Skybone Posted November 10, 2015 Share Posted November 10, 2015 Has anyone had any experience of fitting a Hipshot D-Tuner to their bass? I recently tried out for a local covers band, and they do a few songs in drop D. As I'd only taken 1 bass with me, I had to take time to retune (as did the guitarist), play a couple of songs, then retune to E standard. A bit of a PitA TBH. I could take another bass with me, or just simply retune as required, but then I remembered about the D-Tuners. Instant drop D at the flick of a lever. I'll be fitting it onto one of my Fakers, fitted with generic "open gear" "elephant ear" 2x2 tuners. Obviously, I need to measure the tuning post, and try to match up the tuner's base plate with those on offer. Is there anything else I need to do before taking the plunge??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevebasshead Posted November 10, 2015 Share Posted November 10, 2015 Tuning them in the first instance is a little odd, the advice Hipshot give is to tune to a slightly flat E, flick the lever a couple of times and [i]then[/i] check if it's in tune. Then flick the lever and proceed to tune-in the D setting. Once set, they stay good for the entire gig. Other than that I'd say go for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanEly Posted November 10, 2015 Share Posted November 10, 2015 I've got them on all of my basses, highly recommended by me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fretmeister Posted November 10, 2015 Share Posted November 10, 2015 I like them loads, I have them on a couple of basses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roman_sub Posted November 10, 2015 Share Posted November 10, 2015 If you have a(n old) Warwick bass, you may have to file down some of the d-tuner lever to give it enough clearance, and it won't go beyond 1 tone drop. I read somewhere that lightly pulling the bass strings (i.e. applying a bit of extra tension) just before pulling it back up to E on the d-tuner may help you to return to pitch more accurately. Seems to work for me (perhaps it applies tighter pressure more evenly across the string as a result? - not sure though). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sykilz Posted November 10, 2015 Share Posted November 10, 2015 I briefly had one on a Warwick Corvette, and it was a hell of a faf to tune, once I managed to get the E in tune, the D would drift out, and vice versa. Realised I'd never trust it and have to keep checking it, and if you're doing that, you may as well just manually drop tune. Or could be I'm a twat. Others seem to love them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul S Posted November 10, 2015 Share Posted November 10, 2015 [quote name='sykilz' timestamp='1447167491' post='2905449'] I briefly had one on a Warwick Corvette, and it was a hell of a faf to tune, once I managed to get the E in tune, the D would drift out, and vice versa. Realised I'd never trust it and have to keep checking it, and if you're doing that, you may as well just manually drop tune. Or could be I'm a twat. Others seem to love them! [/quote] I fitted several and had ^this^ issue a lot. I've also had two where it worked perfectly, so it wasn't just me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted November 10, 2015 Share Posted November 10, 2015 I've had two on two different basses -- one was a permanent fixture on my Wal for well over 10 years. Yes the tuning can be a slight faff, but it is only really when you re-string, and the convenience is well worth it. To my mind it's one of the best mods you can make to a 4-string bass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrevorR Posted November 10, 2015 Share Posted November 10, 2015 Had one on a Squier project bass years ago and loved it. Keep thinking about getting one fitted to my Wal but have never quite got round to it. If I ever get my Frankenjazz back from the chum I loaned it to it will be having one added forthwith. Once you'd got new strings settled in the d-tuning worked like a dream. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimryan Posted November 10, 2015 Share Posted November 10, 2015 (edited) Ive got them fitted on my two main basses and love them. Never really used drop D before installing them, but since I have I've started to use it a lot more, mainly for the D#. Very easy to install and setting it is pretty straight forward. A lot of the time they stay in tune when switching, but every now and then (and I mean very occasionally) when tuning back up it comes back slightly sharp. [URL=http://s1258.photobucket.com/user/jimryan88/media/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zpscobce5jm.jpg.html][IMG]http://i1258.photobucket.com/albums/ii527/jimryan88/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zpscobce5jm.jpg[/IMG][/URL] Edited November 10, 2015 by Jimryan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
No. 8 Wire Posted November 10, 2015 Share Posted November 10, 2015 This may be a stupid question. What happens to the other 3 strings when you drop to D? I haven't used a hipshot but when just tuning to drop D manually I often find one or more of A to G go out enough to hear it. Have I just got a sensitive neck or am I caring too much about the slight change? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stoo Posted November 10, 2015 Share Posted November 10, 2015 I've had them on my EBMM SUBs (Stingray type things) - worked OK for the retuning side of things, but when I hung the bass on my stand (one of the Hercules Auto-Grip ones) the hipshot lever hit the clamp and could end up taking the weight of the bass unless I remembered to hang the bass at the front of the clamp. I liked the stand more than I liked easier access to drop D, so the standard tuners went straight back on.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iiipopes Posted November 10, 2015 Share Posted November 10, 2015 (edited) I have one installed on my custom half-fanned P/J. Tuning is as set forth above in the first post after the OP. Yes, when the tuning is dropped, unless the neck is absolutely rock stable, the inherent compression that is why the truss rod works will cause the neck to react and the other strings to slightly go sharp. Because of this, I usually don't drop below Eb, only occasionally to D, and then at the end of a song. When dropping to Eb, I usually don't notice it. Edited November 10, 2015 by iiipopes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fretmeister Posted November 10, 2015 Share Posted November 10, 2015 [quote name='No. 8 Wire' timestamp='1447172861' post='2905522'] This may be a stupid question. What happens to the other 3 strings when you drop to D? I haven't used a hipshot but when just tuning to drop D manually I often find one or more of A to G go out enough to hear it. Have I just got a sensitive neck or am I caring too much about the slight change? [/quote] Sounds like your neck is shifting a bit. Might be bending a tiny bit, but I reckon it's more likely that the neck pocket screws need tightening up. Never had a tuning shift like that on my wooden neck basses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
No. 8 Wire Posted November 10, 2015 Share Posted November 10, 2015 [quote name='fretmeister' timestamp='1447178684' post='2905608'] Sounds like your neck is shifting a bit. Might be bending a tiny bit, but I reckon it's more likely that the neck pocket screws need tightening up. Never had a tuning shift like that on my wooden neck basses. [/quote] I'll check to make sure. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muzz Posted November 10, 2015 Share Posted November 10, 2015 Had quite a few, currently on my Dingwall, Thunderland and Shuker basses. Very handy, tho yeah, you kinda need to learn the knack of getting them in tune, but after that they're very handy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mudpup Posted November 10, 2015 Share Posted November 10, 2015 Got them on all 3 of my basses and consider them essential bits of kit. The only time I ever had any trouble with tuning was on a Spector with a brass nut - the string slots were a bit sharp and it seemed to hang up on the nut when returning to tension. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodinblack Posted November 10, 2015 Share Posted November 10, 2015 Got one on my Fender Geddy Lee. Don't have any tuning issues with it, and although I don't use it too much (as I mostly play 5 string anyway), I am glad its there Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ezbass Posted November 10, 2015 Share Posted November 10, 2015 I've fitted them to nearly all of the various 4 stringers I've had over the years and had one (Roscoe Beck lV) already fitted. I recently fitted one to my Ric 4003s, bit more of a faff than usual as I had to ream the hole a little, but completely worth it. In terms of use, it's always been: tune the E, release the lever, reset the lever and check the tuning until it's right. But once it's set it's all good until you turn the tuner again. It seems others have had not so quite positive results, but I wouldn't hesitate to fit another. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PlungerModerno Posted November 11, 2015 Share Posted November 11, 2015 They work, but take a bit of fiddling to get right, and are an extra stage in setup (like intonation - how far the D drops is has to be carefully dialed in for the string in question. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyf Posted November 11, 2015 Share Posted November 11, 2015 Got them fitted to ALL my four strings. IMHO, really useful bits of kit. It terms of "best practice", there's been some useful tips above, the most useful being stretching a new E string properly, tuning to pitch and then the levering/unlevering/levering trick. One minor issue I've found is that if you gigbag your guitars, very occasionally the friction of the bag against the headstock and tuners will unintentionally move the little adjustment wheel. I've got around this by always making sure that the detuning is correct against the tuner when you soundcheck. A simple "belt and braces" check that takes seconds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc S Posted November 11, 2015 Share Posted November 11, 2015 (edited) I've had 2, fitted to different basses. One was fitted to a Fender Mex PJ (which I've since sold, but kept the tuner for another bass) It was tricky to set up, and took a while to settle, but then worked perfectly every time. I didn't notice other strings going out of tune when using it - so maybe you have a neck / set-up problem No8 Wire? I also have a D-tuner fitted to my Ibanez Electro Acoustic bass. However, this one doesn't work quite as well as the other D-tuner did They're both Hipshot tuners, and I was equally careful setting them up, so I don't quite understand why this should be? The bass holds its' tune very well when not using the D-tuner, so I don't think it's the bass. It could be that the phosphor bronze strings don't like being D-tuned, I suppose? Maybe they're lower tension, or are less tolerant to tension changes? Fitting a D-tuner can be really useful. I kept the one which was on the bass I sold - it's going on another bass soon, as I miss it Edited November 11, 2015 by Marc S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
No. 8 Wire Posted November 11, 2015 Share Posted November 11, 2015 [quote name='fretmeister' timestamp='1447178684' post='2905608'] Sounds like your neck is shifting a bit. Might be bending a tiny bit, but I reckon it's more likely that the neck pocket screws need tightening up. Never had a tuning shift like that on my wooden neck basses. [/quote] I checked the screws, all 6 tight, no problems. I did a test with a tuner to check my ears so to speak. When I detune E to D. the other 3 strings go very slightly sharp. The A string is most affected but really it doesn't move much. It moves sharp so little that I really shouldn't be able to hear it easily by ear. So, there is probably just something psychosomatic going on! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrtcat Posted November 11, 2015 Share Posted November 11, 2015 Got one yesterday on a bass I bought from here. Initially I thought it was going to be unusable as it kept coming back up to E out of tune but a swift look at the hipshot video explaining how to tune it and now I can see it's going to be a real asset. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skybone Posted November 11, 2015 Author Share Posted November 11, 2015 No.8, have you checked the bridge & tuner screws as well? Do you have the option to "lock" your bridge saddles (like the G&L saddle lock type thing - a grub screw in the bridge which pushes the saddles together)? Could be a number of things. Ezbass, good to hear from a Ric owner. I know mine's a Faker, but if they work on a Ric, they should work on my Faker. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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