The current BB bass lineup, from the 200 series through to the Pro series, all use Yamaha Lightweight machine heads. These new tuners are very different to the vintage style machine heads used on older BB models. They are designed to offer “better balance” and complement the smaller, lightweight BB bodies.
They’re basically a copy of the Schaller BML machine head with a taller key. This is perfect if you find these lightweight tuners are not to your liking. Because the BML has been used on some many makes and models of bass, there are plenty of direct replacements/upgrades available to you. The Hipshot HB1, chosen for this Yamaha BB734a bass, is one of those replacements.
The HB1 tuners pictured above are the Regular Key versions in Black. Being slightly shorter than the Yamaha Lightweight tuners, the clover key just misses the edge of the headstock. However this is a minor problem, if it even is one to begin with.
