GOTOH bass tuning machines

I just put a set of GOTOH GB640-L4-N lightweight tuning machines on my Frankenbass. These replace the cheap Chinese tuning machines that it came with. There was nothing actually wrong with the old machines, which have stayed smooth and kept the bass in tune for the 10 years or so since I got it. It had a little neck-dive, though...

So I got these GOTOH tuners for Christmas, and just got around to installing them.

These are "drop in replacements" for standard full sized Fender tuners. They have a BIG footprint, which I wanted to cover the screw holes from the old tuners. Nevertheless, they are impressively light. About half the weight of the tuners they replaced. Although I did not have any real complaint tuners, these are clearly smoother and more precise.

They are not particularly cheap. The Korean Hipshots and the some of the cheap Schallers can be purchased for less. They have a much smaller footprint, and that's great. I have some Hipshots that I'll review at some point. That said, these are very high quality, and exactly as advertised.

I would also say that whether you use the GOTOHs or some other light tuner, it makes a surprising difference to lose a half pound of weight from the headstock. It may not reduce the weight of the whole bass by that much, but losing that much weight from the end of that long lever make a big difference. Balance is better. Neck diver gone. Feels better.

I hate giving up that much cash for something so simple, but I have to admit they work as advertised.