What is going on with this bridge?

[Blille]

Looking into a nice fretless bass but the bridge doesn’t look great. Are those extra holes?

And are those marks from maybe adjusting intonation without detuning?

This is online so I can’t see or play the bass unfortunately.

What do you wise people think?

 

[hamerfan]

New aftermarket saddles on a older bridge plate?

 

[JOLLY]

My guess would be that is where the saddles sat at one time. If that is the case, the intonation was way off at one time or it is way off now. That saddle on the G string looks a little bit wonky right now.

 

[Mincer]

I might budget for a new bridge there.

 

[Clint 55]

Looks fine to me. You get those marks just from the tension of the strings being on it and playing it. The only thing I don't get is why there is only 1 screw sticking out the back.

 

[Blille]

Thanks, folks!

I haven’t seen marks that strong in my bridges but then again I don’t have black ones.

The point of after market saddles is a good one. I wonder if they changed the saddles to change string spacing and that’s why there are those weird unaligned holes.

I agree a bridge may be in order if I get it.

 

[JOLLY]

The way the strings attach to the bridge remind me of one of my Carvin basses.

 

[beaubrummels]

To me, it just looks like a stock Carvin bridge and they just removed the lock screws and slid the saddles further apart, since they are on a rail. That string distance would make raking and popping a lot easier. (Not that I would do raking and popping on a fretless, but who knows.). That one screw sticking out, I would bet they accidentally sheared off the screw and couldn't get it out. You can see the damage to the black plate just on this stock model.

 

[Blille]

The way the strings attach to the bridge remind me of one of my Carvin basses.

To me, it just looks like a stock Carvin bridge and they just removed the lock screws and slid the saddles further apart, since they are on a rail. That string distance would make raking and popping a lot easier. (Not that I would do raking and popping on a fretless, but who knows.). That one screw sticking out, I would bet they accidentally sheared off the screw and couldn't get it out. You can see the damage to the black plate just on this stock model.

It is a Carvin.

I think that’s exactly what’s going on. I prefer tighter spacing so I would likely reverse that eventually.