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Musicman Big Al Club
- Thread starter Melvin7822
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Upgraded my recently acquired 5sss with Hipshot ultralites...makes a huge difference to save weight out there. In the picture the block of wood on the headstock is exactly the weight I saved, so I can feel how it was with the stock tuners.
Just out of curiosity, are the hole patterns the same on the Hipshots? I love my Big Al as is, but if the tuners are drop in replacements so no additional drilling or other mids are needed, I might consider replacing the tuners as well (but keeping the originals, of course).
I installed the ultra lights. Drop in, except for one new hole for each tuner. The hole would be covered if you put back the originals.
Hipshots HB1 tuners are drop in, including the four holes, but slightly heavier.
No there isn't. Drop in means Drop in (as in no extra holes needed or exposed), and what Diddy did is not "Drop in".
The later Musicman lightweights are no drop in either, they mount in diffrently too.
About the only you can try is ordering the aluminum string posts from G&L and swapping them onto your current tuners and hope it makes a difference.
Ah. Thanks for clarifying.
In that case, I'll just leave the bass alone. It's "only" 10.1 pounds and I've played every gig, each one four sets, with this bass since buying it this past summer. It's about a half pound lighter than my current heaviest bass (a G&L L-2500) and, though lighter is always better (all other things being equal), I can manage.
I have Hipshot ultralites on all my basses. The saved weight on the Big Al (about 220 gr) at the extreme end of the neck is a great improvement, to me at least, in feel and comfort.
(Maybe I should mention that my main bass for over 20 years was the Steinberger L2, headless as you know)
On the Big Al I'm not worried about the holes the original tuners left. (As long as the Hipshots fit without other mods)
But, again, that's me.
I totally see your point. But I'm one of those Musicman purists who prefers not to modify my Musicman basses (i also have two Stingrays, used to own a third, and would consider a Bongo at some point in the future 
, I'm a fan!). For now I think I'll leave it as is since I've had no issues playing my Big Al, or my even heavier L-2500, for all four sets in a four set gig.
But, I'll turn 60 this year, so who knows what kind of issues I'll develop that make playing heavier basses more difficult as I age? If those kinds of things develop, then there's a chance I could change my mind. But, for now, I'm going to leave my bass as-is.
Thanks for the info, though. It was helpful.
, I'm a fan!). For now I think I'll leave it as is since I've had no issues playing my Big Al, or my even heavier L-2500, for all four sets in a four set gig.But, I'll turn 60 this year, so who knows what kind of issues I'll develop that make playing heavier basses more difficult as I age? If those kinds of things develop, then there's a chance I could change my mind. But, for now, I'm going to leave my bass as-is.
Thanks for the info, though. It was helpful.
The most anti-mod people I have met in my musical journey were Music Man players and the company that makes them. not to say that's a bad thing, they take pride in getting most everything right, but to bring up mods amongst that community is a good way to get yourself shunned.
Well, there are also those who recognize that modding a coveted and scarce instrument can reduce value in the resale market. One need not be fanatical to appreciate that such represent future buyers.
I've never been afraid of modding anything, basses not excluded. (You should see my bike)
As long as it fits my preference, I don't care much about resale value.
But I do my best to make any mod really well founded and pro executed.
I appreciate your considerations.
And I totally respect that way of caring about your basses.
But I'm an old man, and the Big Al will be with me until I don't care anymore.
And then someone else will have fun with it!
I'm assuming you're talking about the EBMM Forums?
I get that EBMM pays for those forums so there should be some amount of respect for them doing that, which could include limiting discussion of non-Musicman products. But they're fanatical about jumping on anyone who mentions anything about modifying their instruments, especially with non-EBMM parts (even strings!
). I think they could handle that better than viciously attacking those who, perhaps unknowingly, do it. And that could have a lot to do with the drastic drop-off in activity on those forums over the last couple of yearsI wasn't nearly as active on the EBMM Forums as some TBers were and that's a big part of why I wasn't. That's also probably why/how I developed my preference for not modding my Musicmans (Musicmen?).
Regardless, I'm still a big MM fan. I haven't yet found one that didn't work for me and they're my favorite production-level bass manufacturer.
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220 grams is nearly a half pound (.485)!
I won't touch my 83' by my 2010 is fair game.
I really don't think there is anything vintage after 1990 as the keep reissuing their own classics every few years. Plus the manufacturing has been really good and consistent so it's not like there were any "magic" years.
I won't touch my 83' by my 2010 is fair game.
I really don't think there is anything vintage after 1990 as the keep reissuing their own classics every few years. Plus the manufacturing has been really good and consistent so it's not like there were any "magic" years.
