An unbalanced instrument due to an unnecessarily heavy headstock not only puts extra strain on your neck and shoulder muscles, it also adversely affects your playing technique. If your left hand in constantly propping up your instrument’s neck, you’re not free to play. You are not able to attain the correct finger/fret board relationship so important in smooth, relaxed playing.

Don’t carry the weight of the world on your shoulders! Hipshot have designed the Ultralite Bass Tuning Machines to help lighten your load!

Now you can achieve correct instrument balance while not sacrificing the strength and durability of your tuners.

The following are the weights (in grams) for the Hipshot ULTRALITE Tuners. These weights include the tuner, barrel nut, mounting washer and mounting screw:

HB6Y Ultralite Y Key with ½” dia. String post: 49 grams

They feature

• 1. Sleek and compact, easily installed on the smallest of 4, 5 or 6 string bass headstocks.
• 1. Unique design allows quick and easy conversion to bass or treble side, no double left and right hand stocking hassle.
• 1. Available with contemporary "Y" shaped keys.
• 1. Lighter yet possesses full size gears and string post.
• 1. Available in chrome
• 1. Constructed from Aircraft Quality Aluminum to save weight.

This 12.7mm (1/2 inch) diameter version fits basses with a headstock hole size of 17.5mm (11/16 inch).

In comparison

The Gotoh GB7 weighs 64 grams - The Ultralite which weighs 44 grams is over 30% lighter!

If you want to know how your 5 string bass equipped with Gotoh GB7 tuners would balance if you replaced them with Ultralites, just remove one of the GB7 tuners (5 Ultralite tuners weigh less than 4 GB7 tuners)!

The Schaller M4 tuners weighs 68 grams - The Ultralites are 35% lighter!

If you have a four string bass equipped with Schaller M4 tuners, take off 1 M4 and see how much better your bass balances (4 of our tuners weigh less than 3 of theirs)!

The Fender BT4S tuner (found on Precision and Jazz Deluxe weighs 123 grams each! - In comparison 4 Ultralite Clover Key with ½” string posts weigh 228 grams!

Ultralites are more than 2 times lighter than the BT4S tuners. If you replace your BT4S with the Hipshot Ultralites your headstock will be 264 grams lighter, that’s over ½ of a pound! Your shoulder will thank you!

The Schaller BMFL used on Fender basses between 1966 and 1982 weigh 110 grams each - Ultralite HB6Cs with ½” string posts weigh 57 grams each. That’s about half the weight.

G&L Musicman and Fender Mexican bass tuners weigh 95 grams each - the recommended Ultralite HB6C with ½” string posts is about ½ the weight. Take off 2 tuners and feel the difference!