If you are now at the point that you are cool with a bridge upgrade on your bass guitar, then you should check out my other upgrade video, where I talk about the wonderful world of bass pickup upgrades right here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Y0geHqeN1IM.html
Hi Preston. I do use a 9volt. That is the power supply that energizes the built in pre-amp inside each pickup. I think you will be over the moon with EMG. I am!
@@prestong515 EMG is the way to go!! Also check out their BQCpreamps Thales are amazing!!!!! Low end lobster does a video on one of them. I actually won that bass in his first bass contest ✌️
I started playing in 1971 so I don't think I'm a beginner. However I find Bass chops for beginners really interesting. I'm still learning new things about bass each day!
Hi Mark. I'm so glad that you are finding this channel useful. I marvel at how many non beginners watch and subscribe to my channel. I suppose it really does have something for everyone, and I'm eternally honored.
Greetings from Peru! This is great channel! I modded my 2 basses. One is a Squire Jazz Bass vintage 79. I put a Hipshot bridge (so far, my favorite) and switched the pickups for DiMarzio Ultra Bass. I went a little beyond that though… I shielded the cavities with copper (they were painted with conductive paint, but it wouldn’t hurt) and since the DiMarzios are hum buckets internally, I added switching capacitors to use them in series or parallel. And of course, I had to do a paint job to that beauty, hehe! A long time ago, I tried a Fender Jazz Bass Geddy Lee edition, which had a Badass II bridge. It was totally out of my price range, but it was the inspiration for my new bass. Now, I wouldn’t change my bass for any other. My other bass is my first bass, a Squier Affinity Jazz Bass. I put the other bass’s pickup there (Duncan Design pickups, not bad at all), shielding, Hipshot bridge and Fender tuners. Shielding and paint job, of course, and…. I removed the frets and treated the neck so now I have also a fretless, hehe! I wish I could share pictures. but I enjoyed this and the pickups video. Brought me good memories!
Wow Carlo! What an amazing story! Go to the about section of my channel and find my Instagram account if you would still like to share images of your basses there. At the end of my vids, I usually have my IG address on the lower third as well. Glad you enjoy the channel!
Thank you for this video! Been looking around for a comprehensive overview on replacing my bridge and this was the best one yet! Keep the videos for the low end coming!!!!!
The Kickass really does kick ass. One of the things I absolutely love about it is the ability to adjust string spacing. The badass bridge could not do that once the saddles were filed.
Hi Brian. Indeed. I think that's one of the many reasons why HipShot is such a hit within the aftermarket upgrade realm. The stuff is made to exceed OEM hardware.
I put a Hipshot Kickass bridge on my MIM Fender P Bass, and I was instantly amazed at what a noticeable change in tone I got. So I got another one, for my J Bass. Definitely worth it!
Thanks for this comment I am about to buy a Affinity PJ bass coming from guitars I am definitely a modder and was wondering where to get a bridge replacement for it now I know thanks
Oh you are in FLORIDA nice!! Me too!! I'm in Charlotte County! I knew when you mentioned deans that you were probably in FL , deans used to or maybe still does , hosts the DOA (deans of america) ive been there a few times such a great time! Nice to know your in the sunshine state 😁
Aldo, me alegro muchisimo! I have yet to hear from anyone complain about Hipshot products. They really seem to make hardware that just works and beautiful in design.
Its so funny you mentioned getting bitten by the bass. Bug my bug keeps me up all hrs of the night just playing my basses I get 3 hrs sleep a night but I love my bass its my life
Dude the song is Dreamtheater!! Strange deja vu!! Awesome!! Myung has been my bass god for 26 yrs! This album changed my life! Really live in Tokyo vhs changed my life 🤗
I know, right? That part of the song has always been my favorite, and so when I got my Precision Bass that is shown in the video, I said "do that middle part of Deja Vu for the intro to the next video".
Mr Cruz. Love your channel very very informative. I have a few bass's .on my 2 fender p bass I have a original badass 2 bridge. On my 3rd fender p bass I have a hipshot kickass not to fond of it . I want to thank you for help on finding the right bass bridge.
This is fantastic news, and you're welcome! It really validates this channel when a viewer finds the information useful, and often finds the suggestion I make work for them. I am however, curious as to why you did not like the Hipshot. That product line has enjoyed enormous success in general, and seldom do bassists regret their bridges. Can you elaborate, or at least let us know what Hipshot did to fix the issue for you?
I have an arsenal of bass guitars. The first 3 things I do when I get the new bass home Is #1 Change the bridge. in most cases I use a Shaller Roller bridge which give me plenty of room to adjust the string positions. #2 I replace the strings with Flat Wound strings #3 The pickups go and I use Seymour Duncan 1/4 pound pickups. and in some cases I change the Machine heads with a closed gear style, I love the ones Fender uses on the higher end basses, but Hipshot makes some of the finest I have ever used.
My favorite part of that song! BTW, done with my new Squier Precision I got as a Father's day gift. Just the neck pickup being used here, and I just love the tone.....classic retro, at least to my ears.
I like to take my high mass bridges when they sit tall to just counter sink them into the body; by doing this it no longer just has the back of the bridge sitting flush against the body but now also has the sides touching the body as well. Also I like to take the neck pocket and shave the inside down a little and put a thin metal sheet in it like you would a shim. The pocket is shaved first so the shim doesn't actually add any extra height, unless of course the height is needed. This effectivly puts metal on both sides of the pocket instead of just on the back and put six bolts in the neck instead of 4, two of them being angled. I usually use light top heavy bottom strings.
Hi Chris, You are most certainly at the luthier level of expertise. I do like the idea of the metal to metal idea. I'm assuming that you gain mechanical reinforcement at the neck joint, or sustain across the whole instrument's output? Or, what other measurable advantage do you get, or have noticed by doing this cool mod?
Clark, I agree totally! I have yet to see one in person at a retail outlet, or even on basses, but they seem to me to be of superior design and construction.
Very interesting video, I have 19 Bass Guitars, Including an upright Chec Double Bass. and the first 2 things I do when purchasing a new bass, is # 1 Change the Bass Bridge with a High End Bridge and #2 Always change the strings to Flat Wound Strings. Not High on the list but important is swapping out the pick ups and often the machine heads. One thing, when purchasing a new bass is never accept a gig bag to protect your investment, I always negotiate a Hard Shell Case to protect my investment .
Hi James, thanks for the advise. Since this channel is primarily for people that are just starting out, I have to always assume that everything that is acquired by my viewers is a cost driven purchase. I do think that if any of them do have the wherewithal, and are not constrained by a budget, then my hope is that they get exactly what they need and nothing more, as opposed to falling for a lot of hype that I encountered when I started long ago. Gig bags are better than nothing for someone just starting out, but yeah, I agree with you that a hard shell, even a Tolex one would be ideal.
I've been a long time viewer / subscriber of Dave's World of Fun Stuff and I agree. Underneath a bristly exterior, he's a nice guy... that knows how to work on guitars. It 's fun to watch him curse out how someone neglected their instrument and watching him bring it back to life (most of the time). Another cool bass cover RU-vidr is TJH3113.
Hi Craig. Thanks for your feedback here, and I agree with your take on Reaume. And yes, I love Troy @ TJH3113. He is undeniably talented, and like Tim Starace, goes the extra mile to play stuff accurately. I dig them both as masters of the instrument, who just happen to primarily learn and play stuff by ear. Simply inspirational.
Marc, that is the 1st generation Leo Quan BadAss that is no longer made. I do not have a video about tuners, but you're in luck. Many of the bridge makers that I talk about also make outstanding aftermarket tuners that often exceed the quality of OEM tuners. My cautionary tale about tuner upgrades is that you need to take precise measurements of all the dimensions to get the correct fitment. A great example is Rickenbacker. Those have a wickedly small diameter capstan shaft that most aftermarket tuners will simply not work.
Paul, thank you! This is good news for BadAss fans. I just wonder what the difference is between their Omega BB-3351-002 and BB-3342-001 Leo Quan copy of the original. They only talk about what the BB-3342-001 is made of, but say nothing about the Omega BB-3351-002, which, aside from the unfortunate pre-grooved saddles appears to be identical to the BA2. I get why they pre-groove their stuff, but I always loved making that choice myself with my own file hand tool. Granted, the BB-3342-001 does have the string through the body design, which the original did not, so it's a win-win situation for everyone now that I think about it.
Precisely, which is exactly what I mentioned in the Pickup upgrade video that I had to resolve with my Rickenbacker 4001. There are many flush mounted options out there now for Neck through body styles. Not quite so many to select from in the early 80s.
I've never been much for bridge upgrades - unless the saddle screws are stripping which to me is the weak point on cheapie bridges. I do like bridges that have slots for the saddle screws however which adds side to side stability.
Would have loved a sound comparison between stock and replacement bridge on your bass. Nice informative video, nevertheless. I chose a Gotoh 203 bridge for a jazz bass build to replace that original crappy piece of tin. That bridge is a direct Fender replacement, has a more vintage style look and it actually made a huge difference in tonal quality. More clarity and definition, more lowend and a slightly scooped midrange, but without changing the overall character of the instrument. Oh, and it's very affordable. I highly recommend it! Haven't tried the Hipshot Kickass yet, but I suppose - like the Badass - it does change the instrument's sound much more, as it is much heavier. Should work well if you want a really big sound with lots of lowend and drastically scooped mids (like Marcus Miller). If you like more of a 'classic' vintage style sound, I'd definitively go with the Gotoh 203.
In a way I do agree with you in doing an A/B comparison, but I must say that many of the comparisons I see and hear on RU-vid are extremely suggestive themselves, from what one might consider acoustically accurate on this platform to make an informed decision. Those videos are great, but everyone’s idea of tone and style is too varied for me to keep things general enough for the beginner. That is why I do try to be open about my extreme bias about my recommendations. LOL! Factory bridges are often viewed as “just fine’ to total crap! That being said, the very least that I can convey to my viewers is essentially, “It is what it is, and that’s ok. But if you want to do an upgrade that in most cases produces a marked improvement, then a high mass bridge is an option for most beginners.” The other thing that I rely on is what people are using that have skin in the game that I may not have, meaning they are bassists that use certain bridges with tremendous success on their own in the professional realm, which in turn, bolsters my own bias about certain high mass bridges. I am like you, I own two fender basses, which are perfect beginner basses. And so my emphasis was to let the viewers know that although they may have a beginner bass, the possibilities to hot-rod that bass is a reachable option for not too much cash. I’m glad you like the Gotoh. It didn’t change the look of your bass in the radical sense, which is important for some bassists out there. The folks at Gotoh really know what they are doing. And should you decide to go with a Hipshot, just know that the KickAss comes with brass saddles that will make your tone freakishly warm. I like the tone I get from my Leo Quans, so if that is what you want, which will keep you closer to the brighter tone you have now, then get the stainless steel saddles for the KickAss. Let me know how it turns out if you decide to upgrade again, because I do wonder if you’ll get more sustain with a high mass as opposed to the Gotoh 203.
@@TuneItOrDie4001 Thanks a lot for your detailed answer! I totally agree with everything you said above. I have to admit that I hadn't thought abut the fact that your channel - as you clearly wrote - is "for beginners". I had been looking for some info about abm bridges and found a link to your video. I was impressed by your approach to this topic, so I thought, this would be the right place to share my experience with the Gotoh bridge. Thanks for sharing your ideas! It's good to see that there are people like you out there, who are that open minded and just like to share their experience without preaching 'black and white' thoughts. I really appreciate that. Keep on with your good work!
I have a 30+ yr old Ibanez 404 with the original 7 screw bridge and I want to replace it with the Hipshot KickAss but it only comes with 5 screws. Does the holes match up to the 5 on the body to make it work? Newbie to doing replacement work. Thanks
Hi Michael. The Hipshot bridge should work, but if you really want to be sure if the two extra holes will be covered, you will need to measure your dimensions and stack it against the size of the Hipshot: docs.hipshotproducts.com/5K400_4_STG_KICKASS_BASS_BRIDGE_DIMENSIONS.pdf
Some people complained that I was giving a lengthy shout out to some cool people, so that was my polite response to them by putting the topic time in the title.
Hi Adisa, I use it as a quick creation tool only, and specifically as an amp simulator and it's killer complex reverbs via the expansion card I was smart enough to install when I bought it during the Jurassic period....
Dante, very good ear! I had just bought my Precision bass and just did a quick drum and bass recording of that guitar with an isolated track of Portnoy on what is my favorite part of that song! I though it would make a great intro bed for this video.
Hey man! The bridge on my Ibanez SR305 5 string bass broke on me! I've been looking for a new bridge to replace and upgrade it, but the bridge cavity is recessed into the bass, which I've heard makes it very difficult. If you have any advice at all, that would be greatly appreciated!
Hello. You can always go with a direct factory replacement from this site: reverb.com/item/20305497-ibanez-b105-bass-bridge-2bb1mci011 Or more specifically: cs.hoshinogakki.co.jp/pcw.nsf Beyond that, I would precisely measure the dimensions of the routed cavity and see if GOTOH, or HIPSHOT have one that will sit in there.
Any compnny that sells over priced garbage. Got a project bass comin up. Samick artist series 4, p/j ( JAGUAR )config, sounds like a P bass, rear like a jazz. Tuners stay in tune.....forever!!!
@@bertrandmajorik6589 South Koreans do know how to make instruments don't they? Half the basses (Ibanez and Squier) I own came from over there, and they have held up marvelously! When you get that Samick up and running, you should send a recording of it. One of my newest subscribers just got himself his 1st brand new Cort B4 Plus MH, which is another marvelous South Korean maker, and he sent my a clip of it and it sounded sweet.
I have a Yamaha trbx304 it's a really good bass, but it's a pain to find pickup upgrades because Yamaha uses there own humbuckers and they are a lot bigger that almost everything on the normal market
Hi Michael, Yeah, Yamaha is no different than other guitar makers in that they come up with something that uses a lot of proprietary components that make upgrades nearly impossible. I can only guess as to the marketing strategy that they employ to justify this for their entry level/ intermediate guitars. It may be something like, "Hey, we built this thing with all of these features and at this price point, why would you want to improve on what we did here?" It is entirely possible that I'm dead wrong about this, but I can't posit anything that would explain why they make an instrument that can't be hot-rodded. Now, here's my gut felt take for you. The YGD M3 are really good pickups, I have heard them. You've got a killer high mass bridge. a Mahogany body, (And we all know how much I love Mahogany) In essence, a really great guitar out of the box. So what is the issue? It's probably a less expensive correction than pickups. You can always buy another bass, but you probably don't need to right now. A good setup solves most of my love/hate relationships with my basses like a neck adjustment/ intonation reset and new strings. It's amazing!
@@TuneItOrDie4001 first of thank you so much for taking your time, what I'm trying to do is, I'm not that good a bass player yet and I'm not planning to join a band any time soo, I like practising solo and if I ever play for anyone I'm guessing it would be a solo show, so what I'm trying to do, is to give my bass a broader tone scale, so kinda like you see with pickups like say Fishman where one option is a brighter tone over all strings for solos and then an option 2 where I still have the normal lower tones, and despite i do like the tone of the YGD pickups i don't feel like they can give me that higher solo tone
@@SpiritDK I think I understand a little more. The only think that I can suggest is if you want a distinction between what most people refer to as a warm and or bright tone is by blending the output of your pickups. Most basses with pickups like yours will typically have a noticeable warmer tone via the pickup closest to the neck. The pickup closest to the bridge will have a much brighter tone. Most people (like me) play the instrument with all the controls all the way up, because the music genre I play does well with a particular tone throughout the whole duration of a performance. Other bass players require the ability to change tone throughout a song to stand out more in the mix during a passage where that kind of focus is needed. It happens all the time. I want to illustrate what I mean by talking about my Red Precision bass. Listen to it at the end of: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-yvv5prxhP7o.html Although it came with a non standard PJ setup, I only allow the neck pickup to go out. I did this because the P bass sound is sooooooo distinctive to my ears that I wanted that bass for myself. I found out that I don't need the brightness that the bridge, J pickup produced, so I just have it's volume all the way off. I think perhaps a blending of the two pickups, or having one or the other off while playing might solve something. Also, your pickup height will have a lot to do with your overall output from each pickup. When pressing down on the highest fret note on the bass, the distance from the top of the pickup to the bottom of the string can't be less that the thickness of a quarter under the E string if you want the electromagnetic characteristics of a vibrating sting above a magnet to behave like it is supposed to. large gap spacing chokes the output because of it being too far to effectively do what it does. Go to Yamaha's web site to see if they publish pickup height settings. I use a 1/8 and 3/32 distance under the E and G strings respectively on all my basses (other than my 5 string). There is hope. Certainly and inexpensive one just around the corner for you if what you really need is a proper setup of your bass. That is my best guess, not knowing the condition and playability of what you currently have.
Glad i stopped here i was looking for a good bass bridge. Love your page checked all your videos. I learned alot here. I changed two bridges on my fender p bass from badass 2 to a kickass. Dont get me wrong i love the badass 2 and 3 i still have them on my other p bass's i have a total of 7 p bass's. But during a short tour in Canada i realized that the badass 2 had a rattling sound during a sound check. Same at a nother show . had them looked at. And seems that the action screws were not very good so i changed them to kickass . i seem to like them a bit better then the badass.
One of the down sides of the Leo Quan bridges was the fact that those elevation screws required a .050 hex tool to adjust the #4-40 screws. I think they are the tiniest screws in the universe. But oddly enough, the Kickass uses the exact same screws, so I'm not sure what was causing the rattling. I'm glad you found this video useful.
@@TuneItOrDie4001 according to the bass tech it seems that the badass set screws were not sitting tight to the base of the bridge. True the same set screws are used on the kickass. But i also realized the kickass is a better built bridge. I enjoy your videos very very informative and educational.
you dont need extra long sustain that lasts 3 minutes, and you dont need extra fine intonation on a bass. Long wave lengths dont need extra fine tuning. What I do want is something without springs, so it doesnt rattle. I m thinking Sandberg.
Charlie, You actually do need good intonation settings if you ever hope to play accurately across the entire length of the fretboard. Sandberg would be a fantastic option for advanced players, or for those that have the budget for that product line as their very first instrument as a beginner on the bass. And yes, if you are going to apply that much money on a Sandberg bass, you will most certainly appreciate the intonation on it being set properly. Trust me.
Daves channel is good! , 2 of my favorites are, Johnny lee long!! Thats my man!! And lowend lobster!!! If you haven't seen Johnny lee long please check him out! Amazing man! And mods so much! You will love him!! Lowend lobster reviews a ton of basses and has probably over 100 of his own! , good job doing shootouts!!
Yeah JC, Dave HATES Ricks. I don't like'em either. HATE the sound, the shape AND the design/engineering/construction/fit and finish. Expensive and heavy too. BUT.... I Like YOUR videos though. Keep up the good work!
I know, I know. I get it. I really do.....lol. My bass is the butt of so many jokes by the "purists" Thanks for the kind words! I'm glad you like the content on this channel. It's an interesting love/hate thing with RIC that I see in this community. But there is a tremendous amount of satisfaction as an owner of a 4001 to get it to the point where it actually works well in a live setting and just recently via my Tech21, a far better behaving bass on a recording: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-cTZ4Hd0bjKQ.html
@@TuneItOrDie4001 I am glad it works for you brother. And you make it work. I guess one way to improve any Rick is to do as you suggest and replace the bridge as soon as you get that guitar out of the box! That's a great piece of advice for a beginner with a 4001 or 4003! Thanks again... and keep the content coming. Experience AND solid advice is a winning combination!
The actual content of the video begins after :50 seconds, and all of it was related to bass playing in one way or another, with enough notice that a few house keeping items needed to be covered first. But for anyone else out there, now that this video has been out for 5 months to get the complaint seen above, I put in the title as to when the moment occurs where bridge language actually starts. We hope this helps in resolving any potential confusion from here on out.
Awwwww, you must have missed the part where I tell the audience that the links below are there for all to continue their research on their own. This is what discriminating buyers do, in case that eluded you as well.
