Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Mastery Bridge. Sustain for days, intonation spot on. Looks good too. It's a shame they don't make one for bass.

Cole

Beautiful piece of kit.

I lucked out by finding one on the local craigslist and couldn't be happier with it. It seems to make my 360 seem a bit more alive (and a bit more "solid" with a good deal more sustain).

Lovely piece of functional engineering.

It's a shame they don't make one for a 12-string.

They also work quite nicely with an Accent. I bought a batch of them and am working my way through getting them installed. Plan to put them on anything with hi-gains or Accents (except the '68 365) and a few others.

But they don't seem to work with a wound G string.

My Ed Roman bridge will take a wound G string, has the strings in the proper radius, has individual adjustment for each strings intonation, and is chrome plated brass

iiipopes wrote:But they don't seem to work with a wound G string.

Fortunately, I don't like wound G's....

Ric5150 wrote:

iiipopes wrote:But they don't seem to work with a wound G string.

Fortunately, I don't like wound G's....

Yes, where reasonable players may differ. I haven't used a plain G string since the late '70's, when on a set of Boomers 10-46 I had to custom-order wound 18's decades before they became a standard offering from GHS. Now I use D'Addario 115W's 11-49 as a go-to set when I'm not using flats, and even on my 360-12 which I string with 9's, I use a D'Addario 17w or 18w (yes, they do make the odd gauges) for the unison G string.

I've used a Mastery bridge on my 325c58 with TI Jazz Swing 12s, and the wound G wasn't a problem. Maybe that's because of the short scale? I'm assuming that the issue with the wound G was about intonation, because there didn't seem to be any problem with seating the wound G. Heavier gauge wound G, maybe?

I kept the Mastery on the 325 for about six months and then went back to the Rick roller bridge. I liked the added depth and sustain (both of those qualities relative to the attenuated tones of the 325) but I like the original sound too--more Rick aura in the high end, less emphatic low end, a more even balance between low and high strings. I'll probably alternate between the two bridges as time goes on--sometimes you feel like a roller bridge, sometimes you don't...

Your mileage will definitely vary with a Mastery installed on a more mainstream Rick.

Was having some buzzing issues with the stock bridge on my 620/6. The height adjustment screws would sometimes get loose and buzz. The Mastery would certainly cure that problem...but I just don't have the $$$ at this time for that much of an investment so I did the old clear nail polish fix (dabbed clear nail polish on the contact points on the height screws). Everything stays put now and no more buzz....but I'd get a Mastery if I could afford one. Question: does anyone know if the stock Rick bridge cover will fit the Mastery (Mastery does make a cover...but it costs extra)?

It does fit, it just looks funky.

My bridge has buzzed since my 360 was new this past December. Wonder if the Mastery bridge is the solution. Seems a shame it could not come from the factory without the buzz.

VA Pilot wrote:My bridge has buzzed since my 360 was new this past December. Wonder if the Mastery bridge is the solution. Seems a shame it could not come from the factory without the buzz.

For a buzz the first thing I check is if the springs on the height adjustment screws are too short or loose. Also if one height adjust screw is just a little loose you get one there.

I put one on my 345, must say: super!