Inspired by a couple of recent threads I've finally got round to working towards finishing a bass partscaster I started a few years back. It's a 51 p-bass style body, gotta jazz neck in the post and a custom psychedelic paint job in process thanks to Mrs Teyeplayer. So it's gonna be a proper odds and sods bastard.
I picked up a cheap but solid looking wilkinson bridge through Vanson the other day but didn't realise it was toploading rather than string-through until it arrived. I'm not a bassist and have too little experience of playing bass to consider one over the other, so wondered what the more experienced bass sorts (here's looking at you
@Bridgehouse ) thought of these two bridge styles? Have I just had a happy accident or made a major mistake in buying this bridge and what do you consider the key tonal differences of each type?
Many thanks for your advice.
Comments
The string through is supposed to give a bit more sustain and a bit more tension in the strings, but the ones that I have played haven't felt that different.
My view? Toploaders are fine, and I prefer them. Put a set of flats on (I suggest Chromes as they keep some of the zing and keep the tension up) and enjoy some great deep Motown vibe.
I have compared it and came to the conclusion that the biggest difference is in feel, and transient response when you play hard.
My preference for feel and tone is actually top load, for everything except a low B. I string my low B through the body. If you're playing in standard tuning a top load will be fine.
With the exact same string gauge I found
Top load - more give in the string, slightly looser feel when playing harder.
String through - tighter feel, most noticeable when you pick/pluck hard. I found it slightly helped the low B I use, but not a huge amount.
The only string where I preferred it is the low B. Otherwise I thought the feel was nicer on top load. I think the differences are mostly due to the break angle, rather than being anything to do with being anchored in to the body.
I put this down to decades of familiarity with this approach compared to through stringing.
I also like the Warwick bridge and tailpiece combination. This enables makes the break angle adjustable to taste. I shall express no opinion on the Rickenbacker approach. That would start a flame war.
In the event, even what I did noticeably changed the tone, but in a good way - it's basically like it was, but clearer and more defined. I wonder if it would have been like this when the bass was new and the tailpiece was flat, but I have no way of knowing...
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
Leo Fender's bass guitar bridge is the cheapest, most minimal engineering solution to the problem that could be imagined BUT it is what we are all used to and it does contribute to instruments that sound good.
If you turn up for a deputising gig or a session, carrying a P Bass strung with flatwounds, you will get eye contact, a nod and then be ignored for the rest of the event because people know that the low end is taken care of.
What it does change is the way the string responds to bending (including down to the fingerboard) - hence the feel and the *perceived* tension - and the way it vibrates, hence the tone and sustain.
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
Exactly this - which also changes how the string responds to hard playing, since that also bends the string on the attack (hard picking sends a note sharp momentarily).
This i why I string my low B through the body. Even a .130 B is lower tension than regular bass strings for standard tuning, but stringing it through the body can help it play a bit tighter, noticeable with harder picking.
I don't notice a difference, with 1 exception - that top loads seem to have less string breakages.
I'm far more worried about the method of string loading. Having to feed a thick B through a hole is annoying. The "notched" type (like a Hipshot A Style) makes for far quicker string changes.
The Stingray bridge could really do with that. The overhang gets in the way, and the holes could be bigger. With a 130 B the distance between the back of the bridge and the saddle is quite small - can be a faff to grab the end of the string and get it over the saddle. I usually end up using needle nose pliers to grab it.
Not a deal breaker, but fecking annoying.
https://soundcertified.com/speaker-ohms-calculator/
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
And you can always tune a Fender Bass V BEADG rather than the originally intended EADGC - Leo designed that too if I remember correctly, before he left Fender. These also have through-body stringing and with the long body and short, stiff neck they should actually be very suitable for a low B…
Beautiful-looking things and probably the only 5-string I would ever play!
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
Yeah that's what I do, never had a problem on any instrument using that method including using a .135 low B.
Actually, I once cut a string woefully short when didn't spot the string had come out of the bridge, in one of those top loaders that doesn't have a complete bar over the top. Think it might've been my old Eggle bass. The second I cut it I noticed... serious face palm moment.