Opinions - best tuning gears?

[Thomas Erickson]

Nice to know that the Sloane shafts are anodized. Like Ken, I'm not a big fan of the look of the plate - but I do like the high ratio. I don't generally have a need to change strings in a hurry, and I've spent enough time playing (other people's) basses with lurching gears that the slow tuning is kind of nice.