1987 pre-regular line Custom Shop TB IV

[Dave W]

That explanation makes sense Dave.
But does that also mean the more sustain the less tone?

The more sustain the less snap and attack perhaps. And wood tone. I hear less alder or ash (or whatever non-descript plant remnants these folks from California use ...  ) in a P or J with a heavy duty bridge (think Geddy Lee Signature) than on those with the flimsy original bridge. And those are snappier, livelier too, the only drawback is that high notes die pretty quickly and don't really sing. They are more percussive though.

Uwe's description is very good. I do think that a very heavy bridge does have a negative effect on tone. Fortunately most of the aftermarket bridges aren't that extreme. The Badass will increase sustain over a standard Fender bridge, but it's a large piece of die cast zinc. If it were solid brass at that size it might be a tone killer.

There's one other effect a bridge can have besides keeping energy in the strings or transmitting it to the body: it can waste string energy. For example, when the height screws on the saddles of a standard Fender bridge vibrate against the base plate. So there must be pros and cons to every design.

Carlo's right about the nut slots and saddles, and let's not forget the tuners. A bad tuner design can waste some string energy and a heavier design will act in the same way as a heavier bridge, but the effect is not as noticeable. 

[Dave W]

Something else to consider: no matter what hype you hear from a manufacturer, sustain and resonance are opposites.

Think about it. Resonance happens when string energy is transferred to the body, sustain happens when it stays in the strings.  There's no way to get 100% of both. You have to find a balance that works for you.

[Chris P.]

Both parts of the Warwick-bridge are sunk deeply into the body.

[uwe]

Which is why some peole say all Warwicks sound alike no matter what wood they use, that Kingtiger tank of a bridge is the determining sound factor. The budget Rock Basses used to have less massive bridges (pretty much Fenderish) and those basses did sound different. I believe that the new Rock Basses have the Warwick Kingtiger bridge now though.

[uwe]

My Lp bass has a plate under the bridge, but I thought it to be a flat surface to withstand the height adjustment tension?

Naw, it's a chunk of metal as thick as the upper part.

[sniper]

what change in tone might a 'tail piece' add or subtract to a bass? i know it will theoretically lengthen the string base but what effect does that have on tone?

i really did not notice any change when i added one to my Epi, but that cheap pup might not have the quality needed to notice a change! i installed the EB pup after the tailpiece was already there so i had no way to A - B compare it. i do like the EB pup.

[Chris P.]

There are all kinds of theories on string lenghts and the reversed headstock on a Strat (like Jimi palyinga right handed Strat on a lefty way).

[Dave W]

The Warwick bridge and tailpiece are sunken because the neck isn't angled, not for any tonal reason. If it were surface mounted, you would have to have an angled neck as on the Gibson LP Bass.

Tailpieces, reversed headstocks etc. can affect the feel of the strings, and they might even affect tone in some small way. They don't affect actual string tension.

[exiledarchangel]

String break angle has some minor effect on the sound, big angles make the sound a little softer. In my LP guitar there's a minor difference when I string it like a wraparound bridge. Here's some pictures to understand better what my poor english try to tell you:

Normal (sharper angle, more attack)



"wraparoundey" (blunter angle, mellower attack)



I prefer the wraparound method, even if the effect is minimal, because its more comfortably to rest my right hand on the bridge.

[mc2NY]

But this bass' prototype status warrants that its original look be reinstated. I have the Supertone on my Blackbird and it looks nicely industrial ON THAT TYPE OF TBird, gives a little more sustain (but just like a Ric a TBird is inherently already a sustain-rich bass so there is nothing really gained that way) than the three point and lets you lower the action a little more evenly, but the effects are not startling. I have not felt compelled to repeat the exercise with any other bass. Then again if that bass should play like a dream with it, I might keep it on there.

I don't know if I'd give it prototype status. Gibson made a lot more of these in 1987 than the Tbird II run of 1986 for the Jap dealers.

I've seen several of these from this 1987 run for sale over the last 5 years or so. They all look the same as this one and have the black hardware and '80s Custom Shop decal.

One I saw was a cast-off from the old LA Guns bassist (Johnny Crypt) and signed on the pickguard. Another was in NYC area. There was also one in the UK for awhile but I think it had a headstock repair.

[uwe]

It's prototypish in a way that it combines old (the headstock and the frontjack) and new (the TB Plus pups). Kind of the missing link between the 1986 Japan run, which was still very Bicentennial, and the regular new Birds in late 1987. I guess that on the basis of these Custom Shop babies they decided to downsize the headstock and move the front jack to the side - both of which, if I may voice a minority opinion, I thought to be progression. You see a lot fewer of the new ones with broken headstocks and they are less neckheavy too. I know, purists will disagree. And I find side jacks much preferable to front ones - I've ripped out the entrails of front jack basses a couple of times in my bass playing life, but it has never happened to me with a side jack.

That said, after 25 years in service, the current TB IV could use some revamping and I don't mean change of hardware from black to chrome, that is just cosmetics. They could gently deepen the cutaway, try some different pups in different positions (or just put one in a sweet spot as a rejuvenated TB II), offer a three pup model (TB III anyone?) etc.

[godofthunder]

Gently Deepen the cutaway ? What a good idea 

[uwe]

Scott for Master Luthier at Gibson!!!

[TBird1958]

 A little arm carve......Helps a lot!



The backside is quite sculpted, a tummy cut and a lot material removed for upper fret access without changing the shape when viewed from the front.
 

[uwe]

I see screws!!!!! 

But if truth be told, the sculpting is nicely done.