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Call Hipshot. They have awesome customer service and you’ll get exactly what you’re looking for.
Awhile back I had an Epiphone with odd size tuners and plate that needed upgrading. Called Hipshot. They had tuners to fit and a custom plate to match stock plate. Allowed for no drilling. No additional charge but I had to wait a couple weeks for plates to be made. Worked like a champ.
Awhile back I had an Epiphone with odd size tuners and plate that needed upgrading. Called Hipshot. They had tuners to fit and a custom plate to match stock plate. Allowed for no drilling. No additional charge but I had to wait a couple weeks for plates to be made. Worked like a champ.
Yes, direct fit, you just need drill new screw holes.
I didn't know that.I could be wrong (and if I am, please chime in), but I'm pretty sure all long-scale Squier models for the past couple of decades…Standards, Vintage Modifieds and Classic Vibes…have used the same tuning machines as the MIM Fender Standards and Players. If that is indeed the case, then yeah, the Hipshot HB7 and BT7 Drop-D tuners would be the go-to replacements.
Upon further reflection, @InstantEctobass is probably right about the Classic Vibe series. The first generation CV's were produced in China, while the Squier Standard and Vintage Modified series' were manufactured in Indonesia, a place Squier has a very long history with. Every Squier Standard and VM I've added a Hipshot Drop-D tuner to has accepted a BT7 as a direct, drop-in replacement which, along with the HB7, is patterned after the Fender MIM Standard series tuners.
It makes sense when ya think about it. Manufacturing a screaming a$$load of one type of tuner that's used across several models would be an obvious way to keep production costs that much lower.
Keeping the spirit of "interchangeable parts" alive may be more of a byproduct, but it's certainly a welcome one on our end of things. 
Meanwhile, the 1st-gen CV's did have some minor variances from other Fender and Squier models. For example, their bass bridges, while awesome for having higher mass and those cool-ass brass saddles, are slightly off-pattern. I just now remembered a couple of other differences;
- I once installed a black/white/black pickguard onto a CV '60s Jazz bass. All the holes matched up, but one was off just enough that the screw had to be put in at a slight angle and didn't rest fully flush to the guard. No big deal.
- The same '60s Jazz had it's neck transplanted to a gorgeous, off-brand Jazz-style body. The fit was fine, but when I sold the body, the buyer later complained that his neck of choice didn't fit. Apparently, the CV's neck heel was microscopically slimmer than the usual 2.5" width.
Unveiling V: "The Blue Flame"
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I was also considering changing the bridge to something like a Wilkinson ( not high mass ) with brass saddles...Upon further reflection, @InstantEctobass is probably right about the Classic Vibe series. The first generation CV's were produced in China, while the Squier Standard and Vintage Modified series' were manufactured in Indonesia, a place Squier has a very long history with. Every Squier Standard and VM I've added a Hipshot Drop-D tuner to has accepted a BT7 as a direct, drop-in replacement which, along with the HB7, is patterned after the Fender MIM Standard series tuners.
It makes sense when ya think about it. Manufacturing a screaming a$$load of one type of tuner that's used across several models would be an obvious way to keep production costs that much lower.
Meanwhile, the 1st-gen CV's did have some minor variances from other Fender and Squier models. For example, their bass bridges, while awesome for having higher mass and those cool-ass brass saddles, are slightly off-pattern. I just now remembered a couple of other differences;
I wouldn't be surprised if a millimeter here or there was displaced or offset by the whole Metric/Imperial conversion process.
- I once installed a black/white/black pickguard onto a CV '60s Jazz bass. All the holes matched up, but one was off just enough that the screw had to be put in at a slight angle and didn't rest fully flush to the guard. No big deal.
- The same '60s Jazz had it's neck transplanted to a gorgeous, off-brand Jazz-style body. The fit was fine, but when I sold the body, the buyer later complained that his neck of choice didn't fit. Apparently, the CV's neck heel was microscopically slimmer than the usual 2.5" width.
Unveiling V: "The Blue Flame"
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which i'm gessing might not be a direct fit... thank for all the info. Def useful
This may be some academic advice, but I usually start with the center hole screwed down, then see what else lines up. It's a tip I got from my local Guitar Center tech when he installed a 3-screw, Fender American Standard bridge onto a Mighty Mite Jazz body (re: Fender MIM Standard spec) for me.I was also considering changing the bridge to something like a Wilkinson ( not high mass ) with brass saddles...
which i'm gessing might not be a direct fit... thank for all the info. Def useful
Personally, I'd just leave it, but then, I am rather partial to those 1st-gen CV bridges. Are you looking to cut some weight or is it an aesthetic choice?
If you haven't already sifted through it, this thread might yield some helpful information. It's become a vast repository of modding experience for the past twelve years.
Hey thanks for the tip and the link.
It's just for trying it out. To see if I can ear any difference between the two bridges and to have some fun moding a bass. Just an experiment really
I was also considering changing the bridge to something like a Wilkinson ( not high mass ) with brass saddles...
which i'm gessing might not be a direct fit... thank for all the info. Def useful
I have one on my cheap Bacchus J bass. I believe the brass are not as pure as the one use on previous china CV bass. Just toooo gloss, shine and wont oxidize at all !!!
Third visit on CV50P with same colour again......
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Hopefully you get satisfied but after 4 different Classic Vibe 2nd Gen basses, I finally accepted that China is unbeatable...
They are still the "gold" standard of CV basses, agreed, but I can't help but shake the feeling France is perhaps being sent all the dodgy new Squiers...
A couple of my bass playing mates have also bought some CV basses in the last year, and they are all killers, with perfectly straight necks. Mine has also stayed dead straight even though we've just had the massive summer-to-autumn climate shift here in Toronto. Plus with the evidence of happy buyers here, it seems more often than not, they are turning out as good instruments.
Did you get the same model 4 times, or was it different basses you've tried? I find your negative experiences super curious (and obviously a massive bummer that they aren't working out for you!), but at least you aren't hurting for basses to play
They are still the "gold" standard of CV basses, agreed, but I can't help but shake the feeling France is perhaps being sent all the dodgy new Squiers...
A couple of my bass playing mates have also bought some CV basses in the last year, and they are all killers, with perfectly straight necks. Mine has also stayed dead straight even though we've just had the massive summer-to-autumn climate shift here in Toronto. Plus with the evidence of happy buyers here, it seems more often than not, they are turning out as good instruments.
Did you get the same model 4 times, or was it different basses you've tried? I find your negative experiences super curious (and obviously a massive bummer that they aren't working out for you!), but at least you aren't hurting for basses to play
Two Jazz 70s, one natural, one black. One Precision 70s, one Precision Late 50s.
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Anyone been to the current David Byrne tour - Who Is The Sky ?
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