Low Tension Flats For Hofner?

[gary m]

Any ideas for low tension flats to fit a Hofner Club? The instrument is currently strung with factory Hofner flats, but I'm curious about alternative string sets out there that will fit the Hofner scale length. Ideas?

[Rickenhofner45]

I use LaBella FHB2 Flats on my Contemporary. Love em'. As do many others.

[SLaPiNFuNK]

Pyramids or T-I Flats work as well... But the LaBella are made specifically for the instrument...

[madmatt]

I would go GHS.

[SLaPiNFuNK]

I should add that you need to look at "Medium Scale" strings (even though the Beatle Bass is "Short Scale") due to the instruments construction.

[hotbass57]

I use med. Scale xl chromes love 'em.

[jasper383]

The TI JF 324 set will probably be the slinkiest option for you, the La Bellas a close second.

I had a medium scale bass, and preferred the La Bellas.

[gary m]

Thanks for the input ...I have some choices to research.

I'm also seeing some info that seems to indicate that Hofner flats are made by Pyramid -- any truth to that?

[boynamedsuse]

Originally Posted by gary m

Thanks for the input ...I have some choices to research.

I'm also seeing some info that seems to indicate that Hofner flats are made by Pyramid -- any truth to that?

I don't know whether Hofner or Pyramid have confirmed this, but it has been reported as true by members here.

[odysseios]

Hofner was born strung with Pyramids. Then Hofner made an own packaging for the same strings. You can buy both brands and mix them: they are identical and both are made in Germany. Furthermore, Pyramid also sells the single strings while Hofner doesn't.

[gary m]

I've ordered the TI 324H set from Pick Of The Ricks -- the price was good at $52 USD with free shipping.

I'll report back on how well these work out.

[Pilgrim]

New Option in Labella Hofner Beatle Bass strings...

You're welcome.

[odysseios]

Originally Posted by gary m

Any ideas for low tension flats to fit a Hofner Club? The instrument is currently strung with factory Hofner flats...

In order to get a low tension set, the steel strings (just like Labellas) will be harder than the nickelwounded ones. So i think you should hold your Hofners (very expensive strings, on the other hand).

[gary m]

TI set arrived today ...will let you know how they work out.

[gary m]

Okay...after a bit of work, the Hofner strings are off and the TIs are on. A few observations:

Although the TIs are specifically designed for Hofner instruments, I noticed that the E was way too long, preventing the string from tapering properly to fit the hole in the tuner capstan. By cutting the string to length and unraveling the silk on the end, I was able to fit the string without having too much stacked on the tuner. A small quibble, but still an issue. For the record, my Hofner is a German-made Club reissue, so these should have fit. I had to trim enough string from the remaining three that I'm pretty certain I could have gotten away with a 30" short scale set.

The TIs certainly exert less pull on the neck versus the stock Hofner strings, but not by a dramatic amount. Not sure if the change will even warrant a truss rod tweak, it's that subtle. They seem to be SOFTER strings overall, which results in a nice feel up and down the neck.

Tonally, the TIs seem more "live" than the Hofner strings, but that might be just because they're brand new. They speak with a pronounced upper midrange voicing and a solid, if understated bottom. Again, these impressions will probably change as the strings settle in.

For the time being, I'm pleased overall with the results, but wonder if the scale of the strings (especially the low E) could be improved to provide an even better fit to Hofner basses.

[gary m]

Has anyone used the TI set for the Hofner bass and had similar issues?

[JimmyM]

Originally Posted by gary m

Tonally, the TIs seem more "live" than the Hofner strings, but that might be just because they're brand new. They speak with a pronounced upper midrange voicing and a solid, if understated bottom. Again, these impressions will probably change as the strings settle in.

No they won't. I never had a strings that refused to go the least bit dead till I tried TI's a few years ago. 4 months I used them trying to get them to go dead and it never happened, not even a little.

[Duke21]

I've rounds on my Beatles bass, they are quite dead, so they sound like rounds...
But I must say I didn't know Macca had flats on his basses until lately. So when I bought my Beatles bass I was surprised it was so "bright" as Macca's tone is rather soft/ muffled and contain little treble.
But now I'm curios of using flats on this bass.

[gary m]

After a bit of time to play the TIs in, a few more observations:

The top two strings seem to exert more tension than the bottom two -- a LOT more. So much so that my Hofner's neck was beginning to take a roll toward the treble side when sighting the neck from the peghead downward. Detuning the strings and letting the instrument settle overnight seemed to take the twist out of the neck. Scary.

The bottom two strings were floppy and buzzy, so I raised the bass side of the bridge to take care of that. The result: cheese cutter action on the bottom strings, medium-low on the treble side. Again, a bit scary.

So, off came the TIs and on again went the stock Hofner flatwounds. The neck didn't twist, although I'll need to tighten the truss rod a tad to flatten out the neck. And, I was able to drop the action back down to an almost too low height (but no buzzing).

Also interesting is the comparison I did of the tension between the two sets (using their respective manufacturer's info). The TIs actually work out to exert six pounds more pull over the entire set than do the Hofners -- which seems odd considering the need to tighten the truss rod now that the stock strings are back on. At least the neck isn't twisting.

Meanwhile, I have a like-new set of TIs lounging in a drawer.

[chuck norriss]

I would suggest tapewounds.