Tuner snobs?

[Jeff Scott]

I built a parts bass once, so I had to buy a set of tuners. I bought the $20 variety. The bass tunes up nicely, stays in tune, & gives me no grief whatsoever; no rattling, no binding, no issues. So what's to be gained by buying a set that cost 2x, 5x, or 10x more? I have better uses for my money than overpriced tuners.

Given that philosophy, would you think a Yugo is a perfectly acceptable, perhaps even preferable (since it saved you a ton of money), choice over a Porsche, for example?

 

[AphekGreg]

"...If someone gets on here and says that the better (more expensive) tuners affect the bass' tone I'm quitting Talkbass. "

Looks like it's time to quit... I have heard a tonal difference when changing tuners. Really! It was between a set of Hipshot Ultra Lights and Fender reverse wounds. I had a set of lights on a new neck, while waiting for the reverse wounds to arrive. When I put on the heavier reverse ones, the tone did tighten up slightly. Slightly crisper top and bottom end. We're talking slight, but no question there was an audible difference. I actually preferred the slightly rounder tone of the light tuner on the G string, but aesthetics got the better of me and I went for a complete set.

The Hipshot tuners are much smoother than the Fenders, but I wouldn't change them for that reason. I changed to Ultra Lights on a couple of Warmoth necked basses to counteract the neck heaviness of steel bars and thick profile.

 

[stratovani]

A tale of two basses...

I have a Squier Affinity P-Bass, and it came with the small closed-back tuners that everyone calls cheap. I've modded this bass to the point where I've practically replaced everything on it. But I kept the stock tuners. They work smoothly, they don't bind, and they keep the bass in tune. No need to replace them.

My son has a Squier Affinity J-Bass, with the same tuners as on my P. One of his tuners, the A, slips and loses contact with the gear inside the assembly. If you turn it a certain way it works OK. Other than that one the others work fine. He hasn't said anything to me about replacing them, so I guess he's OK with it.

The moral of the story is - if your tuners do what they're supposed to do, then keep them, and if they don't, then replace them. As always, YMMV.

 

[lonote]

This. Tuning stability/accuracy issues on cheaper basses are encountered more often because of poorly cut and slotted nuts than anything else.

Absolutely, but most people don't realize it.

 

[bassplayer8953]

Given that philosophy, would you think a Yugo is a perfectly acceptable, perhaps even preferable (since it saved you a ton of money), choice over a Porsche, for example?

1st, lets get away from the Yugo references. A Yugo refers to junk, sold (at least in the USA) in the 1980's. My reference is to low priced tuners, made & sold today.

A Porsche is a sweet machine, meant to be driven in a somewhat agressive manner. A Hyundai gets you there. But....on the Porsche (or a Hyundai, for that matter)...given the choice between an $20 air filter vs a $100 one, I'd probably go for the $20 one (unless I was going racing, and needed every ounce of performance, but I digress)...either air filter gets the job done, but the higher price one is available if you want it.

I own several sets of Schallers, a set of Grovers on my Ric (one of which rattles) and various other higher-end tuners on my variety of basses. They all do the job, and very few issues from any of them, no matter what brand or price point. The parts bass I referred to in my 1st post is a cheapie, so I wasn't going to spend $50 or $100 in tuners on a bass that I otherwise had $250 invested in. The cheap tuners did the job...period. Can't speak for next year, next decade, or beyond, which might...might...bring out the difference between cheap & expensive. But in the here & now, the $20 tuners do the job just fine, & without issues. And, the end result...what people hear coming out of your speakers...the dfference is zilch.