Stock Bridge vs Hipshot Kickass 

the things i noticed most was the huge increase in the amount of beefiness in your e string, more tone and high overtones, and more clarity

Scrolling down the comments and then Schism popped up and quickly scrolled the mousewheel to see it! Huge difference thanks for the video :)

your recording sounds GREAT. That is so valuable and - apparently - so hard to get right. thank you

Outstanding video!

thank you for this Im now a hipshot convert and nice playing!

Thanks for uploading this video❤

I definitely heard a difference! I really liked the High Mass.

I just installed one on my jazz bass and I love how it gives more bite to the tone as opposed to the regular one

Would love to see you do a video on the ksm Bridge, and how it compares to the other you've demo'd

Just ordered that Bridge for my squier jazz bass along with some seymour duncun pickups. Super stoked !!! Btw : awesome bass !!!

Immediately heard the difference. I am a big fan of brass saddles. Sound more "brash", if you will. And thank you so much for hitting the strings hard when you play. Great tone.

0:55 originally, the bridge was under a large chrome-plated cover--which is why it is so non-aesthetic. Players usually took off the cover, until Fender stop putting them on their basses.

I definitely heard a difference in that high mass. That's it - i'm getting one!

Great comparison, thanks!

Wow, what a difference. That's me getting one!!!

What got me into high mass came about when I converted a P bass to fretless. The barrel bridge just couldn’t adjust low enough to accommodate the reduced string height needs, without doing something drastic. The adjustability, especially when doing mods or builds or even “Frankenstein’s” just makes life far easier.

Great video! I did notice a difference in sound, I kinda prefer the hipshot bridge. Did you have to drill any additional holes on your bass?

Is that the SPB-4? What is the J pickup?

My American 5 string jazz has string through body design. Does hipshot make a bridge that accommodates this?

I've been wanting to believe that improved tone from changing a bridge is hokey. Other people have said so. But I heard a difference. Not huge, but real.

I have this bridge on my NJ Ironbird bass. I have an MK1 Ironbird bass I bought coming to me as well that will also be getting this bridge. Excellent quality. Hipshot always delivers the goods. All killa. No filla

I did prefer how the fundamentals sounded on the high mass bridge, but god damn that bass sounds great regardless

IMO and IME the fundamentals are more pronounced on the hi-mass, and the mids are louder. I’ve seen a few of these comparisons and that seems to be the case across the board. The result is a more modern punchier sound (certainly well suited to slap bass). If you want a softer, more traditional tone, with less bite then stick with the standard bridge. Finally, if you want more sustain go for a string through body bridge.

I do love high mass bridges and have a bunch on my basses. However, as someone who tours a ton and fixes and repairs basses and guitars professionally, I can say that the original bridge isn't really flimsy. I've never ever had one fail on me, and sometimes I prefer the look of the original. But, it depends on what I'm into at the time! Great video, man.🥂

Thanks for the comparison. Did the Hipshot fit without drilling any knew wholes in the body?

Not that it has anything to do with tone or performance, but I recently have been in touch with Hipshot for various things as a company. What nice, good people they are. For me it's enjoyable to use companies with with people as good as the products.

Preferred the Hipshot Kickass bridge. And nice playing dude!

The Bridge is in transit now.. I cant wait to install it in my P-bass. Brass nut, 500k volume and tone pots, and Alnico Pickups... It's gonna sound like a new machine!!🤘🤘🤘

name of song your playing please.heard it lots of times. .don't know the title

It all depends on the sound you're going for: The high-mass bridge definitely sounds richer, improves sustain and keeps all the frequencies ringing longer. However, it has less percussive attack because of that. For traditional, vintage-style instruments, I prefer low-mass bridges, both for looks and sound. But I'd always prefer one with quick string release. Both bridges don't have that, but choice is also pretty limited if you don't want to drill new holes.

Did you ground back to the high mass? Or did you have a remote ground?

High mass the best hip shot kickass did exactly that. Thanks

personaly, they sound to close to call... but the hi mass had more of a matched volume across the range, tone i think they were the same...volume i thnk was the key here

Thank you for using the right TOOL for the job

A matter of preference. I got one to help with some neck dive, i do also like the slightly deeper tone. Didn't necessarily dislike the traditional bridge, just different.

That sparkle is SWEET !!!! The Kickass has more low end.

Maybe you should noodle a bit with the HI-mass bridge to get rid of the fretbuzz. Sounded a bit better than the original bridge (which wasn't bad at all though); more solid and durable, but hmm maybe not entirely set up 100% yet? If you get my drift. Also I'm confused why you'd buy the cheapest possible strings to test your new cool bridge with? :D But thanks for the video, I liked to hear the difference and also I liked your choice of bass lines to test with. :)

with hipshot it's more aggressive and wild sound, and i feel different sustain. approve !

I've put the Hipshot Kickass bridges on 3 - 5-string basses and the tone was way better and the b-string tension was significantly improved and 2 of them were short scale! The fact that these same bridges show up on 8000$ F-Basses should say something.

Bel video mi hai convinto sul mettere un High Mass...il lamierino è un po moscio non mi è mai piaciuto soprattutto esteticamente. L'aumento di peso però si sente molto quando si fa il cambio?

do you know if it will fit on MIM p basses? also where do you recommend i buy it?

I think high mass bridges have different results on different instruments. In my situation my jazzbass sounds more clear with the vintage style bridge. With your bass it has an obvious different mid frequency responce. For a PJ bass high mass can be a better choice. You encourage me to do so on my PJ bass. I think they both sound cool. Standart bridges have a more traditional vibe high mass bridges have a bit more modern and full vibe. I think both works on different situations as well...

Hi, like your video, it would be interesting to compare with a Babicz, a direct challenger

Heard a difference - really? I wonder if the responses would be the same with a blind test. In my audiophile heydays, I would evaluate and buy stereo equipment based on blind listening tests in the acoustical rooms at "hi fi" stores. I have high mass bridges on my basses but it's more of an aesthetics things and they came with high mass bridges anyway.

What song is that at 4:08? Sounds super familiar but can't put my finger on it...

- TIMESTAMPS - Intro: 2:59 - 3:32 Groove: 3:10 - 3:44 Rock Groove: 4:08 - 4:40

Is that a G&L bass with andromeda finish? I didn't think you could get a bass with that finish it's wicked

is that a JAZZ SPECIAL? i just ordered a Kick ass for my 1985 jazz special

I'm considering converting an abused pawn shop bass into a piccolo bass. Do you think this would improve it or could I get away with the generic no name crap that came with this thing?

Hey man, what are your pj pick ups ?

holy shit is that a fender jazz bass special from the 80s with a custom paint job??

I really liked this bridge until it came to setting the intonation on my 1971 Fender P Bass. It's impossible without changing the screws and using a shorter spring. This is a replacement bridge for a Fender, for Pete's sake. I couldn't move the E string saddle back far enough to set the proper intonation. Took it off my bass, sent it back. Paid a little more for a Badass, but the dang thing works. Case closed. They need to redesign the Kickass.

To my ears the stock examples made you play with more fluidity, the notes seem rounder. Although studio or live it's really a thin line between the two. I'm feeling these Harley strings even though I'm sure they'll only last 2 weeks before they die. Cheers. .

It think on the second time through the strummed chords of schism it's barred on the F and Bb then lowered to the A

big difference!!!!!!

Is it just me or was the high mass bridge recording clipping a bit?

Bridges were all originally covered by a cover be it the Tele a Jazz or Precision. Looks didn't matter.

what bass is that, that’s so rad dude

Do you need a TOOL to swap those bridges ?

L'impressione è con il high mass ci siano più medio-alti e rumore della corda sui tasti in generale

The tone sounds the same to me. However, you played better with the hi-mass so makes better sense. 👍🏽

I personnally prefer the Stock bridge. The high mass had fret buzzs to be fair, too much for my taste, I felt the stock bridge had more body, less compressed

wow big difference mate. more precise

G string has a lot of rattle on the hipshot, D string less but there. Watched other demos of the hipshot but they all tend to sound muffled vs the metally sounding original.

because of the longer wavelengths, intonation accuracy is less important with a bass than with a guitar. 1 mm gives a huge difference with a short wavelength, with a long wavelength it gives none.

Maybe my ear...bit that G sounded a pinch flat.

Io sento più basse ed un suono un po'più corposo con la High mass

So big of a difference

When I built my Steve Harris blue sparkle bass I bought The Kick Ass bridge. This basically took the Leo Quan Badass II bridge that was/is used on Steve's basses and made it better. Now as a bass player myself for 32 years I can say that the Fender bridge is cheap junk and has been forever. Overtones are a nightmare to deal with and trying to keep the bass intonated is annoying with these types of bridges. So as I said when I built that bass, I knew it was next to impossible of finding the Badass II, so discovering the KickAss was the best investment I've made. Iconic or not, when you mass produce a bass the last place you should cut costs is at the bridge.

The difference is obviously there. Hipshot sounded beefier and punchier. This was especially obvious on the E string.

ashtray bass bridge! 😄

The Hipshot Kickass and the Leo Quan Badass II bridges are my second choice bridges. I’ll choose one or the other as my #2, depending on the application. The other, “vintage” bridge...no longer is part of any bass I own. I’ve never cared for them and I’ve replaced them all. My #1 is the Ray Ross bass guitar bridge. Yes, it’s an expensive bridge. Yes, the benefits are not life-changing. Yet, the improvements in tone and sustain are real and for my two most played working basses, they were worth the cost. I do all my own work and installed the Ray Ross bridges myself; I saved the money on the installation and am only out the cost of the hardware. As I can afford to purchase more examples, I’ll install them on my other three main bass guitars. Dan Thompson at Guns & Guitars just reviewed the Ray Ross bridges. Here’s a link for any interested parties. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-GNz1ZX8UcxI.html

The more mass your bridge has, the more groupies you will have

Almost sounds the same, if you did a blind test, we cannot tell the difference, people listen with their eyes, The stock sounds brighter, better clarity

2:16 2:38

The KickAss absolutely destroys that Fender garbage. No contest.

The old fashioned fender design sounds better, is cheaper and simpler. I think Leo got it right back in the 50's, he was a genius.

NO Comparison!! The High Mass Bridge has It. It's not even a contest

The stock bridge looks better, sounds better. I've change all my precisions from kickass and highmass to stock 😍👍

These bridges are expensive. If you can't afford a real Fender, then you can upgrade that cheap Epiphone for a fraction of the price. Buying a badass Fender bass and replacing all the hardware is impractical.

fingernail playing?

Hipshot sounds better.

You lost me at Tool.

Sorry to say - this is fake!! On the stock bridge you used stock pickups, and on the Hipshot bridge you have changed them to Seymour Duncans, so we are not just comparing bridges.