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B E A D strings on Hofner violin bass
- Thread starter papolski
- Start date
Wow ! That is a wicked link on that 5 string Hofner copy !!! I love it. The strings are through body so I guess one could use long scale strings ???? I am looking to have that low B too but I only like Flatwounds. I'm wondering what THIS aliexpress bass uses.
Great link
Great link
Most likely. With the smaller trapeze tailpiece many violin bass copies use, they need medium scale strings (34" winding length). The upper through-body ferrules on these 5-stringers appears to be even further from the bridge than the ball-end anchoring slots in said smaller tailpieces, so let's say at 35" from the nut. Add a couple more inches to the back ferrules, and we're squarely in long-scale winding territory (±37" ballend-to-silk or -taper).
Great news! Which means you'd have much more options when it comes to strings (especially flatwounds which I use). Question now is have they designed it for BEADG or EADGC ? Theoretically both would be possible.
Another big problem I find on these cheap copies are the pickups are larger than the ones on epiphones or hofners (I have fretless copy that actually sounds pretty cool). Finding the right size pickup to put in there isn't easy. And for the 5 string even more complicated I would assume.
I will get one in any case and keep you posted
Jas
I may be wrong, and it wouldn't be either the first nor the last time since I got up this morning, but I'm willing to bet it comes with BEADG strings: the sheer size of the potential market makes it the most probable case. This means that at least the nut slots are already large enough. Tuners look tiny, or even guitar-size, but again I think the B string will taper enough not to wrap full-thickness to the post.
Will the neck hold the tension? Given how most commonly-used B strings tend to be on the floppy side (as I commented upon on my first, ancient posts above), the neck will be actually safer and/or more stable at BEADG than EADGC.
Finally, will the pickups suit the tuning, with the strings of your choice, at 30" scale? Unfortunately there's no way to know beforehand.
OTOH, the string-through-body loading points to the instrument being semi-hollow (even with the upper ferrules I'd expect string tension to play bad tricks to the top if it were fully hollow), with a centre block running the entire length of the body. It is also my understanding (but I'm open to corrections on this) that, with the exception of some instruments like the Epiphone Jack Casady, the centre block is in contact with the top throughout. This means that routing for larger pickups, if you find the right candidate and are not averse to invasive surgery, would be less complicated than it would on true hollowbodies. FWIW. Planning ahead for a wider pickguard and a possible different location for one or both pickups should also be in order in that case.
Thanks in advance for keeping us posted, and props to @ed morgan for giving the original heads-up about these Chinese 5-string viola basses.
Then again, the block might just run from under the bridge to the butt of the bass, and not under the pickups. Heh, I suppose it is possible.
Yeah ! Thanks @ed morgan again for that link. I will def get one during the fall. With some thick flatwounds on there, the stability should be OK. I always change the tuners on these cheap basses too. Usually for GB-720 or GB-707 Gotoh's but there are others. Good to get the lightweight cuz these basses tend to be neck heavy. That being said, this 5 string one looks like a bit larger and heavier body than normal 4 strings.
I'm also curious about nut width. 42mm, 45mm? No info on aliexpress. I guess I'll find out some time this fall !
I'm also curious about nut width. 42mm, 45mm? No info on aliexpress. I guess I'll find out some time this fall !
Hey!
I still have not purchased this bass so I have no idea what it might sound like. I'm now more interested in getting a 5 string that I can tune E A D G (B) that might have better pickups. I know Ibanez makes one. I need to look around.
Jas
Just for an update…I have successfully converted my Hofner bass to b e a d. I put the shorter tail piece on first. Then I just slightly drilled out the tail piece b and e holes along with the b and e holes in the tuners. I then just slightly widened the b e and a slots in the nut. Finally I finished it off with Dunlop stainless steel flat wound 40/120 medium scale lights. The 5 string set and used the b e a d. It can certainly be done and it’s very rewarding.
The silk and everything fit perfectly and it plays like a dream.
The silk and everything fit perfectly and it plays like a dream.
