How to install a Bad Ass II on a Fender Aerodyne? It seems too big...

[Nico CHOUK]

Hi everyone,
I own a Fender Aerodyne Non-export model from Japan.
Recently, I bought a BadAss II Leo Quan Bridge on Ebay and plan to install it on this bass.
Yesterday, I relized that the bridge on my Fender Aerodyne is way smaller than the BadAss II.
I wonder how to proceed to install the BadAss II on my Fender Aerodyne.
Should I cut a larger hole in the bass itself? Or is this part just not matching?
Should I just take out the stock bridge, and replace it with the BadAss II, even if it is larger?
It would be wonderful if someone could give me some advices on this.

 

[sissy kathy]

Welcome to Talkbass.
Forget it, changing bridges for other than aesthetic appeal accomplishes little or nothing.

 

[walterw]

so the stock bridge is sunk into a little cavity on the body?

yeah, don't bother with the badass.

 

[Killed_by_Death]

Here is an Aerodyne with a BadAss installed:

Take off the old one & see if the screw holes line up.
I think they will.

 

[walterw]

The holes as such should be the same, but IIRC the plate is recessed into the body a little.

I suppose one could lay a little wood shim in there to fill the gap...

 

[Nico CHOUK]

Thanks a lot for the suggestion. I have already bought the BadAss II; I had no idea that the original stock was in a small cavity.
The screws holes of the stock bridge match with the BadAss II. My main issue is the small cavity that doesn't match with the BadAss.
Should I just ignore the small cavity, or fill it with something (e.g. foam), or should I enlarge the cavity, so that the BadAss would fit?

 

[sissy kathy]

Thanks a lot for the suggestion. I have already bought the BadAss II; I had no idea that the original stock was in a small cavity.
The screws holes of the stock bridge match with the BadAss II. My main issue is the small cavity that doesn't match with the BadAss.
Should I just ignore the small cavity, or fill it with something (e.g. foam), or should I enlarge the cavity, so that the BadAss would fit?

If you insist on changing the bridge make a tight fitting patch out of wood. DO NOT glue it in, the change can be reversed that way.

 

[Nico CHOUK]

Not sure if I understand well - you mean put a patch (foam) in the cavity in order to have a straight/flat surface, and then put the badass?

 

[StayLow]

Yes, he's saying you should fill the cavity with something but not glue or screw that something in so that it can all be reversed. Though there'll probably be marks on the finish from the new bridge if you swap back.

My 2c. Sell the BadAss. I have one. It's nothing special, it does nothing for tone, it adds a lot of weight, it slices your hand. And if you or the previous owner didn't file the saddles properly, it'll break your strings too. A crappy solution for a problem that never existed. P.T. Barnum would've been proud.

Don't ruin a gorgeous bass with an f'ugly bridge with a stupid name on it.

 

[danster]

Yes, he's saying you should fill the cavity with something but not glue or screw that something in so that it can all be reversed. Though there'll probably be marks on the finish from the new bridge if you swap back.

My 2c. Sell the BadAss. I have one. It's nothing special, it does nothing for tone, it adds a weight, it slices your hand. And if you or the previous owner didn't file the saddles properly, it'll break your strings too. A crappy solution for a problem that never existed. P.T. Barnum would've been proud.

Don't ruin a gorgeous bass with an f'guly bridge with a stupid name on it.

^^^^THIS

 

[buldog5151bass]

As someone who just swapped that bridge back to a stock bridge (on a Jazz bass I've owned over 30 years), I can tell you it will improve nothing. Keep the bass sell the bridge and use the $$$ for something useful.

 

[Callused Finger]

I have a BAII on my fretless P and I really want to go to something else.
Dislike the additional string height without having the BAII recessed in the body.

Bass is going back to the builder for some work and I'm considering going to a more original style bridge.

 

[buldog5151bass]

Remember the weight you save.

Nothing wrong with the design - just doesn't add anything to sound or playability.

 

[Nico CHOUK]

Ok - I read a lot of reviews saying how a bridge can improve the tone, especially the sustain. The Fender Aerodyne is a very nice bass, but I always found that it was missing a bit of sustain... this is the reason why I bought it. It changes really nothing in terms of tone? :-(

 

[Callused Finger]

Some of the nicest sounding basses in the world use the roughest most basic looking bridge. A piece of steel bent into an L with 4 holes and string guides.

 

[buldog5151bass]

Since when do you need more sustain on a bass? I didn't notice any difference. As I said, I've had this bass over 3 decades.

I was just playing it last night with a new band, and got several compliments on the tone.

 

[Nico CHOUK]

Ok, I think I am going to sell it ... I wanted to improve my Aerodyne a little but it seems the bridge will not be the right thing to change !

 

[buldog5151bass]

Try changing strings first.

 

[Michael B]

FWIW: i have a MIM P with a typical ghost note on 7th fret of g string. I bought the fat finger and found that it helped only a tiny amount. The note still died too quickly.

I had a badass II here so I put it in. I also put in a genuine vintage style pickup from fender since I had it and had the strings off.

I can say in my case it made a noticeable difference. Sustain improved across the bass and now with the fat finger the ghost note is only slightly noticeable.

I did have to shim the neck. But that's no biggie. I will not be switching back to the flimsy smaller bridge. The slots were done well on mine. Some basses are improved with it. Saying otherwise is just ignoring the variety of different stock bridges and instruments.

In your case you might be better off with a different bridge that fits better. If you fill the cavity it is possible the bridge will be at an improper angle since its not in the groove.

If you think you need a better (higher mass bridge) this might not be the correct fit for this bass - IMO you'd have to permanently alter it - but hey it's yours. If you have a great stock bridge, stick with it.

 

[Nico CHOUK]

I think I will just take out the stock bridge (which looks really cheap on the Fender Aerodyne) and put the new Bad Ass II. It's the only way to figure it out.