Hipshot
Hipshot Products makes bridges, tuners and the D-Tuner drop-tuning levers that let a bassist drop to D mid-set and come back in tune. The New York company's hardware is a common specification on instruments built for heavier playing, and that is precisely where it appears in our archive — on Solar, ESP LTD, Gibson Thunderbird and boutique builds where the hardware list is part of the pitch rather than an afterthought.
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- Bridges
- Machine heads
- Detuners
- Guitar hardware
- Xtender
- String Bender
- Grip-Lock tuners
- Hardtail bridge
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Hipshot FAQ4 questions
How did Hipshot start?
With a lever. Hipshot was founded in 1982 by Dave Borisoff, who assembled electric buses by day and played pedal steel at night. His first invention, the Hipshot String Bender, let his band's guitarist bend the B string with a lever actuated at the hip — which is where the name comes from.
What is a Hipshot Xtender?
A drop-tuning key. It replaces one machine head with a lever that flips the string between two pre-set pitches — most commonly E to D on a bass or guitar — without retuning. Borisoff designed the original for his band's bass player, and it remains the product the company is best known for.
Are Hipshot parts made in the USA?
Hipshot describes a factory floor of CNC mills and industrial lasers staffed by a team of around 43 machinists, inventors and musicians, and presents domestic manufacture as central to what it does. Its parts are fitted as standard by a number of instrument builders.
Will a Hipshot bridge fit my guitar?
Only if the dimensions match. Hipshot sells bridges and tuners in several string spacings, post sizes and mounting patterns, and getting one of those wrong is the usual cause of a return. Measure the existing part and match the part number rather than the model family.