But (and I don’t know the answer) isn’t billet aluminum stronger than cast aluminum. So if Hipshot machine aluminum then is the 2.5 stronger figure still correct?
I know mountain bike parts use a CNC machine to cut the finished product rather than cast it. I presume that’s for strength?
@MC-Canadastan has some background in this I think. I don’t care either way but I’m now interested to find out.
“Unless you’re slamming your bass off the stage at the head” - I am still waiting for @JoshFossgreen to make a video about that, before I dare such an advanced technique 
LOL
Well, if we are going to be throwing numbers around, the tensile strength of pure zinc is about 37 megapascals, while Aluminum is about 90. Both are relatively weak compared to steel alloys. I would assume that both the cast and machined parts are probably alloys though. I am not sure where you got the 2.5x figure; I assume it is for an alloy and not pure zinc?
But this is all (forgive the pun) immaterial. Both are strong enough. I simply like the machined parts better for fit and finish, and like I said, YMMV
All in good fun
I’ve got Hipshot USA UltraLites on two of my basses, and they are simply great. My impending new custom will have them as well. Highly recommended.
My two hipshot GB7s for my tiny Blackstar Bass and my grown-up ESP LTD B-4E should arrive any minute now.
Can’t wait to install and play!!!
I sent my girlfriend away for the weekend (well, she will have a “girls-out” weekend, whatever that is :-)), so I can enjoy the pleasure of effortlessly switching between EADG and Drop D until Sunday evening…
OK, they have arrived.
If anybody wants to know how they are installed or cannot read the f#cking small letters - these are the instructions:
Usually @Whying_Dutchman most Hipshot products in their website have a detailed drawing and instructions that you can read.
This may have changed.
@Barney - couldn’t find it on their website.
I am struggling to understand the instructions at all. There are more moving parts than I thought 
@Branden - installation was easy for you?
This seems straightforward @Whying_Dutchman but I understand it’s a second language for you.
If you want to message me with questions I’ll try and help.
Or
Yeah, I understand British English better than American English
I saw the video - my grandfather told me about this clip which he saw first in the 1920s, when the Hipshot GB7 Bass Extender did not exist yet. So it does not help unfortunately.
Let me try tomorrow morning my time. If I fail miserably and destroy my bass so it ends up being a ukulele, I’ll get back to you, ok?
Yeah but at first it was wonky because the lever kept flipping while I was winding the string onto the post. Just follow the instructions careful and slowly to the letter and it will work. Adjusting is easy, too, once you understand how that spring screw works underneath it.
Billet Aluminum is generally a solid cast that’s processed mechanically and/or thermally prior to machining. It’ll also usually have additives and alloyants in it to give it particular properties. It’s generally more ductile and less brittle than a straight cast. Below is a good discussion.
For the most part its less brittle and has much greater tensile strength, with a slightly greater shear strength. The main aspect is that it’s more homogenous throughout, rather than with weaker and stronger portions like a typical cast would have. It’s also a shitton more expensive, because you are milling away much more material to make an analogous part.
https://www.superatv.com/offroad-atlas/billet-vs-cast-vs-forged-whats-the-real-difference/
Ok, big fun - there is no EXACT fit of the bushing. It’s a little too large
It must be about 0.2 mm only (metric 0.2mm - that should be about 4 feet-ounce-gallons in United States customary units?) :-))
So I need to gently hone the E-hole in the head stock to make it fit.
Done that before as the original machine heads of my little Blackstar were also much too small (about 2mm), but it’s always a little exciting to remove stuff, as it cannot be added in case things go wrong.
So, now I will drink a lot of coffee, put on my serious glasses to see what I’m doing, meditate - and GO FOR IT!
PS the current machineheads on my Blackstar are ESP’s version of the Gotoh GB 707 tuner, so I assumed it would fit. F#ck!
Alright I guess I’ll play since I worked in this world. I’d expect tolerances on machined aluminum parts to be ~10x tighter than cast zinc. Those tighter tolerances mean you can design the tuners with much less slop, and I’d expect that to be where the big quality improvement is.
Yep. Anything machined down to spec will be more accurate than any thermal forming process. Thermal expansion is a bitch to correct for, especially in a complex shape.
Even a small thing, like a weldment, can put dimensions out of whack and warp the base metal.
Of course this comes at a price… quite literally since you’re turning a large portion of your starting material into chips, not your part.
EDIT: You wrote mm, not cm. So, it’s 79 tenths, not thou. (Actually. Its 0.0079" or 79/10000 of an inch. Imperial is base ten for precision work).
If you need to widen the hole by a tiny bit like this, put a piece of masking tape on the surface around the hole, right to the edge This will stop the varnish around it from chipping. Take some sandpaper, wrap it around a finger or dowel. Make a few passes, and check your fit. Rinse and repeat until the part fits. If possible use rotary motion, not in and out. This will stop you from tearing out endgrain around the hole’s edge.
“0.079” or 79/1000 of an inch"
I love the States - it’s only topped by the Britisch, driving on the wrong side ^^
Soooo … I alread did all that, and in hindsight even the instructions were clear, IF you follow them to the letter.
Now I have everything installed on both basses and find the mechanism of the Hipshot Bass Extender strangely simple in terms of construction.
It all makes sense now.
So I played all day, and even my neighbours “enjoyed” the magic of Drop D, based on their angry feedback on me being too loud…
Bottom line: totally happy now!
Yeah, good advice here. Or at minimum buy a real reamer bit instead of trying with a normal drill bit.
