NEw Hipshot tuners on Jazz American?

MUSICRTW · #1 08-18-2011, 03:48 PM

Hey Guy's! I'm looking at upgrading the tuners on my 2000 Fender American Jazz bass. Currently, I have the large cloverleaf ones with the F carved into them. I'm looking at getting either the Hipshot ultralight lollipop's in gold, or the normal ones(not ultralights). This is where my main questions come in; Which one should I choose, because I have heard that if they are too heavy then they will off-set the weight of the bass, but if they are too light, they will do the same. 2, should I get 3/8 size or 1/2 size?

testing1two · #2 08-18-2011, 04:51 PM

1. Choose ultralights. I can't think of any reason to add weight to the headstock of a bass for balance purposes.
2. Probably 1/2" but measure the hole to be safe, some are 11/16"
3. Gold plating wears off faster than any other type
4. The tuners on your bass were made for Fender by Schaller and are top quality. So you're not really upgrading unless they are broken or you deliberately need to shed weight.

walterw · #3 08-18-2011, 07:49 PM

those "F" keys are indeed high quality, but they're freakin' boat anchors!

definitely get the ultra-lights; it's not really possible to get keys that are too light for a fender bass.

Creese · #4 08-29-2011, 05:40 PM

FYI- Going from the chrome boat anchors to the Fender ultra-lites require drilling 2x new pilot holes for the bosses on the tuners. Been there - done this - glad I did.

Turnaround · #5 08-29-2011, 06:57 PM

IMB (In My Book) there are four reasons to change the tuners.

1. The current ones don't work well - i.e. they don't hold their tune (rare), they have a gear ratio you don't like (more common) or they don't operate smoothly (most common).

2. The bass is neck-heavy. A lighter tuner may help but may not be a cure.

3. You've got dead notes and you want to experiment with mass at the headstock to see if the effect is desirable. Often it ony moves the dead spot up or down a fret or two.

4. New tuners would look better. IMB this is not a good reason to change the tuners. Who in your audience is going to be so un-impressed with your music that they can do no better than to stare at your tuning machines? Last thing I want to hear from an audience member is "Cool tuners man"!

So, does your desire to replace the tuners fit into one of the scenarios above?

walterw · #6 08-29-2011, 10:31 PM

#2 is the real reason, and often is the cure, especially for those massive keys on the earlier american standard basses.

MUSICRTW · #7 09-07-2011, 06:19 PM

WOW! Thanks guy's, great feedback. TBH, they are making my neck too heavy, can be inaccurate, and do not operate smoothly. From what I hear( a couple of friends of mine have done the switch), Hipshot ultralights are a great investment.

walterw · #8 09-07-2011, 06:32 PM

the "inaccurate" part is unlikely; you might have other set up issues, like strings pinching in the nut slots.

JasonLamb · #9 09-07-2011, 06:41 PM

i would just leave your tuners as they are...the lighter tuners will actually make any deadspots on the neck worse...i am speaking from actually doing this.

Bongolation · #10 09-10-2011, 07:06 AM

I vote leave them alone.

BTW, I *HATE* the stock Hipshots on my AS Jazz.

Thudman · #11 09-10-2011, 08:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JasonLamb

i would just leave your tuners as they are...the lighter tuners will actually make any deadspots on the neck worse...i am speaking from actually doing this.

Why would lighter tuners exaggerate the dead spots? If it is somehow related to neck tension due to the difference in weight, wouldn't a truss rod adjustment be the next step? Just curious. . .

walterw · #12 09-10-2011, 07:48 PM

decreased headstock mass.

the thicker headstock and graphite rods in the neck of the american standards should reduce this issue, though.

i've never seen one that wasn't ergonomically improved by lighter keys.