some of the non Joye attys I've got that were just regular 510 attys (not the official Joye ones) didn't even have wicks -- I don't really notice any difference -- in fact, I actually sometimes take the wick out from under the bridge on my official Joye attys if all the strands get too gunked up -- works fine for me
plus, even if you HAD taken the bridge out, you could still use it with a drip tip (did it with one of mine) -- there's a video on youtube about how to do it without accidentally tearing up the wiring on your atty -- just put in 501 remove bridge or something