time for new machines

[ablumley]

Hello,

I'm realizing that it is time to upgrade my tuning machines. My bass is a carved Eastern European (probably Hungarian) Carcassi copy, built in the last 15 years. The previous owner gave it a ood bridge and endpin (& socket), but the machines are pretty trashy. I play gut strings and have found myself wanting something of a little better quality to facilitate all the tuning I do.

I've been looking around at a few options and while I can fantasize about having a really nice set of Kruntz tuners installed, I'm on a bit of a budget at the moment. So I'm considering some of the more basic (non-hat-peg) machines from Rubner. I can get these in Canada for a fair price and even these modest tuners are an upgrade from what's on the bass currently.

What I am wondering is if whether the Tyrolean-style plate mounted machines are sufficiently heavier than the individually mounted machines to dampen the instrument's tone. The current machines are separate but have a substantial plate on each so that if I filled in the 2 inches between on either side, it would look like my bass had Tyrolean-style mahines. I would doubt that an extra bit of thin metal would make that much difference, but then I don't use a quiver because I find that it dampens the way my bass resonates (and gets in the way when bowing the tailpiece). Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Aaron

[sonix]

Hello,

I quoth

Originally Posted by The Setup and Repair of the Double Bass for Optimum Sound by Chuck Traeger

You must remember that when a bass is being played, the entire neck and fingerboard are vibrating. A heavy weight at the end of the neck acts l ike a mute inhibiting the neck's vibrations.

Seems like there are three types, tyrolean (half plate), french and the Hat Peg. The lightest solution, would be a "Hat Peg" that is a tuning system (half plate or individual tuners) that are fabricated of iron but contain ebony tuning spindles.

here is a french style hot peg
http://www.internationalviolin.com/i...?ItemCode=4464

Personally, I would probably just keep the bass as is and put the money towards a better bass instead. but then again, i dont play your bass.