Mudbucker + two mini humbucker kinda T-bird copy

[Chris P.]

Did we already discuss this one?



http://www.fret-king.com/europa4_g.htm

or a cheaper copy:



http://www.fret-king.com/esprit4_b.html

[Basvarken]

Funny: the upper one is using a tailstop piece as a bridge!
So much for intonation... 

[shadowcastaz]

That was a good catch. i hope that was just put together quick for the pic.  good lookin tho.

[Basvarken]

i hope that was just put together quick for the pic. 

Guess not... from their site:

Using a super resonant tonewood such as korina demands a solid bridge to transmit all of the string energy, fundamentals and harmonics through to the body, so the Europa IV bass features a no-nonsense, functional wrapover stop-bar tailpiece as a bridge, but with the strings anchored through the body to ensure massive sustain.

[Dave W]

Using a super resonant tonewood such as korina demands a solid bridge to transmit all of the string energy, fundamentals and harmonics through to the body, so the Europa IV bass features a no-nonsense, functional wrapover stop-bar tailpiece as a bridge, but with the strings anchored through the body to ensure massive sustain.

Oh brother, what a load of crap. These are marketing guys, not guitar people. If you could transmit "all of the string energy, fundamentals and harmonics through to the body" then you would have zero sustain.

[sniper]

the bridges do not impress me but i kind of like the headstock on that body and maybe even like the shape of the triangular body relief.

i wonder what it sounds like?

kind of an T-Bird Exporer Newport deal.

[TBird1958]

 I remember looking at those two awhile back and kinda liking them - Silly me tho, I didn't even look at the bridge. They're from the U.K. I think, for once we could pick on fine English design instead of Gibson 

[Chris P.]

Well, the guy behind those basses is Trevor Wilkinson who also is the guy behind Blade, the great Italia basses (with really good two point bridges!) and the cheaper Vintage basses. He does a lot of things right, so maybe he got this working in one way or another.

Normally wrap-around bridges have adjustment screws and I think this bridge has 'm too.

[godofthunder]

 Thats a cool bass ! The wrap around bridge? Well we can fix that.

[Chris P.]

I thought: Let's ask the guy!

In my experience with the intonation of basses, I have never seen a bass that did not intonate in a straight line from Low E to the G string unless there was some horrendous mismatch of string gauges, however they will run at an angle between 4 and 8 degrees. The Esprit 4 and Europa bridges will intonate all four strings together at any angle between minus and plus 20 degrees by simply adjusting the two screws that run through the string bar. The bar is supplied with a smooth surface so that any player can choose his preferred string spacing and once decided upon the bar can be grooved very slightly to hold the string in its chosen place. The radius is fixed to match the fingerboard but action, height etc..but the whole bridge can be adjusted to accomodate any action that you desire. The original style bridge from the fifities did not have this type of adjustment but the sound quality due to the simple nature of the design was superb. this new bridge retains all of the original EBO tone but with the possibility to intonate. I hope this addresses you concerns.
 
Very best regards
 
Trev Wilkinson

[PhilT]

Have you seen the price of the Europa? 1449 GBP    Even the Esprit is 649.  Those are crazy prices, even here.

Basschat - Esprit review http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=25141

[ZezozeceGlutz]

I like the bridge look on the one in the review.  It's not quite as "pulled out of the parts bin" looking.  It's still kind of lame to be that expensive and not allow fine intonation, though.

"In my experience with the intonation of basses, I have never seen a bass that did not intonate in a straight line from Low E to the G string unless there was some horrendous mismatch of string gauges, "

I have an SX jazz that intonates with a smiley face (E and G about a saddle's thickness forward of A and G) with anything I've put on it.  Not quite a straight line!

[eb2]

however they will run at an angle between 4 and 8 degrees.

Like the original EB stud, and the Kahler.  Nice observation.

the original EBO tone but with the possibility to intonate.

Umm...not at all different, and no.  I would venture with the adjustment screws on the posts, this would be identical to an old EB0, and if possibility to intonate means close enough, then yes.  But I am guessing 34" scale on this one, so the close enough school would go right out the window.

Might be a good place for all them crap Schaller 460s.

[Basvarken]

In my experience with the intonation of basses, I have never seen a bass that did not intonate in a straight line from Low E to the G string unless there was some horrendous mismatch of string gauges

In that case all 8 basses that I have are either badly intonated or fitted with a horrendous mismatch of gauges.
 

[uwe]

He should have just told Chris what he really thought, namely that "Bass players have no business above the 12th fret in any case so please shut up".

It's fine to say "close enough is sufficient" and I can also adjust to a bass with some intonation hiccups, but in this day and age and with recording techniques and amplification being unforgiving an only so-so intonateable bridge on a fretted instrument is just not state of the art.

Uwe