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Hipshot USA vs. Hipshot LIC - Ultralight

USA or LIC - Hipshot Ultralights

  • USA is worth it: spend the extra $$$

    Votes: 83 69.2%

  • LIC is just as good: be smart and save the $$$

    Votes: 37 30.8%
  • Total voters
    120
  • Poll closed .
#41
bdplaid said:
Resurrecting an old thread (why do people get annoyed with that) with my recent experience.

Just put a set of chrome LIC Hipshots on a beater Yamaha BB405 that I love. They are great. I like them better than the USA tuners for one reason: The posts are tapered, making the string hug the post lower. One may not need a string retainer with this design.

Bought them from sporthitech. No problems, and they sell them 4-line, 3+2, 4+1, etc. Fast shipping. Would buy from them again. My first choice for vendors is best bass gear, but they don't carry the LIC Hipshots.

All in all it was awesome. I'd love to use the USA tuners, but for the price, quality and enhanced design, I'd be a moron to overlook these.
Click to expand...

Good call! Did the same thing on an MIJ Fernandes APB with gold hardware. The US tuners were cost-prohibitive in this case so I went with the Lic'd from sporthitech for ~$80. Strangely enough, I have yet to see (or use) any HipShots with a tapered or hourglass configuration...all of mine are cylindrical.

Riis
 
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#43
As they say, Anecdotes Are Not Evidence, but fwiw: I have one bass with American-made HipShot lightweight tuners, and one bass with the seemingly-identical looking HipShot-licensed lightweight tuners.

The bass with the American-made HipShots tunes easily, precisely, effortlessly, and stays in tune.
The bass with the overseas-made licensed HipShots does none of those things.

It wouldn't be prudent to come to a conclusion based on that small sampling...but I know which HipShots I'd buy if I had to get another set.
 
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#44
Bob_Ross said:
As they say, Anecdotes Are Not Evidence, but fwiw: I have one bass with American-made HipShot lightweight tuners, and one bass with the seemingly-identical looking HipShot-licensed lightweight tuners.

The bass with the American-made HipShots tunes easily, precisely, effortlessly, and stays in tune.
The bass with the overseas-made licensed HipShots does none of those things.

It wouldn't be prudent to come to a conclusion based on that small sampling...but I know which HipShots I'd buy if I had to get another set.
Click to expand...
I have probably 5 basses with USA Hipshots and one with LIC Hipshots. LIC's are fine. And it's a beater bass, so LIC's way more than fine. So there.

EDIT: Moreover, what's in a tuner anyway? if it's smooth and stays in tune, that's about it. No need to break the bank for good ones.

And a general comment about that whole "anecdotes are not evidence..." thing... An anecdote is a story from a real world experience. If not from real-world experience, where the hell does evidence come from? Advertising?
 
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#45
The "LIC" Version came stock on a bass I bought new. It was the only bass I ever owned that didn't hold it's tuning. I was always disappointed that it didn't come with "Real" Hipshots. I can't say for sure if they were the cause but I am not going to use them. My new favorite Tuners are Gotoh Res-O-Lites.
 
#48
FunkHead said:
The "LIC" Version came stock on a bass I bought new. It was the only bass I ever owned that didn't hold it's tuning. I was always disappointed that it didn't come with "Real" Hipshots. I can't say for sure if they were the cause but I am not going to use them. My new favorite Tuners are Gotoh Res-O-Lites.
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That's cool, but I'll say, my anecdote (:-))is that every bass I had that was hard to tune had an issue elsewhere - usually at the nut, sometimes the string retainer. If a string binds or hangs, the tuner often gets the blame but that's not the problem. My thing with tuners is I want them to be light because I hate neck dive, hence why I buy the Hipshots. Have no experience with the BMLs, but should some day.
 
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#54
Sorry to resurrect an old thread - but if I started a new one, someone would be upset I didn't use the search.

I recently ordered the HipShot licensed tuners in 1/2" and I already have the USA tuners in 1/2" on another bass. The ferrules on the licensed are smaller than the ferrules on the USA tuners. The USA tuners fit correctly but the licensed tuners are sloppy in the headstock hole and require you wrap the ferrules with tape or dowel and re-drill the headstock.

They do work fine (if you're OK with a duct tape type solution) but the fit is a real problem.
 
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#55
AndyPanda said:
Sorry to resurrect an old thread - but if I started a new one, someone would be upset I didn't use the search.

I recently ordered the HipShot licensed tuners in 1/2" and I already have the USA tuners in 1/2" on another bass. The ferrules on the licensed are MUCH smaller than the ferrules on the USA tuners. The USA tuners fit correctly but the licensed tuners are sloppy in the headstock hole and require you wrap the ferrules with tape or dowel and re-drill the headstock.

They do work fine (if you're OK with a duct tape type solution) but the fit is a real problem.
Click to expand...
I went back to the USA. Your complaint along with sloppy mechanics turned me off. I do like the tapered posts tho.
 
#56
AndyPanda said:
Sorry to resurrect an old thread - but if I started a new one, someone would be upset I didn't use the search.

I recently ordered the HipShot licensed tuners in 1/2" and I already have the USA tuners in 1/2" on another bass. The ferrules on the licensed are smaller than the ferrules on the USA tuners. The USA tuners fit correctly but the licensed tuners are sloppy in the headstock hole and require you wrap the ferrules with tape or dowel and re-drill the headstock.

They do work fine (if you're OK with a duct tape type solution) but the fit is a real problem.
Click to expand...

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I've used a wrap or two of vinyl tape...pin-striping tape would be even better. You want just enough to center the mechanism. Most headstocks already have a slight indent from tightening the original ferrule which also helps center the tuner. Very stable, no shifting.

I usually find myself removing tensioner cap screws, chipping off the old thread-lock, and re-applying blue Loctite. Adjust the turning resistance to taste. Do use a fresh hex key as it is easy to round-out the socket. This holds true both the US and lic'd versions.

Riis
 
#57
I just installed Hipshot LIC tuners. They're very nice, and they live up to their promise of dropping some serious headstock weight! As mentioned above, the fit was a bit loose, but a few wraps of tape, and they're snug. (Plus, the tape isn't visible.) I suppose USA vs LIC might depend on what instrument the tuners are going on; for a $300 bass, I didn't want to spend a third of it's cost on tuners, so the LIC option was perfect.
image.jpeg
 
#58
I'm thinking about getting a set of black Hipshot licensed Ultralite HB6C 1/2" for my P-Bass project. The bore holes in my head stock are 11/16".
I'm concerned about two things that I've read through this thread and I'm curious if anyone knows if these issues have been since addressed/corrected:
1.) Some people said that the finish flaked-off, blistered and generally wasn't very good.
2.) Some people said that the fitment of the thrust bearing/bushing/ferrules for the capstans were not snug and needed tape or something to get them to fit better.

I'm sure there's a bunch of new old stock still out there but I wanted to get a feel from those of you whom recently purchased licensed Hipshot tuners.
What's your experience?
 
#59
Mine were purchased two weeks ago and were not sitting in stock, they had to be ordered in so they are new stock. They claim to be 1/2" shaft but measures .475" and ferrules are 16mm don't fit an 11/16 hole without wrapping tape around the ferrules (16mm=5/8"). I don't know about any finish issues because I got the unfinished (a dull silver) and they look fine.

My initial reaction with the licensed was that the gearing looked and felt cheap - but I just did a side by side with the USA that I have had for awhile and I guess I cannot see it now. The USA tuners have lost most of their chrome and the Licensed never were chromed.
HipShot_USA_Lic.jpg
 
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