Return it, and consider using a Gotoh 201 instead of the Badass. The Gotoh is a slightly beefier version of a traditional Fender bridge, might be easier to work with on your Aerodyne.
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
Welcome to TalkBass! Want to remove ads? Register an account and login to see fewer ads, and become a Supporting Member to remove almost all ads.
How to install a Bad Ass II on a Fender Aerodyne? It seems too big...
- Thread starter Nico CHOUK
- Start date
- Feb 20, 2009
- 18,083
- 9,346
- 5,371
- Disclosures
- alpha-music.com
the foam was pointless, that didn't do anything.
so what, it's now too high, even with the saddles on the badass all the way down?
you could make a project of putting a shim in the neck pocket to change the angle and get your string height right again, or you could ditch the thing like we're all saying because it's not really an upgrade for that bass since it doesn't fit right.
hopefully you haven't marred the finish around the bridge now.
It's also fact. If anything, they're a downgrade.
The OP might want to read up on "confirmation bias".
He was warned. If he's happy, I am happy for him. I do wonder how he managed to ground the bridge though.
Last edited:
So, here is the deal from someone who has had both Aerodynes and Badasses...
The recessed bridge sits lower in the body, and the rounded saddles sit crazy high on the 2 skinny screws. It's not a "solid" bridge by any means.
The Badass II will not sit into the cavity, but it can sit completely OVER the cavity. A lot of people will tell you to build a shim or brass plate to fill the space, but it's not necessary.
What you do is screw the bridge in place, letting the BAII rest completely along the outside of the recess. Here's the thing, though... the body is Basswood, which is soft. You need to hand turn the screws nice and snug, but do not over turn until you hear the wood cracking. You'll need to feel for the right time to stop, or you can strip/pull up wood. Also, to ground the bridge, stick some of the wire strands into one of the holes so the screw threads into the wire.
Once it's on, it's actually a good match for the Basswood body, that itself is a little light and can be a bit bright or midrangey. The saddles will be more stable than the bent plate bridge, it will balance the bass better by adding a little weight to the light ass-end of the bass, and it will ever so slightly tame a little bit of the treble and zingyness inherent to the bass. Whether that's due to the weight, or not coupling to the body the same way, or the saddles being more sturdy is hard to say, but in this case, I think the BAII is actually a decent choice for an Aerodyne, which really isn't comparable to other bodies.
YMMV, IMO, etc...
.
The recessed bridge sits lower in the body, and the rounded saddles sit crazy high on the 2 skinny screws. It's not a "solid" bridge by any means.
The Badass II will not sit into the cavity, but it can sit completely OVER the cavity. A lot of people will tell you to build a shim or brass plate to fill the space, but it's not necessary.
What you do is screw the bridge in place, letting the BAII rest completely along the outside of the recess. Here's the thing, though... the body is Basswood, which is soft. You need to hand turn the screws nice and snug, but do not over turn until you hear the wood cracking. You'll need to feel for the right time to stop, or you can strip/pull up wood. Also, to ground the bridge, stick some of the wire strands into one of the holes so the screw threads into the wire.
Once it's on, it's actually a good match for the Basswood body, that itself is a little light and can be a bit bright or midrangey. The saddles will be more stable than the bent plate bridge, it will balance the bass better by adding a little weight to the light ass-end of the bass, and it will ever so slightly tame a little bit of the treble and zingyness inherent to the bass. Whether that's due to the weight, or not coupling to the body the same way, or the saddles being more sturdy is hard to say, but in this case, I think the BAII is actually a decent choice for an Aerodyne, which really isn't comparable to other bodies.
YMMV, IMO, etc...
.
Last edited:
IMO...
The Badass looks like a wart on the graceful Aerodyne.
It adds nothing - the original bridge is a model of efficiency that works well on millions of basses.
The Badass looks like a wart on the graceful Aerodyne.
It adds nothing - the original bridge is a model of efficiency that works well on millions of basses.
- Feb 20, 2009
- 18,083
- 9,346
- 5,371
- Disclosures
- alpha-music.com
so even sitting above that cavity, the geometry works out OK, you can get good action with some room to adjust the saddles up or down?
one thing the badass does have is the ability to set the string spacing wider so as to actually line up between the J bridge pickup magnets.
still, i would more likely just throw a fender threaded-rod in there, it'll fit right in the hole and the increased saddle height would mean less chance of a string "jumping a groove".
Actually the Aero bridge has a smaller footprint than other standard bent plate bridges, so others aren't really a drop in either. It's unique to that model and must have been a Gotoh thing.
As for the action, yes it's fine. With the stock bridge, the saddles are like 1/4" off the plate for many people, they ride crazy high, so a Badass would only pose a potential problem for people who like ridiculously low 1mm type action.
.
True. Aside from often raising the strings too high for good action, IMO a Badass is a generally ugly bridge , and more so on an Aerodyne.
Turnaround
Commercial User
- May 6, 2004
- 10,889
- 22,427
- 6,476
- Disclosures
- Independent Instrument Technician - Retired
NOT foam! The patch should be a piece of properly fitted wood. Or the bass should be routed to fit the Badass.
I got a P bass that had a Badass bridge and removing it was the best thing for that bass. The Badass was choking the sound, plus it added half a pound.
No thanks.
No thanks.
They do nothing for the sound, but I do actually prefer bigger bridges on Jazz bodies from an aesthetic perspective. Does the Gotoh 201 fit the routed out section of the body? The base plate on those is more "normal" sized, it's just a sturdier version.
- Feb 20, 2009
- 18,083
- 9,346
- 5,371
- Disclosures
- alpha-music.com
better pickups and electronics is what it needs!Sorry to resurrect this thread, but I am glad I did.. I was thinking of doing this exact same thing.. yet after reading, I think I will spend my $$$ elsewhere and enjoy my Aerodyne just as it is.
like lots of otherwise cool MIJ fenders this one has cheap ceramic pickups and cheap mini pots bridged by cheap thin wire.
No no. The BAII is a great bridge (says the guy with one sitting in the parts bin waiting to be sold.
I liked the part in the thread when the OP put on the BA with foam against all advice and cheerily said thanks y’all! Glad it worked out though. I would have used old chewing gum as it’s visco-elastic
Sorry to trollishly poke fun. Glad it worked out.
I liked the part in the thread when the OP put on the BA with foam against all advice and cheerily said thanks y’all! Glad it worked out though. I would have used old chewing gum as it’s visco-elastic
Sorry to trollishly poke fun. Glad it worked out.
I'll admit I wandered down this particular rabbit hole when the BA II first came out, I got one for my Ric 4001 because..... Geddy. I chickened out and never installed it on the Ric. It's still on my Warmouth Frankenjazz, and works perfectly surface mounted with no recess, and it's a fretless, so it's plenty low. Is the neck geometry different enough on an Aerodyne that the bridge needs recessing? My nephew has an American Aerodyne, the bridge is not recessed. I wonder if the "recess" on the OP's bass is just a big dent in that butter-soft basswood when they torqued the bridge down in the factory? At any rate, I'll agree changing bridges makes little to no difference tome wise, but can be a big improvement functionally or aesthetically. I suspect Leo knew the bent saddle looked like the cheap thing it was, hence the chrome bridge cover.
I’ll disagree. TOME wise, many a tome has been written on the benefits of BA’s; much is BS.