Best bass guitar bridges & bridge parts according to redditors

Based on the description of your Strat, it sounds like it has the vintage 7.25" fretboard radius. String bending, especially in the higher registers, is know to be problematic on that fretboard radius for exactly the reasons you describe.

Essentially, you need to do a proper setup to try and lessen the problems you're describing. If you're unfamiliar, doing a setup on a Strat involves adjusting things like the truss rod for neck relief, the bridge/claws to determine how you want your tremolo setup, the action, the intonation, and the nut. In essence, everything that your strings touch that can affect how they function mechanically.

You can learn how to do this yourself even if you have no experience. Dan Erlewine has a great book to tackle just this sort of stuff called How to Make Your Electric Guitar Play Great and you can snag a used copy on Amazon for the price of a new set of strings, practically. StewMac, the company where he works and that sells supplies for guitar building, has also started releasing some very helpful YouTube videos on different aspects of the setup. You can also poke around r/Luthier for any tips you can find there (though there's a lot of shorthand that would be tough for a beginner to get into).

My advice to you would be to buy the book, read it over a weekend (it doesn't take long to get from cover to cover), buy a few tools to get the job done and learn how to setup your own guitars so you'll always be able to make sure they're in perfect playing condition and won't have to rely on your local Guitar Center.

Basic tools you'd need include either a pre-assemlbed kit if you want to go the expensive route or a few of the individual components from elsewhere:

• My advice would be to get the StewMac String Action Gauge (it's worth it going for this specific brand name here since it's higher quality and has better makrings than the ones you'll find on Amazon),
  
• Some small screwdrivers and wrenches that'll fit what you need (again, this set from StewMac is pricey but it's very good for its purposes, you can certianly find all the hex wrenches, etc elsewhere for less) if you don't have them,
  
• Some radius gauges (here's the set I have)
  
• A straightedge (not necessary, since you can use a string on the guitar and calipers or even an old guitar string to measure relief--but the straightedge does make things a lot easier)
  
  If you can install a stereo, hang a picture and put together a puzzle, you can set up your own guitar.

What kind of bass? is there enough room on the pickguard? that you could just gorilla glue a plastic thumb rest? That's what I did on my Mustang and it holds well.

This is the thumb-rest I've got and it works fine. It's just a cheap piece of plastic, but what more do you need.

Usually you can just look it up on the website of whoever made your guitar and it will be listed on the spec sheet for the model.

If you can't find it on their website, this set of gauges is what I use.

half of what I listed are "regular tools" though like allen wrenches, socket wrenches, screwdrivers, a small screwdriver, etc. A string height ruler is like $6 on amazon, this one in particular comes with bonus fret guards and feeler gauges are cheap too. You can even buy the ruler and feeler gauges together for $10. The fret rocker is definitely just a bonus thing, not necessary at all, but it's a nice little bonus thing to have.

I guess I do just like precision and hate "eyeballing" things, I'm really of the mindset of precisely measuring shit out, like I build pedals and have the holes drilled out to the millimeter on the dot and going off one or two millimeters really fucks my shit up, so I might be a bit crazy. Or if I'm going to cut something, I prefer to design it as a vector graphic and then laser cut it because I know laser cutting will be 100% accurate and my hand cutting will be slightly less than perfect and it'll ruin my day. Yeah, I'm nuts.

BTW, they started selling a device called a Fump to get that muted sound you get from foam under the bridge: http://www.amazon.com/Gruv-Gear-Fump-Bridge-Side-Dampener/dp/B00YVFHI6Y

Not my favorite purchase. Anyone else had luck with this?

If you can't fix it I just picked up over of these cheap high mass Bridges and it's been working amazing. 20 bucks is totally worth it to not have to deal with issues like this.

Bass Guitar Bridge 57 Millimeter 4 String Thru Body or Bridge Chrome https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01BNHFKWG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_uCV1DbR7FQXGG

Like others have said, most likely you simply need to set the guitar up. Its not that difficult. Just take your time and be careful with the truss rod.

Refer to this Ibanez PDF.
http://www.ibanez.com/world/manual/guitars/Maintenance.pdf

Looking online you need a few things:

• Neck Adjustment - Allen Wrench and feeler guages.
  https://www.amazon.com/Guitar-Set%EF%BC%8C30-Master-Measuring-Luthier/dp/B07594N814/ref=sr_1_1?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1537217933&sr=1-1&keywords=feeler+gauge+for+guitar
  Adjust your neck relief accordingly.
  
  
• Then move on to string height using a string height guage and a smaller Allen wrench. Set your preferred string height on the 1st and 6th strings. Then simply use a radius gauge to correctly adjust the remaining strings. According to Ibanez, its a 400mm (or about 15 and 3/4 in) fretboard radius.
  https://www.amazon.com/Dreamtop-Understring-Radius-Luthier-Guitar/dp/B01LZBHHC2/ref=pd_sim_267_4?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B01LZBHHC2&pd_rd_r=883fa36e-babc-11e8-87eb-1be919d0e38f&pd_rd_w=40MfM&pd_rd_wg=eOv48&pf_rd_i=desktop-dp-sims&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_p=56838e6b-66d4-41e0-a762-743f1a1a628a&pf_rd_r=C4RV6HSAJA5KWFZG20J2&pf_rd_s=desktop-dp-sims&pf_rd_t=40701&psc=1&refRID=C4RV6HSAJA5KWFZG20J2
  
  https://www.amazon.com/String-Action-Electric-Acoustic-Guitar/dp/B00NARHNCS
  
  
• Next you will need to set your intonation using a small Phillips screwdriver.
  
  The Ibanez PDF outlines these steps, but YouTube search to find more examples. Its pretty straight forward. These steps with a small investment in tools will not only save you money, but teach you how to set the guitar up in manner you prefer as opposed to paying someone.
  
  If after all that it is still unplayable, then I might venture to guess you have a major neck issue like a broken truss rod or something.
  
  Good luck.

I just put one of these Fender HiMass Bridges on my 2005 MIM on Jazz Bass. I love it. It looks great and sounds great. And of course installation was super easy. And it says "Fender" on it just in case I forget what kind of bass I own. ;-)

$55.00

https://www.amazon.com/Fender-HiMass-4-String-Assembly-Saddles/dp/B01M5JN7YC/ref=asc_df_B01M5JN7YC/

A Kawai-Teisco model EP 150 was up here recently, and it had the same body style, and f-holes:

https://picclick.com/Vintage-Electric-Guitar-1960s-Kawai-Jazz-Jumbo-Japan-223306822537.html

This three pickup version has the same body, f-holes and headstock (I think):

https://reverb.com/nz/item/3015854-c-1964-kawai-ep-150-vintage-3-pickup-archtop-jazz-rockabilly-guitar-made-in-japan-great-guitar

Note that OP's guitar had surface-mounted pickups (no cut-outs in the top for pickups). That's a detail often found in "Teisco-type" Japanese guitars of the 60's/70's.

Two pickup version, with different headstock:

https://reverb.com/ca/item/10643823-early-60-s-kawai-electric-hollowbody-archtop-ep-150

Restoring such a guitar--if you don't already have the hardware and electronics--might well cost more than $150, if you were to use era-correct parts (and did the work yourself):

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2499334.m570.l1313.TR10.TRC0.A0.H0.Xteisco.TRS0&_nkw=teisco&_sacat=181223


https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2499334.m570.l1313.TR10.TRC0.A0.H0.Xteisco.TRS0&_nkw=teisco&_sacat=181223

But, if you were to do it with inexpensive, contemporary parts, it might cost about half of that:

https://www.wish.com/product/5a680a0b2495d4486e5c516f?hide_login_modal=true&from_ad=goog_shopping&_display_country_code=US&_force_currency_code=USD&pid=googleadwords_int&c=%7BcampaignId%7D&ad_cid=5a680a0b2495d4486e5c516f&ad_cc=US&ad_curr=USD&ad_price=4.00&campaign_id=7203534630&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI1PTCsPDp5QIVQRx9Ch2-CAl4EAQYAiABEgLCNvD_BwE

https://www.amazon.com/WINOMO-Archtop-Guitar-Rosewood-Bridge/dp/B01N9O8RLO

https://www.dhgate.com/product/2pcs-chrome-toaster-pickups-for-electric/123277749.html?f=bm%7cGMC%7cpla%7c1471809117%7c59782623991%7c123277749%7cpla-297845415828%7c113018001015%7cUS%7callguitar%7cc%7c2%7c&utm_source=pla&utm_medium=GMC&utm_campaign=allguitar&utm_term=123277749&gclid=EAIaIQobChMImpqX9vLp5QIVYSCtBh1iTAZiEAQYAyABEgIgYPD_BwE

https://www.cbgitty.com/guitar-instrument-parts/cigar-box-guitar-parts/chrome-open-gear-economy-tuners-machine-heads-6pc-3-left-3right/