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Hipshot Drop-D Bass Extenders?

FluffyDog66

FluffyDog66

Feb 17, 2024
25
67
60
Wilson, NC
#1
So, I bought a used 4-string bass guitar that has a Hipshot Bass Xtender (Drop-D tuning) installed in it.

I have successfully tuned it properly and flipped it down a few times without a problem.

Not sure how I would use it in actual playing. Any suggestions? Demo videos? Discussions of how best to incorporate it into my playing?

Thanks.
 
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#3
First, make sure you read up on how to tune with it properly, which usually requires flipping it up and down a few times as you tune to get the tension balanced.

As for use, the most common use is to quickly drop your bass into open D for any song that requires it. But beyond that, I often find myself flipping it in songs in other keys when I want to grab that low D or Eb even without changing my tuning for the whole song. If we're rocking out in E minor and the guitarist takes a solo I might flip my D-tuner for that lower D to E movement, which is going to stand out since I haven't played a tone that low at any other point in the song.

If you really want to go nuts, watch Michael Manring perform with his Hyperbass, which has a D-tuner on each string as well as a bridge with two levers to change the tuning in different combinations!
 
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#4
I just discovered these 5-6 weeks ago.
My current band plays 3 songs where I needed E flat.
Got tired of switching to a 5 string and back to 4 for one song at a time.
I'm mostly a 4 string player.
I did one gig with the Extender. Worked awesome!!
Getting one on every bass.

When I started looking for these, nobody(including Hipshot) had the BT3 in stock.
I called Hipshot. They are going through some kind of redesign and were waiting for the new ones to come in.
LUCKILY.. they had 2 in their Ebay store with Lollypop stems.
They were nice enough to swap them out for clover stems for $10, which I was happy to pay.
Great customer service
 
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#5
Sharko said:
Play a song. Flip switch. Play the next song in Drop D.
Click to expand...

I guess I don't understand adequately understand "Drop-D" use, other than being a whole step lower in tuning for that string.

It seems like it would seriously confuse muscle memory for hitting the right notes properly.

shopping.webp
 
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#7
FluffyDog66 said:
I guess I don't understand adequately understand "Drop-D" use, other than being a whole step lower in tuning for that string.

It seems like it would seriously confuse muscle memory for hitting the right notes properly.

View attachment 7441700
Click to expand...
Once you get used to it, it's great! Playing in D minor, you can play the frets open-3-5 on both the low string (formerly the E string) and the A string and riff with that. The octave is different now too, but makes sense - for example, the low G is now at the 5th fret, so you can play the octave on the 5th fret of both the low D and the regular D string - hey wait, that means the notes are now the same on the two strings - cool! :bassist: I also like to use the low D as the root/drone and mess around on the other three strings. There was one song in a band I used to play where I would just flip the lever for one low D, then flip it back when I got the chance. So many possibilities!
 
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#8
FluffyDog66 said:
I guess I don't understand adequately understand "Drop-D" use, other than being a whole step lower in tuning for that string.

It seems like it would seriously confuse muscle memory for hitting the right notes properly.
Click to expand...
It doesn't take much effort to build up muscle memory with a low D string, since it mirrors your 3rd string anyway. There are songs specifically written around a low D note, which is the most obvious use. Or maybe you play an old country or blues song, like Wang Dang Doodle, in D and the line just feels heavier when you can land on that big rumbly D.

Of course, you can use it in any key, not just D. Rock out in G and quickly hit your lever when you go the V chord!
 
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#11
FluffyDog66 said:
I guess I don't understand adequately understand "Drop-D" use, other than being a whole step lower in tuning for that string.

It seems like it would seriously confuse muscle memory for hitting the right notes properly.

View attachment 7441700
Click to expand...

It depends on the song you're playing and on the specific notes involved. Within certain limits, it allows you to avoid resorting to a 5-string bass, and you can switch in a second without having to retune the single string manually.
In other cases, it can be stylistically useful to have that open string tuned to D.
Additionally, there are songs whose bass lines were conceived specifically with drop D tuning.
 
#12
For me, a Hipshot Xtender is something I've included in most of my parts-bass Projekts. I don't need it much, but it sure is handy. For example, if I wanna hit that low-D on "Shout" by Tears For Fears (which is one of the most common notes in the song!), I don't need to re-tune or switch basses. One, quick flick of the lever and I'm there. When I'm done, I switch back…easy-peasy. :smug:

 
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#13
Geri O said:
Wait until you guys use a Hipshot Xtender on a 5-string bass with a good B string.

Yeah, Low A, ya'll…..

On a good PA with solid subs, it's bodacious!
Click to expand...

Had one installed on a Stingray5 for years. Rarely used it but that low A worked great. I'd love to have a drop tuner version that could fit for the E string tho' (no room for that as is). Would be much more useful to me.
 
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#17
Usually you can retune the low D quickly between songs if you need it to have that open string for a riff or if you need the Eb if you have a tuner on your board and you can mute.

The advantage of the drop tuner is you can do it mid song (in key of D use it to push the last chorus etc.).

The bigger advantage is when you inevitably forget to tune down or tune back, you only throw a couple of wrong notes before you realize it and then quickly flip the lever to fix it.

I usually set mine to drop D. You can set it lower but the EString gets floppy and, more importantly, with less tension in the neck, your other strings get more out of tune.

If you only need passing low notes you can play the root and fifth together and in a mix many people will hear a lower octave.
 
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#18
I have used them with mixed results. They're convenient and easy to install. It does a pretty good job of dropping the note reliably. The problem is sometimes your other strings can go sharp when you drop the tension on the E string. The added weight at the headstock is another trade off. More failure points too now that it has moving parts. I have them in a few basses but I don't think of them as a must have anymore.
 
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#19
FluffyDog66 said:
So, I bought a used 4-string bass guitar that has a Hipshot Bass Xtender (Drop-D tuning) installed in it.

I have successfully tuned it properly and flipped it down a few times without a problem.

Not sure how I would use it in actual playing. Any suggestions? Demo videos? Discussions of how best to incorporate it into my playing?

Thanks.
Click to expand...
When they first came out, I believe they were called Drop-D tuners but it's more accurately called the HipShot Extender (because it extends the range of a string and isn't just used on 4 string basses). It can be adjusted to drop a single fret or multiple frets. I have HipShot Extenders installed on the B string of 3 of my 5 string basses. We do a lot of songs in Bb and it gives me a low Bb for those songs. If we were to play a song in A I'd adjust it to tune down 2 frets.
I love using them and haven't had any issues with other stings going flat or sharp when using it.
 
#20
I have them on every 4 string in the stable, and wouldn't be without the extender on a 4.

It took me many years to come to terms with how to use it and how to think about the altered fingerings required, but well worth the effort. For example, I started off setting the Extender to Eb instead of D, so I could cover Stevie Wonder material, for example. Then, the increasing number of tunes using the Low D caused me to take it down to D.

There are so many covers to be played with the Low D now, that either a 5 or 4 with the HipShot are kind of standard. Uptown Funk, for example. Many Modern Country covers. And, with aging vocal cords, many vocalists are transposing classic tunes down a whole step.

Certain tunes still require substantial woodshedding for the altered fingerings. And proficiency with shifting is paramount. If you don't like shifting on your lines, then get a 5 instead. One of my gigs does Stuck in the Middle With You transposed from D down to C. Playing those lines with DADG tunings is an adventure in shifting.

And then, there is the challenge of bouncing between the 5 and the 4 w/Extender, which takes a certain amount of focus.

Life is an adventure.
 
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