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Hipshot Bass X-Tenders - Talk To Me


WHUFC BASS

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I'm in the market for a new 4-string which is unusual as I'm generally a five string player but there's some songs that are just easier (for me anyway) to play on a 4-string and was wondering if it's worth investing in a Hipshot Bass X-Tender in order to drop down to D (or it'll be Db in my case as we play in Eb for almost all our songs).

Anybody using one? Good ... Bad ... Ugly ?

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2 minutes ago, WHUFC BASS said:

I'm in the market for a new 4-string which is unusual as I'm generally a five string player but there's some songs that are just easier (for me anyway) to play on a 4-string and was wondering if it's worth investing in a Hipshot Bass X-Tender in order to drop down to D (or it'll be Db in my case as we play in Eb for almost all our songs).

Anybody using one? Good ... Bad ... Ugly ?

billy sheehan uses one he loves it

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It’s an amazing gadget and I used one for years, but I have to admit, once you learn how to drop tune by ear, it takes a short amount of time (or with a tuner of course).  This is probably the reason why I would like a drop tuner, but in over 20 years since not having one, I’ve never needed it ha ha! 

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2 minutes ago, Dood said:

It’s an amazing gadget and I used one for years, but I have to admit, once you learn how to drop tune by ear, it takes a short amount of time (or with a tuner of course).  This is probably the reason why I would like a drop tuner, but in over 20 years since not having one, I’ve never needed it ha ha!  

This is the dilema I'm having at the moment. Is it easier to just drop down using the tuning peg (by ear) or invest in a Hipshot.

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Just now, WHUFC BASS said:

This is the dilema I'm having at the moment. Is it easier to just drop down using the tuning peg (by ear) or invest in a Hipshot.

Well, the DTuner when set up properly will be super fast, no doubt. :) Though in any gig situation, if any of my band members need to say, change guitar or what have you, then it’s usually factored in to our performance to ensure there are no long pauses. That’s possibly something you could look in to if you end up not going for the DTuner?

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1 hour ago, WHUFC BASS said:

This is the dilema I'm having at the moment. Is it easier to just drop down using the tuning peg (by ear) or invest in a Hipshot.

Drop it down by ear it’s much easier. I had a Hipshot D tuner and couldn’t get on with it. Lots of fiddling about setting it then I found that after a few back an forths I was needing to adjust it all again. Plus it’s extra weight on the headstock. 

Definatly not  a fan 

Edited by danny-79
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Very useful bits of kit. After years of drop tuning by ear I can now do it in an instant, even mid-song. The only slight criticism is the sloppy thread on the adjuster screw - which was easily "locked" with a dab of clear nail varnish. It does make tuning up marginally more awkward as you need to drop it down and up to even out the tension, but not a major problem 

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2 hours ago, WHUFC BASS said:

This is the dilema I'm having at the moment. Is it easier to just drop down using the tuning peg (by ear) or invest in a Hipshot.

I have had this dilemma for ten years or more. I generally hit mute on my Boss tuner and then retune. It generally takes about 3-5 seconds and I never have needed to switch tunings in the middle of a song. Even if I had an extender I would still probably stop and check the tuning anyway so I don’t think an extender would save me any time in practical terms.

I don’t do any session stuff, pit work, open mic nights or blues jams that require me to have access to standard tuning, drop D or songs in e flat tuning on the fly. If I did, an extender would probably be very handy, if just playing a five string is not an option.

I have generally been in bands where the guitarists are checking tuning every other song and take far longer to switch to drop D (or equivalent) than it does for me to do the same on the bass, particularly if the guitarist is playing a Les Paul.

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Excellent bits of kit imho - i have them on all my basses.
We do a few specific songs and links that don't give me time to retune manually - i used to manage it but the detuner makes the whole process simple and fast.
When set up and tuned correctly they are reliable - the only issue i've ever had was on a Spector Euro and now believe a snaggy nut (ooh missus...) was the culprit rather than the detuner.
And the weight difference is miniscule - you're adding a thin plate, a little screw and a spring effectively.   
Try one - the best way to tell is to give it a go
Oh and if anyone has a black GB7 one spare i'll have it off you for my new toy :-)

Edited by Mudpup
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I had one on my Ibanez in my last band. Needed it for a few songs. Singer and guitarists would never factor in time for me to retune so the d tuner was awesome. Never had tuning issues, it was very reliable. As stated above you need to use iit whilst tuning up to make sure the strings settled.

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7 hours ago, WHUFC BASS said:

I'm in the market for a new 4-string which is unusual as I'm generally a five string player but there's some songs that are just easier (for me anyway) to play on a 4-string and was wondering if it's worth investing in a Hipshot Bass X-Tender in order to drop down to D (or it'll be Db in my case as we play in Eb for almost all our songs).

Anybody using one? Good ... Bad ... Ugly ?

Brilliant!

  I fitted one on Kert's Camphor single cut.  I was dubious at first and surprised just how expensive they are but they are easy to fit and VERY easy to set up and use.

I'd certainly use them again :)

Edited by Andyjr1515
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I use it on several songs and often change during the song. On Get lucky I have the E string set to D for the verse then flick it down to B for the chorus and back up to D again, We do the live version of Crazy in Love and I drop it do D when it goes into the Gnarls Barklay song Crazy then back up again.

As long as you spend time adjusting it correctly when you fit it and tune it the way Hipshot tell you to tune it then they are very easy to use and a great alternative if you don't really need a 5 string bass

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4 hours ago, WHUFC BASS said:

Ah ... now that would be a deal-breaker for me if that was the case. The last thing I'd need would be a bit of neck dive.

If you have never tried one give it a go, mine retrofitted so no extra holes to drill or leave exposed when/if you take it off. I personally didn’t get on with it. Just a gadget to do a job that I can do with out one. There are enough people who do like them so guess they have a purpose 

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49 minutes ago, Muzz said:

Yep, I have one on all four of my main gigging basses. Essential kit.

Just remember to flick the thing back up into tune for the next song, tho...I still forget... 😕🙂

I've never done that........honestly.......;-)

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