This is an interesting concept. I don't know about all the promo/hype in the description (necessary evil I guess), but I'd be willing to let my ears and hands decide if it's a genuine improvement or at least a usable option.
https://www.bestbassgear.com/ray-ross-saddleless-bridge.htm?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=%5BSB%5D+Dynamic+Product+Ads&fbclid=IwAR1Gblras58VsA095YN3Y3CTXvzIK78TtTTFxwVoITLE9RxOOrInUfxQpV4 (https://www.bestbassgear.com/ray-ross-saddleless-bridge.htm?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=%5BSB%5D+Dynamic+Product+Ads&fbclid=IwAR1Gblras58VsA095YN3Y3CTXvzIK78TtTTFxwVoITLE9RxOOrInUfxQpV4)
In my opinion it solves a non existing problem.
Plus, I would rather have the consistent part of the string vibrate between two points (being top nut and bridge saddle), than having the double wound part near the ball-end join in too.
Seems like it over-complicates the process. I want simple. That's why the three-point is genius (ducking :mrgreen: :mrgreen:).
I saw it a couple of months ago at No Treble (https://www.notreble.com/buzz/2019/02/24/ray-ross-saddle-less-bass-bridge-now-available/) and immediately thought the same thing as Rob about the double wound portion at the end. That can't be good.
Adjustable saddles have been around for decades, and they work. I don't have a problem with intonation or with the "kink" removing string energy. It's a witness point, not a problem.
Not really all that different from a Fender.
Im not sure I understand the mount mechanism and what issue it is solving.
No palm mute? No thanks. I already have my Rickenbackers for that ;-)
Quote from: Rob on April 19, 2019, 05:38:11 PM
Not really all that different from a Fender.
Sure it's different. It has no saddles.
Never mind that saddles have been an integral part of stringed instruments for centuries. This company claims to have solved a problem we didn't know we had. What a load of nonsense hype IMHO.
Hmm, not for me i guess - I love the flawless simplicity of the bar bridge, the only real king of bridges!
Quote from: Dave W on April 20, 2019, 11:48:16 PM
Sure it's different. It has no saddles.
Never mind that saddles have been an integral part of stringed instruments for centuries. This company claims to have solved a problem we didn't know we had. What a load of nonsense hype IMHO.
Okay I acquiesce. But I think that saddles are an important part of the recipe without a tailpiece.
Quote from: Rob on April 21, 2019, 10:20:29 AM
Okay I acquiesce. But I think that saddles are an important part of the recipe without a tailpiece.
With or without a separate tailpiece, the saddle is the body-end witness point. There's no good reason to eliminate it.
I think it's interesting. I saw it at the NAMM, but you can't really examine or hear anything there. I posted it too here and thera round that time and I got negative reactions only. I'm really asking myself why. Yes, we don't have any problems with excisting bridges, I even love the flimsy Fender bridges and I even have no problems with the ones with only two saddles.
But I still think this is interesting and I'm curious if it makes a difference. I'm always - and I stated that here before - curious why people slag certain bands, basses, parts, ... of without even tried or heard it.
Quote from: Chris P. on April 22, 2019, 04:05:42 AM
I'm always - and I stated that here before - curious why people slag certain bands, basses, parts, ... of without even tried or heard it.
Human nature, perhaps? I'm guilty. I hated the optagrab when I first saw it, but I must admit I never actually gave it a try :-\
Nobody is slagging anything or anybody here. Just questioning the added value to what's already on the market.
Like I said, it solves a non-existing problem.
And sometimes companies manage to conquer a market anyway with a product that nobody ever needed beforehand. (The iPad and iPhone come to mind)
I doubt if they'll find a substantial market for this bridge.
Quote from: Basvarken on April 22, 2019, 04:57:12 AM
And sometimes companies manage to conquer a market anyway with a product that nobody ever needed beforehand. (The iPad and iPhone come to mind)
Same with buttplugs. You have to wash it after use anyway, but it's just as easy to wash your thumb. So why do they manufacture them?
:mrgreen:
:mrgreen: I agree with you this time, Rob. I don't like the idea of a but plug, but I never tried it. :mrgreen:
I just mean that a lot of people tend to react quite negative, the half empty glass kinda way, instead of wondering if it can be something interesting.
Quote from: Chris P. on April 22, 2019, 04:05:42 AM
I think it's interesting. I saw it at the NAMM, but you can't really examine or hear anything there. I posted it too here and thera round that time and I got negative reactions only. I'm really asking myself why. Yes, we don't have any problems with excisting bridges, I even love the flimsy Fender bridges and I even have no problems with the ones with only two saddles.
But I still think this is interesting and I'm curious if it makes a difference. I'm always - and I stated that here before - curious why people slag certain bands, basses, parts, ... of without even tried or heard it.
You don't have to hear it to make a judgement, all you have to do is look at the company's website. It reeks of bullshit. Just read the About Ray Ross (https://rayrossbridge.com/pages/about) page by Aaron Ross, "President of and Minister of Propaganda for Ray Ross Bass." :rolleyes: I've seen my share of bullshit claims about bridges before (like the Leo Quan bridge being made of "special tone-transfer metal") but this is chock-full of misinformation and subjective claims that can never be substantiated. The part about living and dead metals is especially preposterous. The actual meaning of that has nothing to do with what he's claiming.
Then there's the News (https://rayrossbridge.com/blogs/news/launching-rayrossbridge-com) page, prescribing the bridge "for relief of" conditions that bridge saddles don't contribute to. And again, just look at the photo of the bridge with the pin bearing on the thick winding at the end -- that's just plain wrong.
But, as either P.T. Barnum or David Hannum once said, there's a sucker born every minute.
Who is this guy, anyway, and where is he? There's no address for the company on the website, only a phone number which leads back to the distributor in New Jersey who handles many music products.
QuoteEvery bridge has a problem. You need only observe the instrument you currently play. If you notice, from the anchor position of the string, the string itself goes "up the hill" to the saddle, then completes its journey to the nut in a downhill fashion. I suspected that this "kink" was a hindrance to at least vibration, if not overall tone. As it turns out this is correct. By making the anchor and saddle one piece, the "kink" was removed and what followed still amazes me to this day.
So only the open strings work perfect in his theory. Since every fretted note has a "kink".
:bored:
"Same with buttplugs. You have to wash it after use anyway, but it's just as easy to wash your thumb. So why do they manufacture them?"
Silly question. So that slap bass is deemed less unhygienic of course.