Vox Constellation IV

1968 teardrop-shaped hollow body bass, made in Italy. Info. for models like this can be found under the VOX Teardrop bass section, so I won't reiterate the same info. I've had this bass for many many years, and the reason I am finally submitting a listing now is found in the Action, Fit, and Finish section below. If you own a Vox bass (or any brand for that matter) that is neck-heavy, hopefully the information below will prove helpful in solving that problem.

If Vox had purposely wanted to design and manufacture a bass that neck-dives more than any other instrument, they couldn't have done a better job than their hollow body teardrop models. With their pencil-thin yet chuncky necks, those HUGE headstocks with the metal VOX letters glued on, and those massive cloverleaf tuners (with extra long stems on the Constellation IV model), these basses DIVE BOMB horribly, when you release your grip on the neck !! This design flaw, creating an extremely unbalanced instrument, also makes it Very uncomfortable to play -- it feels like you have 90% of the bass's entire weight in your palm, while also trying to fret chords with the same hand. This is why Bill Wyman (The Rolling Stones bassist, who played a similar model in the 60's) held it almost completely vertically when he performed. You almost HAVE to hold it as such, to keep the headstock from dive bombing towards the floor and smashing. So, for years I just kept the bass onstage for looks, since it was so uncomfortable to actually play. Now, the reason for this submission: At least half of the excessive headstock weight can now be eliminated with the installation of HipShot Ultralite Tuners, Model# HB6C, Size 1/2" - Cloverleaf. You won't have to rout-out the post holes, as they are big enough, and the only "mod" will be drilling 4 holes for the mounting screws, which, by the way, will be covered up if you ever decide to re-install the original tuners. The HipShots are less than half the weight of the original tuners, and make a World of difference !! My Vox is now a real joy to play, with the weight differential between neck and body now approx. 55% to 45%, instead of the previous 90% to 10%. There are several other companies offering "Lite" versions of machine heads, such as Schaller and Gotoh. I chose HipShot brand because I found a "nicely priced" set on an Ebay auction, so I decided to give them a try, since I knew I wouldn't have to do any major modifications to my bass. It was an experiment that far exceeded my expectations. The HipShots hold string tension perfectly...as good as any Schaller or Grover keys I use on other basses.

If you're wondering if "Lite" tuners would be worth the investment, I suggest you do as I did -- Take off 3 of your 4 tuners, then strap on the bass and see if you like the difference in balance. If so, "Lite" tuners are the way to go. They gave me back my Vox, so to speak. Also, the $55.00 shown above as "Price Paid" is for the HipShots, and not the bass.