Tailpiece from hipshot

gothbin · Post by **gothbin** » Mon Dec 11, 2006 8:58 am

Has anyone expierience with the tailpiece from hipshot? I saw it on their website and I liked what I saw. Does it offer more sustain and tone and harmonics? Any comment will be welcome!

Thanx in advance!

alanz · Post by **alanz** » Mon Dec 11, 2006 9:13 am

Highly recommended modification. The Hipshot is a superior piece of hardware.

Easier to intonate and easier to height-adjust; much more massive and is a direct replacement. You'll never have to make a post about tailpiece lift if you use a Hipshot.

johnashfield · Post by **johnashfield** » Mon Dec 11, 2006 10:09 am

Personally I don't see the problem with the regular 4000 series tailpiece. I certainly think it looks a whole lot better.

Sure this one is easier to intonate, but how often are you intonating your bass?

alanz · Post by **alanz** » Mon Dec 11, 2006 10:38 am

Sure this one is easier to intonate, but how often are you intonating your bass?

As a minimum every time I change strings, or at least I check the intonation and invariably make a slight adjustment. Same with string height adjustment.

kcole4001 · Post by **kcole4001** » Mon Dec 11, 2006 11:46 am

It's solid, trouble free and HEAVY!
No mess or extra holes to drill to install, if you replace the original piece you'll never know the Hipshot was there.
I don't think non-Rick fans would know the difference between this & the stock piece.

It does seem to bring out a little more in the midrange frequencies.

Did I mention it is HEAVY?
Seriously, if you've got back trouble or think your bass is heavy already, be warned, the bass will be noticeably heavier with it installed.
Good for helping cure neck dive, though.

Oh yeah, the saddles adjust laterally so you can line up that troublesome E string right over the pole piece on the pickup.

jojo99 · Post by **jojo99** » Mon Dec 11, 2006 11:22 pm

I'm starting to think it's not the overall weight of the instrument that causes back pain, but the neck-heaviness aspect, kinda like how a backpack full of books causes pain more quickly when slung over one shoulder rather than worn on both shoulders. I have the hipshot bridge and I'm going to try switching to hipshot ultralite tuners in combination with it to see if that helps reduce fatigue in wearing it for long periods. The overall weight of the bass will be somewhat increased but it'll be much better balanced-- maybe someone has already tried this?

kcole4001 · Post by **kcole4001** » Tue Dec 12, 2006 5:51 am

I don't find it uncomfortably heavy, or unevenly balanced & my 4001 is really quite heavy.
I don't find the 4080 to be uncomfortable either unless I'm already tired & then my shoulder starts to ache 'round about the middle of the third set.

A good wide strap will spread the weight well enough for normal set lengths (40 min to 1 hour).

I just figured I'd mention the extra mass, since a lot of folks do have back trouble.
It seems mostly caused by uneven stress on the back/spine.

gothbin · Post by **gothbin** » Wed Dec 13, 2006 6:18 am

Thanx for all the input guys, I think I make the switch, but Hipshot said it will take another $30,= to ship it to Europe....