Badass II or Hipshot?

[GrayAkira]

Hi everyone.
I got a Fender CIJ Standard Precision Bass and was thinking of slowly upgrading the bass, starting with the bridge. So I'm stuck between Leo Quan Badass II and Hipshot A Series for Fender.

Just want to get recommendation from fellow bassist and comment about them. I'm sure some of us here have either one of this bridge so just wanna know the difference. Thanks guys!!

 

[yuujin]

i actually dont think that the hipshot A style bridge is a drop in.
i am using a vintage bent bridge though. but it costs a bomb.
the leo quan badass II is a drop in replacement. if i could do it all over again id go for the badass II. i wouldnt want to drill holes in my body...

 

[shinobi]

i wouldnt want to drill holes in my body...

ya man... that sounds painful :mrgreen:

 

[yuujin]

true that bro LOL

 

[engz]

leoquan all the way man... i'm looking to make that mod soon too! how much is the badassII in s'pore btw? its too expensive here in m'sia =\

 

[shinobi]

actually i don't see why there isn't much love for gotoh's or wilkinsons. far better value for money IMO. plus its easier to find dealers here. so unless you're looking for a drop-in, it's worth considering

 

[emptyspaces]

leoquan all the way man... i'm looking to make that mod soon too! how much is the badassII in s'pore btw? its too expensive here in m'sia =\

does anyone know the price of the badassII?
and if so, where can i get it?
pretty interested in it.

thanks!

 

[Ratboy]

the price of a badassII is .......




you gotta ask anwar : )

 

[exin]

here's a little physics lesson since we're on the topic of modification or at least for GrayAkira who is starting to mod his bass slightly.

Greater Mass = More Density which in turns = more mass for vibrations.

The simple rule of thumb is that with more mass you get more vibrations from your strings in effect more sustain and tone but that is of concern for those bionic ears.

Yet when you get down to comparing your stock bridge to a modded bridge you'll find that in terms of visual representation (e.g. recording the instrument) it does affect your tone.

For your bass i think it'll be best to stick with the replacement part that doesn't have to have you drill holes in your bass unless that's what you want. but for those looking to mod their basses just a simple thing to take note.

More mass = more density = more tone but aching shoulders

but it doesn't mean you have to get heavy bridges. Sometimes light bridges does the job equally well and you'll get a different response from both. so find the one that works for you. =)

 

[shinobi]

it's popular belief that the mass is the reason from good sustain/tone but i believe that is not exactly the case

what you want to achieve is having as much energy from the vibrating string to pass through the bridge and resonate the bass body. as such, mass is not what you're looking for, as the transfer of energy is determined by bridge design. maybe it's coincidental that well-designed bridges tend to be heavy.

but the weight has other benefits. ever wonder why manufacturers seem to be making heavy bridges but not extra-light ones? and at the same time they are producing ultra light tuning machines?

neck dive

 

[engz]

interesting point shinobi... never really thought of it that way.... maybe thats the reason why the thin vintage fender bridge is still used by fender til this very day *ponders*

yeah my fender is experiencing massive neck dive man! tats y i either need a heavier bridge, or lighter tuners... i think i'll go for lighter tuners for now, though i'll have to drill new holes for those ultralight designed tuners =\

 

[cherns]

I think this more mass = more tone theory is well... mostly theory.

On a real world note, the Koa top NNG I brought in has a white ash body.
It sounds really really good, but it's also really heavy.

But that's the entire bass body.

Whether changing a smaller bridge for a heavier one result in significantly better tone is debatable.

engz> You might want to check these out
http://hipshotproducts.com/cart.php?m=product_detail&p=111

 

[shinobi]

interesting point shinobi... never really thought of it that way.... maybe thats the reason why the thin vintage fender bridge is still used by fender til this very day *ponders*

yeah my fender is experiencing massive neck dive man! tats y i either need a heavier bridge, or lighter tuners... i think i'll go for lighter tuners for now, though i'll have to drill new holes for those ultralight designed tuners =\

yeah i've read someone say on talkbass that the fender bridge design is very simple but actually very effective

but they did zhng it abit for their american deluxe range... with the grooves on the bridge for the saddles to sit on, and the saddles with the screw threads

 

[hockstor]

Hi everyone.
I got a Fender CIJ Standard Precision Bass and was thinking of slowly upgrading the bass, starting with the bridge. So I'm stuck between Leo Quan Badass II and Hipshot A Series for Fender.

Just want to get recommendation from fellow bassist and comment about them. I'm sure some of us here have either one of this bridge so just wanna know the difference. Thanks guys!!

Hi there,

both hipshot and badass does the job well. Guitar connection and guitar77 sells badass. As for hipshot, i'm a reseller too.

hope you find what you want

hockstor

 

[5stringwonder]

Do you have a price list for the Hipshot Tuners & Bass Xtenders?

 

[jbarks]

i'm personally a bit doubtful about the badass tone on a p-bass -- the pbass (to me) is more than the sum of its parts, and introducing somethat that supposedly gives a tighter tone would detract from what i consider to be something that's really hard to change. i'd personally go for the hipshot vintage. i just ordered one and will be installing it when i get back to singapore so i guess i'll find out how it sounds soon enough.

that said, i think a better option for your first upgrade would be the pickups, if you haven't done so already. nordstrands or fralins if you're looking for the vintage tone (which is actually pretty versatile), duncan qps if you want a thick modern rock sound. i'm a bit partial to vintage spec pickups because you can always get a thicker sound through proper eq/compression/what-have-you in your signal chain...

 

[shinobi]

the hipshot vintage bridge has my vote of confidence... i love the clarity, but i miss the warmth of my graphtech saddles; they didn't fit on the hipshot

personally i would install NEITHER the ba2 or the hipshot A on my bass. i don't think the improvement in tone is enough to justify the prices on those things. anyway it's very hard to determine what actually is an improvement from what is mere change when it comes to tone.

like i said, i would easily go for something alot cheaper with a design which is just as good, or even better than the ba2, like a gotoh. the fact that the badass comes as an option on MIA fenders makes me stay further away from them. too much gimmick and placebo effect for me. not to say it doesn't work; im just saying its not worth the bread.

i would rather spend the money on pickups and, for me, a good onboard preamp.

jbarks said the pickups would be a good first upgrade but i VIOLENTLY DISAGREE... you MUST have your nut upgraded and shielding/grounding sorted out if you haven't already done so. such a simple and inexpensive upgrade that is so effective, you owe it to yourself. it doesn't make sense to me how one can spend 200+ on a bridge, when at the other end, the nut is made of el cheapo plastic

you start off messing with your bass, until you discover the wonders of effects. eventually you will start gas-ing for the granddaddy of tone determinants, your RIG :mrgreen:

credits-
hipshot vintage, shielding, wiring - cherns
tusq nut, graphtech saddles - KC @ zen

i havent seen KC in zen for a long time... wonder how he's doing

 

[jbarks]

well.. that's true, but i already had a bone nut to start with and my shielding was done by beez so long ago i can't remember when... didn't cross my mind however you have to be aware that you'll only hear the differences with a bone nut when playing open strings, so if you do a lot of noodling up there or whatever it is you may not get it right away. shielding is a must, though.

you'll start gassing until you get to a point where you don't give a shit about your rig anymore because you don't have the time -- i hardly have the time to do my own setups and electronics like i used to, so now i just send them to beez or kc -- and that's what happens with a lot of touring acts; they find something that works for them (not necessarily the best, but the most suitable) and they stick to it. you'll probably spend shitloads of money and end up with a stingray, p or j bass (sadowskys included!) through a simple enough rig at the end of it all. of course, depending on where your playing level is at you shouldn't have to care if the nut is made of plastic or tusq or whether you can replace the bridge with something better. care more about laying down a good track for the album. says quite a bit about our priorities now i'm definitely guilty of this as much as the next person.

at the end of the day, it's all about what gets you the best tone with the least possible effort... something along the lines of why photographers splurge thousands of dollars on high-end digital cameras. it's so that they don't have to spend hours touching them up after and they can concentrate on taking the shot instead

 

[shinobi]

but laying down a good track is hard! buying expensive gear is easier :mrgreen:

 

[hockstor]

Do you have a price list for the Hipshot Tuners & Bass Xtenders?

send me email to ekcheo@gmail.com