Hipshot xtender - thoughts?

[AndWhy]

Hi Team BassChat! 
 

I’m looking for some insight on how worthwhile a Hipshot xtender (or other drop d tuning head) would be… 

 

Current band includes 25-30 songs, and a couple (literally 2!) require drop-d tuning. 
 

I currently quickly tune down before and then up after each song (x2). 
 

Questions:

 

Am I going to prematurely wear out my machineheads/cogs if I keep doing what I’m doing? 
 

Will an xtender really just automatically stay in tune and not require “fine tuning” once dropped or reinstated back to E? 
 

Is it a mod a n00b could do, or best to have it done by a pro at same time as a set up? (Assume I know a fair bit about theory, but have zero practical practice with any modifications… I can change strings and use a screwdriver, but that’s about it) 
 

Any good/bad/indifferent experiences or recommendations?
 

I play a 2015 fender P-bass special, p-bass body with jazz neck, and Pj pups if that makes a difference… 

[Jean-Luc Pickguard]

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Am I going to prematurely wear out my machineheads/cogs if I keep doing what I’m doing? 

 

Nope - it'll be fine
 

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Will an xtender really just automatically stay in tune and not require “fine tuning” once dropped or reinstated back to E? 

 

Once they're set up, and if the nut is slidey enough, the xtender should work as you hope it would. a sticky nut can cause it to not behave and you need to ensure the little adjustment screw on the xtender is set correctly
 

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Is it a mod a n00b could do, or best to have it done by a pro at same time as a set up? (Assume I know a fair bit about theory, but have zero practical practice with any modifications… I can change strings and use a screwdriver, but that’s about it) 

Its dead easy to fit if you buy the correct type that corresponds to the bass's existing tuners. just take the string off the E tuner, unscrew and remove the tuner, fit the xtender using the screws that come with the xtender.

 

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Any good/bad/indifferent experiences or recommendations?

A little dab of vaseline on the xtender goes a long way and keeps it working smoothly. Also if you don'r have a graphtec nut, some pencil graphite in the nut slot helps keep the string moving smoothly in the slot.

[Lozz196]

I’d go for the Xtender, they’re easy to fit and just work, much easier than tuning down/up.

[itu]

To keep the string in tune at both ends, it is wise to re-string the bass as shown here: 

 

https://scottsbasslessons.com/blog/how-to-string-a-bass-guitar 

 

The only thing I think in a different way is in step 6. I push the string to the bottom of the peg hole, and then bend it. Scott makes only a small bend to the string. 

[prowla]

I have them on several basses; they work.

When tuning you do have to operate a couple of times back and forth to cover off string slackening/tightening variations.

The dropped position has a small thumb-screw adjuster.

There are like-for-like models for most common bass tuners (they discontinued the Ric ones, though).

They are drop-in replacements for the stock tuners, but you do have to use their countersunk screws rather than the original raised-dome ones (they need to be flush-fitting for the clearance of the moving part over the base plate).

When choosing, they do gold/nickel/chrome/black finishes.

BTN & Allparts sell them in the UK.

[Woodinblack]

46 minutes ago, prowla said:

There are like-for-like models for most common bass tuners (they discontinued the Ric ones, though).

 

 

Yeh, and guess which one I have been looking for, the only bass I want to drop tune!

[prowla]

41 minutes ago, Woodinblack said:

 

Yeh, and guess which one I have been looking for, the only bass I want to drop tune!

 

 

(I want a couple more!)

[Woodinblack]

I just have the one ric - well, 2 but one is a 5. So are they all the BT-5?

I asked BTN music who until recently had one, but no such luck.

At the moment it is not too bad as I am only using it in drop D, so I take a 5 string and the ric drop D'd, but it would be handy,

[AndWhy]

Thanks all for your comments - I’ve just pulled the trigger! Time to find my screwdriver 😂 

 

best of luck with your hunt @Woodinblack! 

[ezbass]

2 hours ago, Woodinblack said:

 

Yeh, and guess which one I have been looking for, the only bass I want to drop tune!

I had this issue. However, I went with the one that Hipshot said would match, but required a slightly enlarged hole. I made the hole larger by just wrapping sandpaper around a cylindrical object (might have been a small, screwdriver handle) and rotating until the correct size was achieved. It didn’t take much. When I came to move the bass on, I replaced the D Tuner with the original tuner, suitably resized with tape (Hipshot recommend HVAC tape). It all went back together with no fuss.

 

29 minutes ago, AndWhy said:

Thanks all for your comments - I’ve just pulled the trigger! Time to find my screwdriver 😂 

 

best of luck with your hunt @Woodinblack! 

Good work, you won’t regret it. I’ve been using D Tuners for over 20 years, brilliant things. Once they’re set up up, they’re really accurate. That said, don’t be surprised that, after using it on a song, you find that your bass lines on the E string sound off because you’ve forgotten to set it back to standard, but maybe that’s just me .

[BigRedX]

I could never get on with the change in tension on the E string. 

 

Standard E string dropped to D was far too floppy for my tastes. A heavier E string that felt OK in D was too stiff when tuned to E.

 

Since I switched to 5-strings for "normal" bass and don't need drop D on my Bass VIs I've been OK. I do have two guitars with different gauge E strings for standard tuning and drop D though.

 

YMMV.

[Woodinblack]

I must admit that uniquely amoung basses that I have used, the detuned E seems a bit too loose on the ric, which is a pain as they have such odd specific sizes (which it didn't have when I got it, it had 100-80-60-40, which didn't fit well), and I think the E is snug enough that I doubt I could get a wider string in there.

[Norris]

I found a little dab of clear nail varnish on the stop screw helped lock the thread to keep it from drifting out of tune. A bit of graphite (pencil lead) or other lubricant in the nut slot will help with tuning too, allowing the tension to equalise both sides of the nut as you switch the lever.

 

These days I play a 5er though

[prowla]

3 hours ago, AndWhy said:

Thanks all for your comments - I’ve just pulled the trigger! Time to find my screwdriver 😂 

 

best of luck with your hunt @Woodinblack! 

 

I also have:

[Woodinblack]

3 hours ago, ezbass said:

I had this issue. However, I went with the one that Hipshot said would match, but required a slightly enlarged hole. 

 

Which one was that?

[ezbass]

25 minutes ago, Woodinblack said:

 

Which one was that?

Just checked my topic history (I sold it separately some years ago) and it appears to have been a Hipshot HE6C - 3/8".