New brass Starfire saddles!

lungimsam

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Got them from http://www.guildbassparts.com/www.guildbassparts.com/Home.html

Do not hesitate to buy if you are looking for new bridges. They are fantastic!

My stock rosewood low E saddle developed a crack and split, so I replaced them all with these brass saddles.

They look and sound great. Makes the bass sound older and deeper a little. Like, think the human voice. A 55 year old's voice sounds more mature than an 18 year old's. Like makes the bass sound more ancient or something. Hard to explain.

Pretty much the same volume, brightness, and tone.
The notches are cut out by the manufacturer for "medium" guage strings. I use Labella Flats, 49-109 set, and they seem to be fine on there.

I am so glad these are being made and I don't have to worry about saddles breaking anymore.
I'd like to buy an extra set or two in the near future.

Note to Newark Street Starfire users:
The saddles fit perfectly onto the metal tongues of the bridge, but I had to file the slots about .5mm deeper so that the bases of the saddles would stand flush on the bridge face.
These saddles are designed for Hagstrom bridges, and I guess the NS bridge's saddle tongues are a 1/2 mm taller.
No biggie. Easy to file.

I sent the manufacturer feedback about this but didn't get a response yet. Maybe they will make an NS version run sometime. If not, just get these and file. I am just glad these are available.

Pics. Enjoy. Scroll through the album to see the whole bass pictured, too. Sorry about the low lighting. It was onstage at church before the service. https://www.flickr.com/gp/70237737@N00/591506
 
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bassman10096

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I've had brass saddles on an M-85 and my current JS2. I definitely prefer the sound over the rosewood saddles. The difference isn't super-dramatic but is noticeable.
 

mgod

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I've got them on my main Starfire, but they originally came from the fretless M85. RT cut them, probably in 69. Anyhoo, I definitely recommend them. I'm going to buy a couple sets.
 

gilded

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mgod, if you like 'em, that's good enough for me.

I'm gonna order a black-powder coated set for replacements on my early '66 SF I bass. My bass has the original black plastic saddles, but the G saddle is half missing anyway, so a new set may be the answer to a potential problem....

thanks, fellas!
 
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