridge, which sounds somewhat softer and more midrangey but also a bit less trebly. I think both do sound a bit compressed, but in different frequency ranges. And what about the saddles, were those made of same material (yes it does matter) ?

For many years bassists have been replacing their standard metal bass bridges with boat anchor sized huge metal bridges to hope to improve it. Now we see a wood bridge sounds great and is lighter weight. Many woods are very hard and dense and maybe this video will help some people manufacture wood bridges to replace "Badheavy" bass bridges.

Even if the difference doesn't translate to the recording, basses that feel different pull me to play differently. I have all sorts of bridges on my basses, i prefer high mass on my workhorse bass, the natural "compression" you talk about makes it easier to play it all day. For others it's a matter of what fits the rest of the bass. My favorite bridges though is Jeff Bridges.

Could you please clarify whether the Hipshot is brass or aluminium? The difference between the wooden & metal bridge is obvious nonetheless. Punchy vs more open. Thanks

I heard it, but I honestly preferred the compression and brightness of the metal bridge.

The wood bridge definitely sounded warmer/more natural to my ears. But as you said, maybe I wouldn't be able to tell the difference in a blind test and maybe the perceived differences are just my brain telling me it should sound warmer w/ more low mids, simply because it's what we would expect

I won't play a bass if I don't like its unamplified sound. Maybe try recording the bass with a microphone as well, and see how that goes. Maybe a blended sound would help bring out the character of the bridge more?

Have you done any videos of piezo bass bridges?

I've heard some differences too. The wooden bridge had less punch. I could even hear it in blind test....

Tolles Video! Gibt es eine Möglichkeit eine Bridge aus Holz zu kaufen? Hab ich noch nirgends gesehen. Wenn ihr da was wüsstet würde ich mich sehr freuen!

Hi! Have you compared a aluminum bridge vs brass ones????

where can you purchase a wooden bridge like that

I could hear the difference Gregor, exactly like you described, eventhough it is very subtle.

Ich empfehle die Lektüre "Die Physik der Elektrogitarre" von Zollner.

Hi what material is the hipshot bridge.... Aluminum or brass?

Metal bridges are nice and secure but I love the tone of wood bridges.

I feel differences in attack and sustain. Wood seems to have attack softening and dampening ettect, different color. I like the wood warm and natural sound, it is interesting! Ps. Can hear the difference even on smartphone.

I could also hear more low mids with the wooden bridge. Did you think of swapping the bridges around? ... for more science!!

Sooo..Where can one purchase this wood bridge? Or any wood bridge for Ebass? Cant find it anywhere!

The wooden bridge was softer and more rolled off in the top end. Lovely. But I'd love to hear a better representation.

even on the phone the wooden bridge does sound a little bit more lively to me

Mmmmm, bridges both use a witness point at the saddle to sound the note, very traditional nothing weird yet... Check out Ray Ross and their saddle-less bridges. They sound closer to the pure timbre of your strings (something else I've spent thousands researching)

Whoever says they can hear the difference...cool, maybe you'll choose one over the other in a solo bass recording. Once you add any other instrument into the mix, all those nuances will go out of the window.

What about suspension bridges?

Where can we buy the wood bridge?

Seems it might feel different. But I listened while covering part of the screen, and went back and forth. Basically no discernible difference.