Jamieboy

As an aside, and in full agreement with this - gotoh supplied screws are basically good for nothing in my view.

Good idea....

Thanks all for the thoughts. Update: the holes weren't as off as it seemed to me they would be (and as the internet would have you believe). I went to try the one-screw line up as per Geek99's suggestion and then I noticed I could just about see the other wood hole through the second gotoh screw hole. Thus by lining them up so neither were dead centre I could just thread both holes. Sorry guys - turns out it was much ado about nothing! 🫣 All now installed and bass balances beautifully. Amazing how much difference the weight of 4 tuners can make to how a bass feels.

Thanks for your thoughts guys. Appreciated. Ah I see- the bathroom stuff I guess? Suppose that gives it some hold to aid the single screw but not so much you couldn't remove in future. I suppose hipshot ultralight only have one screw don't they. If I get time this evening I may remove one existing and see if either of the gotoh holes line up exactly. It isn't, but this could still well be the most sensible solution 😉

Thanks. Hadnt considered that. The stock ones have 4 screws, the gotohs have 2. So are you saying just line up one of the holes and leave it at that? Not sure how secure that would be. Guess theres potential it could work (if it does line up) as the gotohs clamp the headstock with a threaded bushing from the front so it's not just the screws holding them on....

Hi all. I've just recently bought a sire z3, which I'm really impressed with. I previously had a sire p5 on which I had replaced the stock tuning heads with gotoh gb528s. These replacements seemed to me to be exceptional quality and also much lighter than the originals. I kept the gotohs and had intended to swap them onto the new z3, but I see that the stock tuning heads on the z3 are not the same as the p5 (apparently the z3 and v3 models use slightly different ones to the rest of the sire range). The screw pattern is slightly different and the gotohs are not a simple drop in. If the holes were in completely different places (e.g. hipshot ultralight) then I'd be comfortable drilling these into virgin wood and cracking on. However the hole positions for thr gotohs are really close, and probably slightly overlapping, to the stock holes so I'd def need to fill and re-drill the new holes. I've never done this and I'm worried about whether this would be strong enough or whether I might screw things up as I'd be drilling either very close to or partially into the filled holes. Any thoughts? I could sell the gotohs and buy some hipshots, but given I already have them and really like them I wondered if the above would work. Thanks.

Picked this up today. First impressions are very positive. I've never had a stingray-esque bass but to me this sounds big and punchy as one would expect. Set up wasn't bad out of the box, although needed to raise the g-string side of the pickup as was set too low and thus unequal volume across the strings. Easily sorted. Nut feels cut slightly high but I'm being picky - overall it plays very nicely. Enjoy the finish even more than I expected. It's not heavy and generally feels comfortable and balanced. Impressed. Looking forward to using it at a rehearsal tomorrow.

Good point. Important not to overlook this.

That's not my experience with DR strings but YMMV of course. Pure Blues aren't meant to be overly bright so may not be easiest comparison. DR dragon skin plus are coated DR strings so they could be up your street if you like the feel of the brand but are focused on longevity.

Thanks. Have taken the plunge.

Thanks. May well grab this too.

Having been a long time nickel user I recently tried a switch to steel. First some fat beams and then very recently hi beams. I got used to the rougher texture pretty quickly. To me both have a lovely low tension and response. Perhaps a controversial view but Fat beams didn't actually seem significantly brighter to me than various nickle-plated roundwounds I'd used on my basses recently (NYXL, lo rider nickel, dragon skin nickel). Decent strings though but not quite what i expected. Hi beams are as I expected/wanted them to be - really bright and clear, piano-esque almost.

Never had any grounding issues that I've been aware of, on any coated string. Is that really a thing?

Well, we're all different of course but I don't get any reaction or finger burn from the DRs. As I said originally there was a slight friction for the first hour or two but then nothing. Speaking purely about smoothness/string noise, IMO Elixirs are the smoother/less noisy of the two, althoigh the DRs are smoother than their uncoated strings. However, also IMO I don't like the Elixir higher tension and lack of zing/chime compared to the dragon skin plus. All personal preference and I'd say both are good options depending on which details you prefer.

Hi @brickers I've used DR low riders and Fat Beams, but not high beams, so can't make a direct comparison. Compared to those I'd say the dragon skin plus last longer but not dramatically so, like elixirs do. I much prefer the feel over elixirs though - but I guess that's an entirely personal thing.

I have this debate with myself from time to time, always end up counselling myself not to be precious and then grit my teeth and take it. I own a nice bass for the joy I get from playing it. I don't want to allow the object itself to become an idol.... that's what I tell myself anyway.

Also happy to help. Everyone deserves a leg up when down. Best wishes.

I regrettably have an aversion to the feel of old strings, to me they don't have that responsiveness against the fingers. I'm aware this is a bit OCD as I don't actually mind the duller tone. The frequency of little parcels of bass strings arriving through the post has become a "talking point" with my other half!

So I've just taken off the dragon skin plus strings I put on in January. They lasted well for most of that time but did die off quite a bit over the last few weeks. That is home practice for 30-60 mins probs 5 days a week with a rehearsal or gig every couple of weeks. YMMV of course. Had hoped for a bit longer, but really great strings.

Hi all. Doing some adjustments to my TT4, curious as to where others have their pickup heights set? Just measured mine (string depressed at last fret) and on e string I've got 2.75mm at neck pup and 2.5mm at bridge pup. Sandberg reccomend 4-5mm neck to bridge so mine are a fair bit higher than that. I sometimes feel the e string lacks a bit of definition above 5th fret so wondering if this could be linked.

Yeah i agree. I've got elixirs on my pbass (which tbh I don't use often) and def find the dragon skin plus more flexible and responsive. More "bounce" If that is a thing?!? 26 quid sounds mega value, nice one. Think I paid 33 or so but that's still way less than elixirs and similar to low riders which are what I'd been using on my main bass previously. I'll try to remember to report back in a couple of months re how they're lasting.

Tried a set of these as I saw they're relatively recently introduced and my low riders needed replacing. Figure I'd try something coated to see if they last much longer, which can only be a good thing, right. Got the "quantum" nickle 45-100 set and fitted to a sandberg california tt4. As far as im concerned this is a great match. The bass is already pretty bright and clear but these seem to have tightened up the low end further and just sound great to my ears. Maybe not to everyone's taste, of course. They did seem to have a bit of friction against the fingers to play straight out of the packet but after playing in for an hour or so it's either gone or I no longer notice it. If they last well, then I've probably found a string I'll stick with. For now. Wonder if anyone else has tried them and their thoughts.

Was looking for some delano pickups for my p bass which weren't shown on BDs website but saw that they did stock other delanos so emailed on the off-chance they could get hold of them. Really helpful and friendly and they did order them in and now recieved a few weeks later. Great service.

Ah interesting didnt know it was the same. Thanks for that. The pmt one has decent enough reviews so I think I'll go for it. Cheers.