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Hanewinckel question

macteacher

macteacher

Supporting Member
Oct 1, 2003
298
265
San Fernando Valley, CA
#1
Hi Everyone,

I'm checking this out through a friend tomorrow.

It's billed as a Hanewinckel Fusion 8 string which intrigues me as I've read good things about Hanewinckels in general.

Anything to look out for on these basses from a used perspective beyond the usual buyer beware issues, i.e. setup, neck, electronics, dings, breaks, etc?

Price estimate on something like this used?

Thx!

thanks!
00F0F_5skPHRjutC8_1200x900.jpg
 
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#3
I have owned 3 Hanewinkels over the years and still have one now. Pete does a great job in terms of build quality. Can’t really speak to specific aspects of this 8-string, but the two 6-string Hannies I used to have were outstanding basses. The only reason I don’t have them is they each had one too many strings. The one I still have is a 5-string.

I think Pete’s neck profiles (at least for 5 and 6-string basses) are awesome. I had another custom made specifying that it needed to have the same neck profile as my Hanewinkel 6, but scaled to a 5-string. The luthier did that, and it and the Hannie 5-string I picked up later are my favorite 5-string necks.

I have not had any electronics or pickup issues with any of the Hannies I have owned. Grossly under-rated / obscure basses.
 
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#5
Here’s the one I still have. Acquired in a trade for a Music Man Sabre. Since MM Sabre is one of my all-time favorite basses, the fact that I made that trade speaks volumes. Luckily, I had two Sabres at the time and the second one is going nowhere.

Hanewinckel 5-string

Hanewinckel 5-string

5-string Hanie
Hanewinckel Headstock

Hanewinckel Headstock

 
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#8
Well balanced, both in terms of weight and in terms of tone / volume from string-to-string. I wouldn’t compare them to my Alembics. Apples and watermelons. Both tasty, but very different. Probably compare best to mid-level Ken Smith or maybe Peavey Cirrus USA. Just thinking of basses I’ve played and how they would compare.

The most interesting comparisons of the Hannies to each other is that the fretted was neckthrough and the fret less was bolt-on. Neck profiles were the same. Tones were very similar. Can’t say that either construction did anything to really define the tone. My current 5-string is bolt-on and pretty much delivers more of the same that I was used to with the 6-ers. Bartolini preamp and pickups. Very versatile. Passive / active. If you’ve played other basses with Bartolini pre and pickups, the tones (at least the range of tones) are very similar.
 
#9
ok thx.

Am I getting that you consider the Alembic a more focused or boutique build in some way or just a big tonal difference when it comes to basic tones or variety that you can get?

The bass in my profile picture, A 6 string fretless Bebensee, (the first 6er Ken ever built), has the Barts on it so I'm familiar with the tone, but I'm curious if the Hannie will produce a different sound using the Barts.

I think I read a thread, (maybe yours), that said the Barts on the Hannies sounded "different".

The Hannie I'm seeing is a bolt on and my KB is neck through, so that will be a difference in the basic build with the same pickups.

Would you say the Hannies that you have lend themselves to a particular style of music?

BTW, here's a pic of the back of the instrument that I'm seeing tomorrow:

00N0N_hKLC4q0lz80_1200x900.jpg
 
#10
macteacher said:
ok thx.

Am I getting that you consider the Alembic a more focused or boutique build in some way or just a big tonal difference when it comes to basic tones or variety that you can get?
Click to expand...
Both. Everything about the Alembics I have are different from all my other basses. The whole concept of low pass filters instead of bass and treble cut/boost. The whole physical approach to the instruments (34” scale plays more like a 35 or 36”). Tones are ridiculously variable and very thick.

macteacher said:
The bass in my profile picture, A 6 string fretless Bebensee, (the first 6er Ken ever built), has the Barts on it so I'm familiar with the tone, but I'm curious if the Hannie will produce a different sound using the Barts.

I think I read a thread, (maybe yours), that said the Barts on the Hannies sounded "different".
Click to expand...

I did say that in an old Hanewinckel thread. At that time I had owned a Lakland 55-02 fretless with Bart setup. The Hannie fretless sounded (to me at least) like a more substantial instrument. I’m not sure how to describe that via typed word. Cleaner might be a way to describe it, but I don’t want to criticize the Lakland Skyline, because it was a very good bass. It was my first fretless, the Hannie my second and it felt and sounded like a big upgrade. Ironically, since then I had a Roscoe LG-3005 fretless that was also a Bart setup and it sounded completely different from both the Hannie and the 55-02. I’m thinking now that all Bart setups are not the same in terms of tone delivered, but they are similar in terms of how much bandwidth or change you get from adjusting the preamp

macteacher said:
The Hannie I'm seeing is a bolt on and my KB is neck through, so that will be a difference in the basic build with the same pickups.

Would you say the Hannies that you have lend themselves to a particular style of music?
Click to expand...

I primarily play in cover bands, so I play all my basses across multiple genres. The Hannie has done fine in that setting. Last night we played everything from “Come Together” to “Under Pressure” to “Can’t You See” to “I Want You Back” to “Purple Rain”. I didn’t take the Hannie out on that gig (Fender AmDlx P5 with MM Sabre as backup) but I would have had no issues doing that.
 
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#11
I had a Hanewinckel fretless 6 years ago... before I started building. It was a very nice instrument, well build and well finished.
From the "buyer perspective", an 8 strings is hard to re-sell if you end up not liking it, but it's a niche instrument... so if you find the right buyer, it's done as there aren't many out there.
If you think you need/want that range, I think it will be a very nice instrument to have, and I wouldn't expect quality issues at all... I'd honestly expect you to be very happy with the overall quality and sound, as long as the specs (scale length/spacing) match your needs. :)

I guess the topic's title is missing a "c", though!
 
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#12
Thanks for that Triad, and the spell check! (PS nice bases you're building there!)

All good points.

The bass has been for sale for a while, and living with an instrument for a bit to see if it's a good fit for you is usually part of my method, so resale is certainly a consideration.

I'll get it in my hands and go from there.

thx again everyone and feel free to chime in if you haven't already.

:-)
 
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#13
Hey got offered a Solaris model and honestly I have no knowledge about the tone or the Quality.
But what I do know is that I would be the 3rd owner so that makes me a bit nervous considering that the trade would be for one of my prized basses.
Also I’m sensing that the in the future I’m really not even going to break.
Specs on the one that’s being presented/offered to me..

For Sale/Trade - Price Drop/USA Hanewinkel Solaris 5

So if anyone has experience about this or the another Solaris I’m really curious to hear more! Please share!

Thanks
 

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