Bass Routed for Badass III = Too-High Action. Alternate Bridge?

subtlestew

subtlestew

Supporting Member
Apr 7, 2000
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#1
Greetings, helpful folks in TB-land. I need some help.

I've recently acquired a great fretless that was custom-ordered with a Badass III. I love everything about the bass except the fact that the action can't go as low as I've had on similar basses in the past. I know this is a known issue with the Badass III, and I searched TB for a solution. This thread was a bit of a downer, as it concludes that a bass routed for a Fender American Standard bridge will accept the Badass III without modification, but not the reverse. I obviously want to do the reverse. Does anyone know of another bridge that fits this bill? I seem to see that there might be a Gotoh, but I can't find the model, or confirmation that this is truth. I'd like to avoid shimming if possible, and if I can keep the string-through that's nice, but not the highest priority, though those holes in the bass will be weird without string-through capability, and what would I do with my now-bent Sadowsky flats?

Have you all got a bridge solution for me? Any help is appreciated!

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#5
Thank, all, for the suggestions.

I'd rather not file the bridge, as I'd like whatever I do to be reversible. I also think it would be a lot of filing - the 17th "fret" action on the E-string is at .140 now, and I'd like to get it to .100 or a hair lower. It's an expensive Custom Shop instrument and I'd like to keep all of it parts intact.

So a shim is what I'll do if I can't find a bridge, but I'd prefer a drop-in bridge. @Showdown, will the Gotoh 201 fit this bass's rout holes? 3 screws plus through-body?

Thanks again.
 
#7
T_Bone, that's the last thing I would want to do to this Custom Shop instrument. If this was my own build, yes. But I want to be able to keep the 100% stock option in play, given its value.
 
#9
@96tbird, though I am a loyal StewMac customer, I had never seen these before. I was on the verge of looking for old playing cards to shove in the neck, which seemed super-budget-tacky for this fancy bass. I like this more "official-looking" solution, which will, as the company says, maintain a good wood connection between neck and body. Thanks!
 
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#10
subtlestew said:
@96tbird, though I am a loyal StewMac customer, I had never seen these before. I was on the verge of looking for old playing cards to shove in the neck, which seemed super-budget-tacky for this fancy bass. I like this more "official-looking" solution, which will, as the company says, maintain a good wood connection between neck and body. Thanks!
Click to expand...

Those full pocket shims are a great solution since they support the neck fully.
 
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#13
I agree, that if it were mine, I'd put in a good neck shim. I suggested filing the saddle notches because you'd said that you didn't want to shim it.

One other option, if you don't want to use shims, and you don't want to harm the original parts: Buy another Badass III bridge and swap in its saddles, filing the notches deeper. 0.040" isn't very much.
 
#15
Why wouldn't an American standard bridge go right on? The only issue would be you might see lines where the badass used to be.

As for worries about filing the saddles, allparts now sells replacement saddles to fit.
 
#16
@walterw , according the the thread I posted the link to in my original post the Badass III is a drop-in replacement for the American Standard bridge, but not the other way around. That was my original inquiry. I'm going to try the shim, but if I can find a black one of those bridges for cheap I might try that as well.
 
#17
subtlestew said:
@walterw , according the the thread I posted the link to in my original post the Badass III is a drop-in replacement for the American Standard bridge, but not the other way around.
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And it still doesn't make sense, just like it really didn't in that thread, @sissy kathy's valiant attempts to unravel the mystery notwithstanding. (They kept talking about "routs", but unless the bridge is recessed into the body there are no routs, just some screw holes.)

If the BA III fits, the American standard should go right on.
 
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#19
Cool - well, that's another option, then, though the American Standard bridge doesn't appear to exist in any color other than chrome. The bass is completely blacked out (from the front, anyway - it has an unpainted maple neck.) It's a black bridge, black body, unlined ebony fretless board, matching black headstock with black tuners, black control plate - black everything. That's a very cool quality of the bass I'll be trying to preserve, so I think I'll do the shims and hope that works.

Thanks for all the helpful suggestions, everybody... I'll let you all know how it turns out in a week or so!
 
#20
walterw said:
And it still doesn't make sense, just like it really didn't in that thread, @sissy kathy's valiant attempts to unravel the mystery notwithstanding. (They kept talking about "routs", but unless the bridge is recessed into the body there are no routs, just some screw holes.)

If the BA III fits, the American standard should go right on.
Click to expand...
Warmoth lists, in its site, the different 'routing' options for several different bridges. Most of those routs, as you stated are just screw holes and a ground wire path. Rather than get pedantic, I just went along with the verbiage as I understood what they were talking about. I still think that other thread was a user problem and not a bridge problem.
 
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