Hello, I would like to replace the E string tuner on my Sire bass with a Hipshot D-Tuner. However, I lack some information. Are there different screw sizes? Are Hipshot tuners all standard, regardless of the bass brand?
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If you read the product page on Hipshot every tuner has a very detailed drawing giving all the dimensions of the product.
Remove a tuner from your bass and measure. Then you’ll know what will fit.
I know the BT7 fits Fender Mexican P bass. But there are lots of options available.
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If you’re still confused, call or email them. Bet they’ve been there before.
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I put Hipshot USA Ultralites on my Sire U5.
Hipshot tuners don’t have an exact drop-in screw pattern config for Sire bass, so a new screw hole was necessary.
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Oh I see, I meant I just wanted to change one, in order to have a d tuner. Dinyou think I should change all , if so for what reason ? Weight balance ? Pure aestheticism ?
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By the time you swap for all Hipshot tuners that’ll be about 1/2 what you paid for the bass.
$125 + (44x3) =$257.00
You can always just swap the extender out and if it bothers you do the other 3 later?
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The extenders are quite large. Again, call them or email to insure you get the right one that will fit on your bass.
No, you don’t need to change all your tuners.
What I was showing you was the different screw hole patterns of a Sire tuner versus a Hipshot tuner. The point is that you will need to have a new screw hole to install a Hipshot tuner, regardless of its function.
Definitely do call Hipshot for the best answer to your question.
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One thing you can do is dowel the former holes to make it look a little nicer, if you care. Toothpicks work great (you may need to drill the holes out a little). Then just glue them in, and when dry, cut them off and sand them flush. Turns out nice:
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Nah, it’s OK. I don’t play my U5 a lot these days. If I were ever to get rid of it, I could take the Hipshots off and put the stock ones on. The USA Hipshots were not cheap, and there are lots of Sire owners who would gladly scoop them up.
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I have emailed them a couple of times but didn’t get any feedback. As English is not my native language, I’d prefer a written answer rather than picking up the phone.
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Hello everyone,
Well, I went with the Hipshot BT7 model. I had it installed yesterday. I had some difficulties figuring out how to tune it properly. The standard procedure suggests anticipating the tuning: first tune to E, then drop the lever, raise it back up, readjust, then tune to D (with the lever up), drop the lever again, raise it, and then fine-tune.
Unfortunately, when I go back to E, I notice that it has changed again, and I have to retune. This completely defeats the purpose of the tool, which is supposed to allow switching between tunings with a single move… I’m starting to wonder if my choice was well thought out… Or if it fits well on a Sire Neck as I read a few minutes ago that sometimes the neck construction, thickness, affects thoses Hipshot bass extenders.
#GearSyndrome
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That’s exactly right - tuning takes some iterations!
This is immediately after tuning?
I have three Hipshot bass extenders. Two of them hold their tuning for quite a log time, one needs to be retuned more often (but not within one session).
Make sure that you really have installed the bass extender correctly. I had to have a very close look at the mechanism to understand the seemingly simple mechanism. The devil really is in the details!
Best is to find an open/closed picture somewhere and compare to your setup…
If everything is done correctly, you will find it invaluable!
Thank you for your fdbck
Not exactly , it keeps the tuning for a moment. but then E drop a bit so I readjust it…and hell cut loose, I have to go back do D and so on
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Well as a matter of fact I didn’t do it myself, I let that to a music store nearby. But I presume they know what they do. And it seems proper installed to me
Ok, both positions are perfectly tuned, and THEN it looses tuning (while playing)?
Can you post good pics of the open & closed position?
I had exactly the same issue when:
a) I had ot istalled the Hipshot firmly in the headstock (you could wiggle it)
b) I had not setup the Hipshot correctly.
I begun to read opinions that stated that sometimes it can’t do well on a JB neck so I begun to question myself :-/
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Don’t!
Post pics - we’ll try to solve it…
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My setup
Closed E position:
Lever locks mechanism:
Open D position:
Lever unlocks position:
Similar with yours:
Ok, Thank you so much for this help. I’m @work rigth now, I’ll send pics in the end of the afternoon. that’s 6 pm GMT.
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