Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

[If this should move to another forum please let me know--but it's about a Ric bass aftermarket part so I thought the best place to put it was here.]

Just polling to see what's going on with these Hipshot bridges... I've talkd to more brass users who didn't experience saddle wobble than aluminum users and I'm intrigued as to what may be going on.

Also, feel free to imply past tense (i.e. OWNED instead of OWN, which is my case).

I used to own a brass Hipshot bridge, with no wobble issues. I bought it for the sole reason that the original bridge could not get to correct intonation with all the saddles fully back, and repositioning the RIC tailpiece was not possible (not by me, anyway) due to the design of it. The Hipshot had a greater range of adjustment therefor allowing the 4003FL to intonate properly.

No wobble here at all with the brass version - obviously they can be made to move if you push them, but they don't wobble of their own accord or while I'm playing. I went for the brass Hotpish mainly for the increased grunt (plus I think it looks nicer - very subjective, I know).

i have the aluminum hipshot on my 4000,same issue as jeffrie's,couldn't get the g string intonated properly with the original bridge. i play fingerstyle between the pickup and bridge 90% of the time,and have no wobble issues. playing near the neck with the lighter strings and low action tends to "overdrive' the frets (resulting in classic rickenbass fartiness) ,but i tend to go for a smoother sound. i don't think the new bridge changed the sound characteristics very much,other than making it MORE balanced overall....plus i prefer the look of the hs as well.

Interesting. So far it's just me. While I owned mine and had it installed, it would wobble like crazy on the G, D, and A strings. In retrospect I don't even see how it passed inspection.

I do know darthbass on the corporate forum has shared my experience, and his tailpiece was aluminum if I am not mistaken. Still I'm shocked that the first three responses are all "negative". I hope we get more votes/comments.

No problems at all with my brass one - and I do dig in hard both with fingers & a pick. It would seem strange if brass ones were stable & aluminium ones moved, I would assume the physical dimensions are all identical.

If anyone has a black aluminium one they want to sell me I'll happily do a side-by-side comparison.

Jon.

I'm kind've mad! Only one other person shared my problem.

Owned an aluminum one, didn't wobble, didn't like the change in the tone, so it came off and moved on for what I paid for it (a great price used).

Cassius, it's a very small sample to go labelling yourself mad - slightly loopy at worst . I wonder if it has anything to do with your liking for low tension strings? The Hotpish saddles are kind of free-floating after all, with only the downward pressure of the strings holding them steady in the grooves. Maybe a combination of low tension strings and a really low action just doesn't press them down fimly enough?

serenity,NOW! for one thing,i don't think the bridge replacement thing is a big issue for most folks,the v63 i had for awhile was great with the original bridge. joshua do you play pretty hard? also steve i think the rick bridge design would be just as prone (maybe more so) to that combination of low tension,light gauge strings low action,etc....plus this is a manufactured item (the hs bridge) ,and josh might simply have gotten one that had issues....there were several forumites who reported various problems with the hs bridges early on ,including the wobble factor.....evidently my ol bass and the hipshot were a good marriage....

I have a very dynamic right hand technique (from very soft to very hard all in a single song sometimes), and yes, I prefer low tension and light gauge strings.

For me it's almost impossible to believe that anyone's Hipshot DIDN'T wobble because I could start a medium-level line and the A and D saddles would practically start moving back and forth like a pair of pendula. It was utterly ridiculous and there was nothing I could do about it. I actually spoke to the folks at Hipshot on the phone at least three times trying to figure it out. But, as John mentioned, the tonal difference really wasn't all that pleasing anyway so I finally gave up. It was worth being able to palm mute to go through that...

Woody, I have not had similar problems with saddle wobble on the RIC stock bridge, except for my 2007 model. The original saddles on that wobbled like mad but I believe that had to do with the way the saddles were manufactured to sit too high off of the bridge.

On an unrelated note I'm going to post a review on Dane's modded bridge soon, once I get some pics of it. I've taken a long time on the review in order to be as objective and accurate as I can.

cassius987 wrote: On an unrelated note I'm going to post a review on Dane's modded bridge soon, once I get some pics of it. I've taken a long time on the review in order to be as objective and accurate as I can.

Very much related for me. The Hipshot just happened to come along at the right time to do the job I wanted doing. If there's likely to be a Ric part that does it as well or better, count me in. The big question in my mind is whether Ric can (or will) make enough of them for replacements as well as new build.

Had to vote Aluminium and no wobble. Don't understand why people might have problems. Standard Ric 4003, standard Ric strings/tension, and able to hammer the hell out of the bass with a pick. Rock solid every time.

I voted for the brass with no wobble, though It's not installed on the bas anymore though.
I put it on for ease of adjusting the intonation rather than intonation problems with the original, as I was experimenting with string gauges a bit and adjusting the intonation was a bit of a pain.

Now I've settled on a string gauge and type and I don't need to adjust intonation frequently, I put the original bridge on purely because the Hipshot was so heavy.

I put an aluminium Hipshot on my 4000 (donating the original tailpiece to a restoration project) and have had no problems at all with saddle wobble. I'm using medium gauge GHS Boomers. I'm happy with the tone (now change really) and with the intonation and action. I don't have any plans to mod my other Ricks though.