Hipshot bridge discontinued?

jingle_jangle · Post by **jingle_jangle** » Sun May 20, 2007 4:19 pm

Did a dog pee on that thing or what?

mfb · Post by **mfb** » Sun May 20, 2007 4:34 pm

If so, by the looks of it, do you think the dog may have had been neutered immediately prior to the event?

But what a bridge! An example of minimalist design. It's a wonder no one thought of it before.

grayk · Post by **grayk** » Mon May 21, 2007 5:23 am

I do find it hard to believe that Fe*der still fit this style of bridge after all these years. However basic it is though, it is still adjustable in every respect! They grace millions of basses and work just fine most of the time. I do think that like the Ric tailpiece/bridge it is well overdue an upgrade. The sooner we can get our hands on the the official Ric upgrade tailpiece the better because lets face it the original is lousy ! It spoils an otherwise amazing bass guitar. I just hope they will be available to buy as a separate item and that they are kept to a sane price.

curtisongs · Post by **curtisongs** » Mon May 21, 2007 8:43 am

Has anyone tried the hipshot on a V63?

aceonbass · Post by **aceonbass** » Mon May 21, 2007 1:18 pm

David Calderon put one on his C64 and really likes it. He says no lift and he loves the sound. He's got some pics up on Beatgear of it. I personally think the Hipshot still looks like an after market part so I wouldn't want one on my bass. I have no problem making the stock piece work just fine with some mods that are probably along the lines of what RIC is going to do anyway. One should remember that, when notching the saddles in the RIC bridge, the deeper you go the more rearward adjustment you lose. Use a nut file to notch the saddles and only go about 1/2 the width of the string into the saddle. Using rotory tools like Dremmels is NOT the preferred method.

cheyenne · Post by **cheyenne** » Mon May 21, 2007 4:22 pm

I've actually had absolutely no problems with the original RIC bridges.

I had been wanting to try one of the Hipshots for along time, and since the white bass I got from Jeff had just a slight bit of bridge lift, I figured it was a good excuse to justify the expense and try one.

They are a well made, easily adjustable alternative that will give your tone and sustain a "boost".

Will I replace the bridges on my other 4003's?

NO.

I do prefer the authenticity of the real McCoy, and my original bridge is not for sale.

But I think the Hipshot suits this bass, and I will keep it.

I would'nt hesitate to recommend them for anyone experiencing the "bridge lift" dilema though.

Easy retrofit, problem solved..

qwezirider · Post by **qwezirider** » Mon May 21, 2007 4:39 pm

Just wish they had the darn things in a 5 string.

jwr2 · Post by **jwr2** » Mon May 21, 2007 5:05 pm

ya what he said ... I have to have a machinist make some special parts to convert a 4003 to a 4003 4-2-5 ... the 4004 is an easier conversion ...

aceonbass · Post by **aceonbass** » Mon May 21, 2007 7:21 pm

I'd like to know why everyone who thinks the Hipshot bridge is so great, won't part with their original tailpieces. For a lot less than the price an inauthenticity of the Hipshot piece, an original tailpiece/bridge unit can me modified to work properly.

redrickmi · Post by **redrickmi** » Mon May 21, 2007 8:00 pm

As Ricky Ricardo would say, "Splain!"

Seriously, what would you do?

qwezirider · Post by **qwezirider** » Mon May 21, 2007 8:12 pm

Never having owned a Hipshot (yet), I can only go on looks of the thing at this point. I do not dislike, or even have any problems with my bridges over the years. But I do like better the lines and look of the Hipshot. Why do we like one bass over another? One color over another? Sometimes to some of us, functionality aside, it just looks better. What can I say?

As far as keeping the original, possibly for the ability to drop it back in with no damage caused by a replacement? If one sells the bass down the road, it might be nice to have that option still available.

aceonbass · Post by **aceonbass** » Mon May 21, 2007 9:01 pm

Reid, I make the bridge intonation adjustable from the front and add silicone surgical tubing in place of springs to keep the saddles from moving and vibrating. I modify it so it wont tip backward, and if need be, I add two screws to the rear to keep it from lifting just like RIC did back in the day before people complained about the look. The Hipshot's not a bad product at all, I just don't like after market parts on my RICs...especially infringing ones.

redrickmi · Post by **redrickmi** » Mon May 21, 2007 9:52 pm

Well that's cool as a moose! You've got practical experience at this, already. When I was contemplating, "How the deuce do I fix this intonation problem?", I never considered "Going in from the front."

Only since I've been on this board have I seen the tailpieces with the screws in the top/rear. You wanna hear something funny? When I bought my '73 in March of '74, the tailpiece had lifted a little bit. I loved it, cause during the time I was playing with a pick, I kept one tucked in each side, under the lift! It never got any worse and I thought that the tailpiece was manufactured with a curve in it! Doh!

The HipShot is great for folks like me that are just slightly mechanically inclined, and maybe not so mechanically creative! And, I do know what you mean about keeping Rick parts on a Rick. I just bought a toaster after considering various options and I just couldn't quite reconcile putting Barts or Duncans in it. Oh well, people are strange, and I are people!

Thanks for the info and keep diggin' the Ricks!

jwr2 · Post by **jwr2** » Tue May 22, 2007 4:44 am

I replace the philips head screws with allen head screws ... then I can do adjustments without completely removing the bridge ... and when it comes to tail lift I add extra screws ... but if hipshot made a 5 string tailpiece I would get a few of them ...

and I would like to see the new Ric 4000 series bridge tailpiece replacement ... my guess why it is taking so long to release is they are getting the trademark protection/registration set before they release it ...

lucky · Post by **lucky** » Tue May 22, 2007 5:22 am

When my 4003 tailpiece needed replacing,due to my stupidity in trying to straighten it without knowing what i was doing i also faced this dilema.The Hipshot unit looked like the original and was perfect, BUT it was'nt an original Ric replacement.I went with the Ric unit and with help from Mr.Rath & Mr.Claulson added the two extra screws,now my bass is 100% original and will never suffer from tail lift.Two points come to mind if Hipshot had made their unit a different shape i doubt they would have sold that many,it's because the shape is so identifiable as a Rickenbacker tailpiece.And point two will this no cause people to buy them and sell them on for a profit.