GEAR TALK | Ray Ross Saddle-less Bass Bridge
Vložit
- čas přidán 16. 11. 2021
- Rather than utilizing a traditional saddle to provide a string break, the Ray Ross™ features a tone pin that keeps the string completely straight from the bridge to the nut; this concept removes the “kink” from the string, providing increased vibrational energy through the strings and into the body of the instrument. This feature allows maximum transference to the instrument so you can get the most of the bass itself, not solely the color of the bridge. Comprised of solid naval brass, the residual tone you do get from the bridge is articulate, resonant, and full-bodied.
On a standard bridge, downward force applied to the instrument from the string is restricted due to the saddles providing relief between the string and body. The Ray Ross™ negates this concept and applies nearly 100% of the string tension downward allowing the string to resonate freely, giving the cleanest possible path from your fingertips to your ears.
-------------
Featured Gear:
Ray Ross Saddle-Less 4-String Bass Bridge:
rayrossbridge.com/products/ra...
-------------
If you would like to support The Bass Channel on your next gear purchase, whether it be strings, cables, picks, or otherwise, check out zZounds! Using our link doesn’t cost you anything extra but it helps us quite a bit. Thank you!www.zzounds.com/a--3970972
-------------
Follow us on the socials: / thebasschannel
/ thebasschannel
/ joshdubois8599
/ the_bass_channel
/ chris_caccamise
/ joshdubois8599
/ ddx_design
/ therealchuckbailey
/ calilil
------------- - Hudba
I think the 'worst of them all' bridge title goes to the OG Ric bridge hahaha, but I feel you! Great vid
Gibson 3-point not far behind.
@@TheBassChannel 100%. The only modification I have done to my Gibson Thunderbird was to replace the bridge with a Hipshot. The stock bridge was horrible in every way.
This what I like about the bass channel not afraid of trying something different and new with bass gear 🤘🤘keep it coming.
For custom basses, the big advantage here is that you can have the bridge right at the very bottom of the bass body, pushing that upper horn up the fingerboard, so the bass balances better overall
I put one of these on one of my custom bases. It was a noticeable difference in sound and I absolutely love it. I will definitely use more of them.
It would be interesting to see what string manufacturers have to say about this bridge. Something tells me the wrapped end of the string should not be part of the speaking length of the string.
Yea, that kind of bugged me too. The felt winding also seems to contact the inside of the post further dampening the string.
Owww, thats a great point! Might event unwrap from vibration?
@@petougao, I don't see that happening, but I can see the inconsistency inherent in that part of the string causing weird issues. To me, this bridge is a solution in search of a problem. An answer to a question nobody asked.
Especially if it's wound with silk
You can get piano wound strings with the core exposed until after the contact point. I don't think a bit of wrap would do much damage though
I put one of these on my Fender Player Precision bass about two months ago! It's definitely a quality of life improvement as far as setting up and changing strings go. There were two things that annoyed me about the old bent metal bridge on my bass: 1) Whenever I put on strings, it was really hard to avoid dragging my strings across the bottom of the bass as I threaded them through the bridge; I feared that I'd scratch my bass. 2) The action adjustment is two screws per saddle, making me not only have to waste time adjusting two screws every time I adjusted the action, but it also allowed the saddles to become slanted over time, creating an awful buzzing sound as I play due to the saddles hitting each other. I'm glad to say that this Ray Ross bridge solved both of these problems! Plus, I only need to use one tool to adjust both the action and the intonation, and the design of the adjustment wheels makes it easy to track how much I am adjusting based on the turning of the holes in them. I wish every bass had one of these on them.
Never had a problem with buzzing and still i have the stock bridge had mine for 1 year
@@recordlabeldao7820 Alexa, please turn on my espresso machine
I liked the video. And the idea of doing things differently. Thank you for making this video and putting the information about this bridge out there!
Nice video... very unique looking bridge... and on that steampunk bass is stunningly perfect.
Amen!
Wow! That Brubaker steampunk bass is the coolest looking ever.
Loving mine. Seems to do what it says on the box!
I added a Ray Ross to a GSTyle fretless bass I found on Amazon, along with Fishman Fluence pups. Yeah, I do goofy stuff like this, but I'm not gonna lie, it's different but it works quite well. I've also experienced the Babicz FCH bridge on a Squier P-bass and a Badass bridge on a Squier jazz. I had my doubts initially but I don't regret the choice at all...
a EMG GZR close to the bridge on Dave's bass? That's brilliant. You're a mad man.
I remember seeing this concept in the early 80s on a guitar. It featured Fender Bullet strings and the bridge held the lead ‘bullet’ end such that it allowed the string to pull straight from the center. That that meant was that no part of the bridge/holding saddle actually touched the string itself.
GunsandGuitars did an A/B test with this bridge. Upon a blind listen, I found the claims to be true, at least on his bass. There was more clarity and openess. I actually preferred the normal bridge though
I checked the video you mentioned and the differences are bigger than I thought they would be! But I stand with you for preferred the normal bridge more, maybe I would try the Ray Ross bridge out someday if I want to mod one of my basses in chord playing. It sounds great while doing that
I've waited for you to do a video about this bridge.😀😁
I put this bridge on my 2019 Aerodyne (along with Aguilar HC pickups and CTS pots). Being my first experience with Ray Ross bridges, at first it seemed a little tricky to set up but looking back on it it was quite straightforward. I do love it and it looks much better than the stock bent metal bridge. They are pricey but you get high quality and very precise adjustments. Thanks for the vid!
That's a very cool bridge design! I'd love to try one of those, some time. I put a Babicz bridge on my Fender MIJ Jag and I really like it, but this has me thinking about testing the Ray Ross on that bass just for comparison.
Looks pretty cool!
I had the opportunity to work on a client's bass recently. He had installed a RR bridge a couple of years ago and was generally happy with it. However, I did observe that the back of the blocks that hold the posts looked to be slightly lifting. The intonation screws also had a slight up-bow. It seems that the strings pulling against those posts creates lever action against the rest of the mechanism. The rotational force against the brass blocks is countered only by the thin intonation screws. I find this design to be far less "solid" than any traditional bridge, especially one with through body string anchoring. But hey, people will buy anything.
Putting the string snug so the ball end goes in the groove, will twist your inner wire when wrapping the tuning peg.
How does one prevent this? Isnt it similar with the regular bridges?
@@petougao pull the string just below the nut while turning the tuning peg, so the entire string can rotate it's length. Makes the windings on the peg tighter too, so you have to use a couple minutes less pulling the strings tight to keep it in tune after restringing.
@@Theladrion thanks, was doing that already to save the nut from scraping and tightening the string to the peg just made sense. Not a bad thing to get reaffirmation anyway.
I have a ray Ross bridge on my Brubaker JXB 4 Custom. Excellent bridge. I haven’t had the “chorus effect” issue that others have had. It’s easy to adjust, tension is great, string change is quick and its a really good feel.
Seeing the old bent metal bridge is a fucking joke - anything is an improvement. I think The Ray Ross looks slick, certainly suits the steampunk bass. I imagine it could suit a bunch of other basses too.
The concept is very clever and I could give it a try in my MIJ Fernandes. Un order to prevent the loosening of the nuts which set intonation and string height I'd include a locknut system.
A similar part is used grand pianos. Known as agraffes, made of brass and screwed into the iron or steel plate.
If I was actively playing I would DEFINITELY try this out.
The biggest selling point of this bridge for me is that it's infinitely easier to set up. It also looks a tad easier to restring, too, since you're not having to worry about potentially scratching up your finish. The slight difference in sound is just a bonus.
Basses don't really need to worry about frequent setups and one could say that sound is the only thing to consider aside from certain ergonomics
Bought a squire 4 string Jazz bass and started to do upgrades for fun and experience.
I first installed a Babitz then changed to the Ray Ross .
I had some problems with a loose lower post on the A string and I am still working on getting the height correct to limit buzz on the open string.
However had no problems otherwise and enjoyed the ease of setup as well .
There is a significant sustain change .I used DR blacks.
For anyone building a bass I would recommend this bridge.
“Not inferior” is certainly good enough for me. It’s a fantastic design, and I know that Kevin Brubaker stands behind it.
Xellent revue quite frank.
U say what u feel.
Jaime ça, man !!!!
This is the bridge on my p bass. I love it.
I put one of these on my P bass and love it. I plan on getting another for one of my Stingray as well. I don't anticipate quite as much improvement on the Stingray considering it's stock bridge is considerably better than the stock Fender p.o.s. however I really like the comfort of my hand resting with this bridge vs. the feel of any stock bridge out there.
I have a Ray Ross bridge on a EMG modified P bass. It’s a nice bridge but it is expensive and does have a few caveats.
On my bass, I had to shim the neck to get the action to my liking.
Next, you have to be careful when adjusting the tone pin. Specifically making sure that the string is perfectly straight once you are done adjusting the height. This requires (in my experience) the string to be loosened prior to adjustment.
Lastly, it would suck to lose the little tool used for adjustment. I really like it but I could see that being a problem if one were to lose it.
The positives - I like the attempt at modernizing the bridge. I also believe that there is a tonal difference. I am not sure how to describe it but it does sound different.
I recommend this bridge, especially if you can get one on sale or used. They are very interesting. I would love to get one for my 5 string if they put out a 18mm model.
The most rememberable argument of the neigh sayers for me was that the windings of the strings should not be part of the signal chain. Whatever, I want one anyways, eventually. Now review the graph tech ratio tuners, please.
Proprietary peg for setting up, hooray!
Interesting bridge, I like it I wonder how my Jackson 4 string would feel with this, currently have a kickass bridge(brass saddles) on my Jackson, and it’s good, i should probably bite the bullet and put this bridge on it. Does it come in black? 🤔😂.
Love the series! Keep up the killer work my dudes! 🤘🏼🔥
If you want to take that nice customized bass of yours one step further, I highly recommend swapping out the nut with a Zeroglide which features an integrated zero fret. This allows for perfectly even string height and intonation. Extra bonus is that it requires no modification. If you don’t like it, you can just put the old nut right back in. Check it out!
I already have problems with my fender 5s , the B and sometimes the E string outer wrapping hits the tuning peg and makes it hard to keep in tune , moving the end of the string that much farther forward would make it worse
The reason why I personally wouldn't like the Ray Ross bridge for myself is because the strings just go straight to the tuning pegs even closer to the tuning pegs then even a bent plate bridge so that means the string tension is way lower I like the Warwick bridge because of the higher tension on the strings and also two strings through the body of the bass for that same reason you can really dig into the strings without them clanking around
Wrong!
Good video guys cool Bridge , I am all in for Innovation & switching it up 😀👍
In terms of tone, I think the bridge matters very little. That said, that bridge looks really cool, and the way it adjusts seems really well designed.
It definitely matters because the amount of resonance is akin to the bridge design. A piece of garbage bridge will not resonate that great. Or as great as strings can.
@@stewartross13 I'm not saying it doesn't matter at all, but just that there are other factors that matter a lot more in producing a good tone.
@@ampthebassplayer I’ve upgraded to a few high-mass bridges but very never heard any difference.
Teapot ❤️
"Change" and "innovation" are two different things. Apply too many changes to a thing and it is no longer the same thing. I seriously doubt the claims they make about tonal benefits. But there are things I do like about this design. So it's on the short list of upgrade options for my new 5-string.
If nothing else, it looks way too cool for school.
I would love to try that on my finder
Do it. My P bass sounds great with it.
my concern with this design is that its really just moving the point of most stress on the string from what would be the break angle to the ball end of the string, in which the wire holding the bead on is much smaller than the core wire, I would think it would cause certain strings to break easier than a traditional bridge but perhaps im wrong, and i would think if the felt is on the playable part of the string wouldnt that inhibit its sustain and or tone? strings arent really made to be played directly from the ball end like that and could cause tuning issues on the E and B strings with changing the point where the string tapers down to fit into the tuner, i would hope these things were thought about in the design and that im just being skeptical that it would create just as many problems as it fixes, it does look sweet tho!
Fine tuners without floyd pain!
Intuitively it would seem like strings would be more likely to break with this style because the winding/ball connection is the point of contact and vibration with no saddle to provide a break angle buffer?
I've been considering one of these but at $165 I'm still hesitant. Guns n Guitars also has a good demo on it.
My only issue with this bridge is that (unless I am seeing it wrong) the adjustment screws are now the structural component instead of the base or metal bracket mounted to the body. I would say if your are going to have a failure it will be the intunation screw snapping and the "saddle" letting loose.
I'm onboard. Only concern is string length needs.
I’ve only ever broken one string, an E. I was overzealous in giving the strings a stretch after just installing brand new strings. It broke the core, where it goes around the ball end. My gut feeling may be very wrong, but a standard saddle feels like the friction point of where it goes over the saddle slightly buffers the strain on the core down there where it is entirely unsupported by the windings.
However, even if my gut feeling is on to something, I also suspect that the core would only very slightly be more stressed by hard playing, and would be fine in nearly all playing circumstances.
Don’t you love when they make a video about a yesteryear product and sell it as it just came out yesterday.
The Ray Ross bridge design is really cool and innovative and I fully understand the potential it has. But I have a KSM bridge on my bass for one reason. The way strings are made is the problem. A string must be flexible in order to be able to vibrate freely and have overtones. This isn't so for that three centimetres where the string ends. On the inside its core is twisted on itself and has windings that locking it plus on some designs it has some silk wrapped around it too. All these make this area very stiff that absorbs and dampens vibration of the string. In my opinion this takes away the obvious benefits of this bridge design. So until Ray Ross comes up with a better string design too I will use the KSM bridge on my bass.
I can't imagine that it's actually any better for a sound standpoint, but I am digging the look. Might put one on my PJ.
Could be useful for low b strings. I've had some intonation issues with some strings on my six string.
Now review the graph tech ratio tuners, please
its kind of off putting to me that the windings of the string are past the saddle point.
Are these gorgeous special precisions with jazz necks still around and in production? I don't get along with P necks and the satin green is amazing
I believe that they are.
hey i grabbed mine on sale at GC and immediately fell in love . i also have the Am . Dlx Precision. tone is close , feel is totally different
camera might not show , it is metallic ( sea foam) not satin
Hey, we need a comparison
You've broken two strings?? :D I've broken a string at about half of my gigs. I guess I should pluck softer.....
It sounds as if it's a replacement for any Fender bridge... my question is what happens if your not a Fender fan? Are they able to be swapped into another style/Brand of bass?
Finally got around to getting this bridge (stewmac was closing out the black ones). I am not impressed. It is well built and solid. However, I have more upper fret intonation issues with it than the stock bent metal bridge. This is because I am getting some odd overtones, most likely due to the windings at the ball end. I find it off that people gripe about the notorious Gibson 3 point bridge and how a little of the windings are on the playing part of the string, yet rave about this bridge when 100% of the windings are on the playing part of the string. Also, this bridge might require additional shimming of the neck. Sound wise, I could not really tell any difference in sound vs the belt metal bridge. Plus I can't stand that it needs a special tool to adjust. Also, I would not try to adjust intonation with the strings at full tension as I'd be concerned about stripping the screw since this would counteract 100% of the string tension.
Over the past 40 plus years, I've tried almost every bridge design that there is. This one does not impress me, especially at the price these sell for. It's a "solution" for a non-existent problem IMHO. At least this is a reversable mod if one doesn't like it unlike the 2Tek and other exotic designs over the years..
I have found that besides the fact that bent metal fender style bridge ain't exactly the prettiest, they work very well. Stock fender bridges are functional, easy to adjust and work well. I've seen 60 year old fenders that the bridge still works fine even if they look rusty. But so many of the high mass bridges end up with frozen screws due to corrosion of the zinc alloy. Luckily this is brass and should not have that issue.
I did have one small overtone thing with one of the strings, but found that the ball end wasn't fully seated because I had the bridge pin turned backward - make sure the ball end is sitting in the chamfered-out hole and not the smaller hole for the string exit. Regarding the 3-point Gibson bridge, I've never heard any complaints being about the windings on the string - the 3-point's problem is just that it's a crappy bridge design for setup and adjustability.
@@TheBassChannel there's lots of issues with the gibson 3 point for sure.
As for the Ray Ross, the ball ends are seated fine. Tried a different set, same thing. I really dig in finger style right at the bridge, literally I'm playing on the windings with this bridge. When i move away from the bridge it's hard to notice. Odd. Never seen this on other bridges. I'll stick with bent metal, Badass, Hipshot and ABM.
There are definitely differences in bridges and room for innovation, but IMHO it’s not with what most people focus on in reviews. A good bridge needs to be easy set up, not go out of set up, not bend or become detached from the bass, not cause damage to stings making them excessively prone to breakage, not create any buzzing, and be comfortable (ie no sharp bits) to your hand. In so far as sound is concerned, if you hear the bridge then something is likely wrong. New strings, pickups or playing technique will make a bigger difference than a bridge on its own. Also, if you can’t hear the difference a bridge makes while soloed on CZcams, compression whatever it is, then it’s not likely going to be audible in a mix that is also being streamed, possibly on CZcams.
I wish they made a 6 string version.
Ok so here is a question ,doing a bass set up after we have adjusted the neck (truss rod ) , intonation ..... how low will that bridge allow you to go ?? I like a solid 5/64 will it go that low? 200 $$ for a bridge the way the strings feed through it that an issue?
We haven't tested how low the strings will go, but I'll see if I can find out (both from Ray, and from my own testing) - you looking for 5/64 at 12 or at the last fret or ??
@@TheBassChannel yes
I would worry about those posts snapping. Brass isn’t the strongest metal in the world. Other than that, I would have to actually have to test one out on my own bass before making an assessment. I currently have a KSM bridge in my bass and love it.
I see a problem with the fabric wrap it's like putting fuzz on the first inch of the string. Big no no
The original bent bridge is perfectly servicable. All these newfangled bridges is just a solution to a problem that doesn't exist. If you like the look or the way it sets up, sure that's a good enough reason, I guess. Just don't expect any appreciable tonal differences.
There is definitely room for improvement from the old bent metal plate bridges, whether this meets that criteria or not, I don't know, having never played it. One particular area that can be improved on over the bent metal plate bridge is the lack of sharp edges where one rests one's hand when using a palm muting technique.
I tried this bridge and wanted to like it but couldn't. I don't like the way the ball end secures. I found it to cause tuning problems. I'm using a Babicz now and like it way better.
How does palm muting feel..
Slightly different but still totally doable.
It'll take a minute to get used to, but it's a quick transition. At least it was for me
awwwe my P Special Sea Foam baby🎸🎸🎸
Does string tension feel and different?
Basses (like some cars) are usually an emotional purchase. How you feel about the guitar and its mods may be more important than the science or practicality.
…and that’s ok.
Next up: Kahler bass trem
This!👍🏻🤟🏻
Still not sold on having the silk winds as part of the singing length of the string. They should add tubes behind the saddle so they’re not on show
Did they demo the bridge? Couldn’t tell with all the talking.
It looks like those pins would dig hard in your hand if you palm mute and play with a pick, resting your hand on the bridge.
Follow up video?
what about the winding near the end of the string?
the part of the string that is not designed to vibrate at all lol
What about it? The speaking length of the string is still vibrating unhindered even if a 3/4" section of it has silks on it - those don't damp the vibration noticeably, if at all.
I personally think that traditional bridges are fine as is and don't really need upgrading. But people are still trying to reinvent Leo Fender's designs even though a stock P or J bass is going to work fine in most cases. How did all those players in the past make all that fine music with a bass that had such a "terrible" bridge on it (and with flat wound strings)? I certainly would not put a Ross bridge on my '77 Stingray. Which brings up the old contest of top loading bridges vs. a string thru body design. I am all for innovation but if it an't broke don't fix it. I wonder why most acoustic guitars still employ the old bridge pin method of anchoring the strings to the bridge and where the string needs a sharp break angle over a saddle to sound good? The Ross bridge has the string silk winding as the contact point opposed to a conventional bridge where the wound part of the string sits on the saddle. Can you use tapered end strings? How does it feel for palm muting? Ouch!
Nevertheless less it looks awesome on that "Steampunk" bass, (which I think is severely cool).
Think I'd rather a proper break angle and no extra winding in the open ringing length
I put a random no-name bridge with brass saddles on my MIM Pbass. It fuckin rules, because I rule. This looks cool too though.
Why would you want to do a quantitive review?
You can run headless now! (Disclaimer: please dont run without your head on, or with scissors, for that matter.)
Running with scissors isn't such a problem if you take your head off first. No eyes to poke out.
@@mal2ksc 😆👍
All I can hear is darkglass
Tuning pegs instead of bridge on a headless bass, 30 years ago in a bar in Montreal. Looks like tuning pegs
I dont see the point of buying a new brodge if the bridge you have works fine. I buy new bridges if my stock ones breaks
Play a bunch of samples
Not impressed with this bridge. With traditional bridge of any kind, some part of the string vibration are through bridge translated to body, especially with string-through-body and neck-through-body construction, so we have string-body interaction. Here, the bridge holds part of the string that is not moving, and pickup catch only string vibration. Maybe somebody might like this, but this way practically all other parts of the guitar are irrelevant, only strings and pickups matters. I'm not so good at English, but I hope that you can catch my point.
Guns and Guitars Dan put one on a short scale and I thought it sounded gross then. Was curious to see if it was better on a Fender. Still gross. Gross-sounding cool ideas just aren't my scene, man.
Bob Ross Bass Bridge.....😅
Not everyone wants vintage.
Options are good and all, but this really seems useless af.
Looks ugly. Will a cover for over it? I want modern functionality with retro looks. Kinda like putting a modern day engine in an Aston Martin DB5. 😀
This is not a well thought out design. Plenty of strings have silk or even extra windings at the end. This bridge has too small a distance between the ball end and the start of the speaking portion. It's snake oil.
The more things change, the more they remain the same. Most "revolutionary" developments are just marketing hype. Maybe they change the feel a little bit, but will anyone who's listening to your playing notice? Naw.
Lost all of the character. It sucks aSS!
I can't believe you don't hear the tonal difference, dude!
Bass bridges are like horse racing you just pick one. I use KSM but the only person that should feel sold on their bridge is yourself.