Hipshot Bass Xtenders

[EssJay]

I've been looking into putting one of these on to my old 4 string, but I'm not sure what these things are like.
Can anybody who's used them give me some feedback on what they're like? Do you find yourself snapping more strings than before it went on? Reliable?
Sorry if this is in the wrong area too, I wasn't quite sure where it should have gone.

[ebe9]

Not used them on a bass I own, but have messed around on a few basses that have them as standard.

For the most part they are reliable and well constructed, and you should not be snapping strings any more than usual.

The one thing you will have to make sure of is that the groove on the nut of the string being extended is very smooth with no burs or rough portions as the string is going to be moving a bit more than normal.

A trick you can use to make the groove even smoother is to take a standard pencil and "draw" in the groove of the nut.

Reason for this is that the "lead of the pencil is actually graphite, which is very slippery.
Its something you can do to each nut slot and bridge saddle when changing strings.

[EssJay]

What about a graphite nut? I've seen them for sale, so I assume they'd do pretty good.

[ebe9]

What about a graphite nut? I've seen them for sale, so I assume they'd do pretty good.

It ultimately depends on your preference.

I have graphite nuts on my basses and they work well.

Personally I prefer the look of brass.