Hipshot Drop tuner - am I getting this wrong or are they a bit rubbish?

[Minininjarob]

Fitted one to my P and the tuner itself feels rubbish compared to the original Fender P (a recent Player edition) in that it’s a bit slacker feeling. But there doesn’t seem to be any consistency in how well the dropped note is tuned, sometimes it’s ok sometimes it’s sharp or flat. There’s no locking not on the drop adjuster and it’s not the tightest thread either so it moves easily. 
I’m not sure it’s any easier than just retuning the string when I need to as I haven’t check the tuning anyway. I don’t think there’s anything faulty about it  
I sort of expected better for £100 but I am starting to understand some things in the bass world aren’t the quality I would expect from other disciplines. 
Any ideas?

[fretmeister]

Mine are perfect.

 

Problems are usually with the string stretching or getting caught in the nut or shifting in the saddles.

[pineweasel]

I've had them on a few basses and found them very reliable. This video is worth watching for installation and setup tips:

 

[Minininjarob]

4 hours ago, pineweasel said:

I've had them on a few basses and found them very reliable. This video is worth watching for installation and setup tips:

 

That’s brilliant, thanks so much. It makes more sense than the instructions in the box, despite the video looking like it was made in 1982. 😂

[Owen]

I have them on literally everything I own. If they are set up properly they are rock solid. I cannot recommend them enough. 

[Minininjarob]

I followed the video and managed to get it working great. Tightened up the tuner itself, added graphite to the nut and tuned it as they show and it seems to be great now. Thanks all. 

[NancyJohnson]

I've got D-tuners on three or four basses.  They do what they do; give you an Eb and a D option. 

 

Like anything, the mechanism needs the odd tweak...I find the little adjustment screw/bolt moves with use which throws out the tuning.

 

They're not rubbish per se, they can be a pain.

[Owen]

While we are discussing these, they now make an addition, which means you can drop to 2 different predetermined pitches with one unit

 

https://www.bassdirect.co.uk/product/hipshot-doublestop-lever/

[ezbass]

I’ve had more than I can remember and they’ve all been fine, one of the best upgrades ever IMO.

[Buddster]

I'm looking for a replacement for Gotch tuners (GB5) but they've stopped making them. 

Anyone any ideas where to get one? 

[Norris]

The thread on mine seemed a bit loose and would drift out of tune with repeated use over the course of a gig. A tiny dab of clear nail varnish on the thread before tuning it sorted the issue. I always use the same brand and gauge strings, so I've never needed to adjust it since.

 

You could probably use a dedicated thread lock fluid but they tend to be coloured (blue loctite if you ever want to move it again, red if you don't)

[Minininjarob]

Well I got it working great, following advice above. Couple of days later its seems to be a bit weird again.....

TBH I might sell it on.

[NancyJohnson]

19 hours ago, Norris said:

The thread on mine seemed a bit loose and would drift out of tune with repeated use over the course of a gig. A tiny dab of clear nail varnish on the thread before tuning it sorted the issue. I always use the same brand and gauge strings, so I've never needed to adjust it since.

 

You could probably use a dedicated thread lock fluid but they tend to be coloured (blue loctite if you ever want to move it again, red if you don't)

 

I don't have a bass handy, but I considered adding a second nut/washer to the tuner to stabilise the shift.

[Owen]

3 hours ago, Minininjarob said:

Well I got it working great, following advice above. Couple of days later its seems to be a bit weird again.....

TBH I might sell it on.

It is worth persevering. In what must be 30 years of using them across more basses than I care to admit to in public, I have only had one remotely misbehave. And when it was lubed up, everything was great again. 

[NancyJohnson]

26 minutes ago, Owen said:

It is worth persevering. In what must be 30 years of using them across more basses than I care to admit to in public, I have only had one remotely misbehave. And when it was lubed up, everything was great again. 

 

Everything is better with lube*.

 

 

 

 

 

 

*Apparently.

[Owen]

The line is now behind you Nancy.