I had not ever heard of Sung-Il, and came across them accidentally as I was looking for a 2-point replacement bridge for a bass project. Sung-Il makes a number of products I *had* heard of, however, for Floyd Rose, TonePros and Wilkinson in Korea. They also make a bunch of their own hardware.
I have given up on the stock three point bass bridge that came with my ESB-4 kit. DB had nothing nice to say about these...but I thought they looked cool. Until the second time I tried to make one work on a semi-hollow bass kit. I am now committed to taking DB's advice and see how far I can get it to skip on a nearby lake.
On that former ESB-4 bass I put a fairly standard Gibson-esque two point tune-o-matic--which just barely fit.
This time I decided to try a bridge I had purchased for that project but never used: a Sung Il BB-100 "tune-o-matic" two point bridge:
I did not install it before because it is a bit too wide for an ESB-4 center-block. I ran into a similar problem on my current project. I had to move the bridge location a bit from where was...and the center block was no longer wide enough to accommodate. So, I did a little surgery...and it fit!
So first caveat is that this bridge it TOO WIDE for the standard center-block on a Pitbull ESB-4 kit. It might make a nice alternative to the three-point on a solid body, however, particularly if you combine it with it's matching tailpiece...
...however, the tailpiece is massive. Much bigger and wider than a standard Gibson stop tailpiece. There is no accounting for taste...but for mine this tailpiece is a bit too large.
The bridge, however, is very nice on its own. more massive than a standard Gibson-ish tune-o-matic. As you can see, I used it string-through. I think it could also be used with a trapeze. You could even use it with a smaller Gibson-style or Warwick stop-tailpiece. However, even the smallest two-point stop tailpieces are too wide for the ESB-4 center block without some modding. On a solid body any of the above would work.
This bridge is WAY more adjustable than a standard tune-o-matic. The saddles have quite a bit of travel. As with most 2-point bridges it is only adjustable for height at the ends. The saddles do not adjust individually for height. However, the ends are easier and smoother to adjust than most 2-point bridges I have tried. One cool feature is that once you get the bass intonated, the saddles lock into place with an allen-key set screw so they cannot move. Once the end-pins have been adjusted for height, the TB-100 end pins are also locked into place with a allen-key set screw. As a result, even though this is a two point bridge it feels very solid, and does not rattle or move at all, even with the strings off, once all the set screws have been locked down.
It should work in place of a 3-point any of the PB solid body kits that use a three-point bridge if you get them un-drilled, an don't mind doing a little drilling. It's not taller than at stock 3-point, and it's easier to adjust. It might take some shimming to get it to fit on a fender-style bass. It looks a bit taller than a standard F-style bridge. Ironically the F style basses come undrilled but the three pointers would have to be ordered that way. that said, I'd go to the trouble in place of a 3-point. Especially with the massive BT-100 tailpice, this is way more solid than the OEM 3-points.
You can get a drop-in replacement for a Gibby 3-point from Hipshot or Babicz. Both have great reputations, but they will set you back 3-4 times what the Sung-Il will cost. At US$ 33, it's a bargain--and that includes the tailpiece. The finish is as good as any piece of chromed hardware I have ever had. Everything works smoothly. The workmanship and finish are great. It is by far the best and most solid two point bass bridge I have ever seen. Based on this experience, I am tempted to try a couple of their other products....
I am not really unhappy with the stamped bridge on my Fender basses...but I admit that I like the look of the high-mass Badass-ish bridges that come on some of the new ones. There is a Sung-il like that...as well as one that appears to have a saddle-lock screw like G&L and some Schechters have... If the quality is similar these may be worth checking out.
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