Review of Hipshot Bass String Retainer, 3 String Chrome.

[wazkelly]

Saw this on another forum member's build a while back, I think it may have been ThreeB's thread but can't quite remember. I think it may have been the same person who used the Just-A-Nut too?



They also come in Black & Gold....here is a link to the ebay seller.... https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Hipshot-...0AAOSwR6Bbo6CB

Anyways, why would anyone want to spend AUD $36.59 delivered from US for a string retainer? I ordered 2 at the same time so am I doubly stupid or is there a sensible reason behind all of this?

On a F style headstock have any of you Bass players out there ever experienced the A string wanting to pop out at the nut all because there was insufficient break angle back to tuning peg to hold it firmly in place? This happened to me on my J Bass build, even after cutting the all the string grooves as low as possible in the bone nut without introducing buzzing.

This string retainer solved that problem. Yes, there are others out there on the market and some cheaper too. The reason I chose this one was because it is easier to fit strings in the retainer plus it looked more solid. Unfortunately it is just chrome plated over mystery metal and easy to chip off the chrome as I discovered. Other than that, if I use the form over function argument they definitely work as intended and get my vote of confidence and recommendation.

More shots to follow of this installed on my 2 Basses.

Cheers, Waz

[wazkelly]

Here it is fitted on the J Bass & MMB4...

[fender3x]

I wondered about these... I just ordered the normal fender-style button which only works with two strings, and wondered as I did so whether I should have invested in the Hipshot. Good to know that if I made a mistake, the Hipshot at least works. Given the craftsmanship (or lack thereof) that you report, I wonder how it would stand up to something like this:



...which is US$3.50 on ebay and comes from China. When I know I am getting something cheap from China, I sometimes get two or three to see if I can get *one*that is good quality. Sometimes it's just throwing away the money and I end up getting the better item anyway...but if the design is pretty similar the odds are decent that the knockoff will be OK.

The Hipshot goes for around US$16 on ebay but ships from the US as you say. For around the same price you can get this...

I have wondered about this too...preserves the "button" aesthetic, but I have no idea how well it works. It's about the same price in the US as the Hipshot device. Fender seems to be the only mfg...

[wazkelly]

At that price you would have to give the Chinese one a go to see if it works ok.
That Fender string guide thing is interesting but not sure it would do as good a job.

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[Simon Barden]

Unfortunately it is just chrome plated over mystery metal and easy to chip off the chrome as I discovered.

The Hipshot web site says "Machined from quality aircraft aluminum". Mystery no more.

Maybe if they'd used aircraft quality aluminium instead...

[fender3x]

I got the cheap Chinese string retainer today. Took about six weeks, but I am actually pretty impressed with it. Good chrome. Does not *look* cheap. It has a smaller footprint than the Hipshot.

I am hoping to get away with using a traditional string retainer button, but if I need to hold down three strings I would not hesitate to use it. Not casting aspersions on the Hipshot at all, but for less $3.50 with shipping this is a great value, IMHO.

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