Harmony H22 sound that’s not a H22?

[lastminute]

Love the deep thumpy sound of the Harmony H22 (a product of the goldfoil pickup, the direct mount onto a hollowbody, wooden bridge, etc) but not so much a fan of their tuning reliability, the fact that vintage ones cost so much now ($2K plus), and seem to very rarely pop up these days.

Just to hedge my bets, anyone ever get something 90% of the way there tone wise?

 

[bass player 53]

I have vintage Harmony and Kay basses. Be on the lookout for reissues; they still have the gold foil and speed bump pickups, which sound similar to each other. There are a few less expensive Kay basses for sale on Reverb and elsewhere.

 

[msb]

Look for a Gretsch G5123B. The run that was made for Guitar Center.

 

[bass player 53]

Look for a Gretsch G5123B. The run that was made for Guitar Center.

The Eastwood Classic 4 is very similar to the Gretsch. I have the Classic 4, which I don't think sounds that similar to the Kays and Harmonys that I have.
But, they are all demonstrated on YouTube, so y'all might think differently.

 

[msb]

I have a Classic IV , a 5123B , and a reissue Batwing. The Gretsch has a very unique woody tone , the TVJones pickups might well be the reason. The Eastwood is ok , but doesn't carry the tone of the Batwing or the Gretsch. The Gretsch neck pickup has that deep thump the Harmony is noted for , and will deliver stronger definition with the bridge pickup. And has a master volume so you can keep the tone balance and turn it up or down. Something I really wish the Eastwood had.

 

[RomanS]

Höfner Club or violin bass on the neck pickup (but NOT a Contemporary series- these have a center block, only the Ignition series and the German ones are fully hollow).

 

[bass player 53]

I wasn't aware of this bass until YouTube made me aware.
A little pricey, but nicely made.

 

[PennyroyalWe]

Novak makes an h22 pickup. Could try slapping one on a Hofner style bass.

 

[bass player 53]

Novak makes an h22 pickup. Could try slapping one on a Hofner style bass.

I agree about the high quality Novak pickup, and putting it on a Hofner. This video doesn't demo that sound, unfortunately.

 

[klyph]

I have a couple of basses with that sound, (Jerry Jones, Multivox Marvel) but none of them are practical or cheap alternatives to a vintage H22.

You could look for a Value Leader or similar cheap Kay model with speed bump pickups. They can still be had occasionally at reasonable prices. The tuners are no better than a Harmony (or any other cheap old bass) but that is just the reality of these instruments. You can have Hipshot guitar tuners (certain models, not all) bored out to accept bass strings for a very modest upcharge. I have them on my Multivox and it is really the only way to go.

I also think (*unpopular opinion alert*) that the hollowness of the body has little to do with the sound, relative to pickup type/placement and the bridge.

I feel like you could mount a gold foil pickup in a Squier vintage tele bass where the humbucker is, (on a hollow block, if you like), make some wooden bridge saddles a la Guild basses, and THAT would get you 90% there. Cheap, but some DIY involved…

I haven't done this, so I could be wrong.

I wouldn't rule out basses with a center block, or even a solid body.

The bass doesn't need to be a shortscale, but it definitely doesn't hurt.

But a single coil next to the neck, and some sort of natural muting/decay by the bridge is key.

 

[pbass2]

I have a couple of basses with that sound, (Jerry Jones, Multivox Marvel) but none of them are practical or cheap alternatives to a vintage H22.

I also think (*unpopular opinion alert*) that the hollowness of the body has little to do with the sound, relative to pickup type/placement and the bridge.

I have a Jerry Jones Longhorn that is my "shortscale hollowbody w flats" that is required in my quiver for recording, but it doesn't do the H22 thing, nor Hofner for that matter, but it's all I've got for now!
I agree w you about the hollowbody thing. How much is that really affecting what we hear coming out of the pickup? Take for example a Casady. That could be solidbody bass the way it sounds. But one could argue the hollow-ness does impart vibe and perhaps that wobbliness to the vibrations or some such scientific thing I don't understand.

 

[klyph]

I have a Jerry Jones Longhorn

The shorthorn and single cut (rare) models get a little closer (as on vintage Danos), but yeah- eq helps a lot. So does playing style. A pultec style eq like the Z5LR or Broughton Lowtec can make almost any bass with flats and a mute achieve that kind of sound.

 

[pbass2]

The shorthorn and single cut (rare) models get a little closer (as on vintage Danos), but yeah- eq helps a lot. So does playing style. A pultec style eq like the Z5LR or Broughton Lowtec can make almost any bass with flats and a mute achieve that kind of sound.

For sure, I mix with a Pultec pluggy on bass all the time. I had a 60's Longhorn way back. Mine had crooked frets, was super wonky, really lived up the the OG concept of them being cheapos! Sounded cool but my JJ is waaaay better.

 

[lastminute]

I wasn't aware of this bass until YouTube made me aware.
A little pricey, but nicely made.

I've NEVER heard of them till now. Looks great…doesn't seem to be a hollowbody, but the sound does get part of the way there.

 

[bass player 53]

I've NEVER heard of them till now. Looks great…doesn't seem to be a hollowbody, but the sound does get part of the way there.

I'm more inclined to agree with msb,
after hearing this; sounds pretty good:

 

[funkinbottom]

Novak makes an h22 pickup. Could try slapping one on a Hofner style bass.

Indeed he does. An excellent sounding PU. I used a pair on my semi-hollow body short scale build.

 

[mdogs]

This is my Sire D5 with the Novak Gold Foil, a great pickup!!! I just wish it was on a better bass, I need to do something about that.

 

[funkinbottom]

This is my Sire D5 with the Novak Gold Foil, a great pickup!!! I just wish it was on a better bass, I need to do something about that.

Nice. Love the fact that these are surface mount and easily installed on just about any bass.