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Help me pick a Hofner 500/1!

Relic

Relic

Cow are you?
Sep 12, 2006
6,198
85
Robbinsville, NJ
#1
Quick background - years ago during some tough financial times, I was forced to sell my Hofner and have regretted it ever since. I had bought it new just out of high school in the early/mid 80's and it had meant a lot to me being I was a massive Beatles fan back then. At that time, Hofners were very tough to get and I had to special order it and wait for months... still sad that it's gone.

Fast forward to today, I have saved up some cash and have found two Hofners that I like and that are in my price range:
- one is a 2003-made 63 reissue, with the staple pick ups, rounded neck heel, and white tuners... in essence just like Paul McCartney's.
- the other is an original 1974 version that, while different from Paul's in that it has the 'blade" pick ups, metal tuners and smaller squared off neck heel, is virtually identical to my old one that I miss.

So now I'm torn... which one do I get? The one like Paul's that I had wanted all along, or the one like my old one that had meant so much to me? Quite a silly dilemma

I'm curious as to what you guys think. Pro/cons of the staple vs blade pick ups, value of each bass ('74 vs '03)in comparison, etc
 
#4
link wray said:
I'd buy the newer one; unless the vintage one IS your old bass.
Click to expand...

+1. I you always wanted the classic McCartney Hofner, go with the 1963 reissue. You will be happier in the long run and it will retain its re-sale value.

Buy the 1974 if it IS your old bass -- as those oportunities are so rare that it would be a shame to pass it up. If it is merely LIKE your old bass, I would pass on it and go for the reissue.

TB'er Thornton Davis is one of the most knowledgable Hofner experts on this board. If you really want to discuss the pros and cons of certain Hofner pickups, tuners, etc., send him a p.m. You can also do a web search for the Hofner Hounds forum. There is a wealth of information available there as well.
 
#6
Thanks for the input so far guys, much appreciated!
The '74 is not my original one unfortunately, if it was this would be a no-brainer.
From a technical standpoint though - do you guys notice any particular difference in sound between the blade and the staple pick ups?

Funkytoe - thanks for the info
 
#7
Relic said:
From a technical standpoint though - do you guys notice any particular difference in sound between the blade and the staple pick ups?
Click to expand...

Other than just the difference in appearance between the "Blade" (type 513B) and the "Staple" (type 511B) pickups, there is quite a difference in output, with the 513B being much hotter. What's that mean? Basically the 513B is louder and provides more tonal range in general.

When Hofner introduced the vintage series back in the early 1990's, everyone wanted the 511B pickup because they had been discontinued since late 1967. And because Hofner were reissuing the 500/1 as a vintage 1962, 63 instrument, the type 511B had to be used in the bass to make it authentic in both sound and appearance.

Up until then, the type 513B was the only bass pickup Hofner were installing in the 500/1 (which was not a vintage reissue at that point). When the Vintage series took off in the early 90's Hofner discontinued the 513B pickup all together.

Personally I prefer the vintage 63 reissue over the 74. Why? Because the build quality of the 63 RI will be a bit better and the glues that were used to glue the 63 RI together have far superior bonding strength than the glues that Hofner used during the 60's and 70's in their instruments. This is particularly noticable when the bonding of the glue in the neck pocket begins to deteriorate and let go. When this happens to a glued set neck instrument it allows the neck to move and in turn throw out the string height adjustment along with the intonation of the instrument. The fix is to have the neck reset which runs between $300-$400. You'll never have to reset the neck on a Hofner re-issue bass that was made after 1990.

Now, if you're emotionally attached to a 74 500/1 and know of one that's in acceptable condition to you, as well it's already had the neck reset by a professional luthier, go for it. You'll find the bass should be sturdy, the intonation bang on and the pickups hot and playability a breeze.

Hope this was of some help. If you have a specific question, feel free to PM me with it.

TD
 
#9
Thornton - that was fabulous and quite informative thanks for your input.
I really wouldn't want to get involved in resetting and neck and such.
I'm pretty much decided on the reissue at this point.
As an aside, what are your thoughts on the icons and contemporary series?
 
#10
go for the '63 reissue...
i bought my 500/1 '63 ri (made in '04 or '05) in 2006. never had to tune it since then. no neck problems whatsoever. also no intonation issues above the 12th fret. but after all that i've heard you could get into trouble with a '70s hofner.
ad contemp./icons: they have a wood/sustain block inside, whereas the '62/'63 reissues are completely hollow. therefore ct.ser. basses can't produce the "woody" sound of the orig./reissues.
 
#11
horak said:
...ad contemp./icons: they have a wood/sustain block inside, whereas the '62/'63 reissues are completely hollow. therefore ct.ser. basses can't produce the "woody" sound of the orig./reissues.
Click to expand...

Here I must disagree. The Contemporary Series does have a center block. But the ICON does not. It is hollow and definitely CAN produce the "woody" sound of the original (I own one and love it for that reason).

For a pretty good discussion of the differences between the Contemporary and Icon series basses, check out this prior thread.

http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=466339&highlight=icon+contemporary
 
#13
Relic said:
Thornton - what are your thoughts on the icons and contemporary series?
Click to expand...

From a business point of view I think they're brilliant. Hofner were losing hundreds of thousand of dollars in sales yearly to companies like Turser, Rogue, Dillion, Epiphone and everyone else who made a inexpensive Hofner copy. Now, they won't make that up with the CT or Icon series basses, but they will gain a lot of new sales in a market that they couldn't compete in before they developed the CT and Icon series instruments.

From a quality point of view, the Icon B-Bass is as good as any Hofner copy that's out there. For $350.00 or less you get what you pay for. The CT, is a step or two up from the Icon and a couple of steps below the German made 500/1. You'll find the Icon will sound very close to the German made 500/1 where the HCT500/1 sounds no where near one in my opinion. That's due to the use of the center "block" that runs along the underside of the top of the bass between the neck joint and the tailpin.

The purpose of the block is to add sustain to the top of the body which in turn is picked up by the type 511B pickups. The result is more of a modern sounding bass, and tending to sound like a solid body bass than a semi-acoustic one. If you want a modern sounding violin bass strung with roundwounds, the HCT500/1 is the bass for you. If you're looking for vintage thump at a entry level price, the Icon B-Bass is it.

I personally owned a HCT500/1 for a year and sold it. I liked everything about the bass except for its sound and the fact that it was made in China. As much as I love Hofner's I also love and have a large collection of Klira semi-acoustic basses which satisfy my needs when I want and need to hear that vintage 60's semi-acoustic bass sound that hooked me when I was a very young teenager.

TD
 
#15
MAJOR METAL said:
For me I would say the newer the German Hofner the better. Have you seen these hotties ? http://cgi.ebay.com/Hofner-H500-1-5...286.c0.m14&_trkparms=66:2|65:16|39:1|240:1318
Click to expand...

Yes I did see those, gorgeous!
Actually I had also come across this in my search and thought of you!:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&item=270295839373
a Green hofner, who'd a thunk it?
At any rate, it's a done deal, I bought the German-made 63 reissue. Can't wait to get it!
I just wanted to say thanks for all of the help everybody, it shows just how cool TB can be!
 
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#16
taaadaa!!

Picture.jpg


It sounds great, looks great, and plays great!
 
#19
Relic said:
taaadaa!!

Picture.jpg


It sounds great, looks great, and plays great!
Click to expand...

FYI, if you unscrew the two philips screws that are holding the control panel to the body and gently remove it, you'll find the label that the factory put there inside the body just before the bass left the factory. It will have the model and serial number hand written on it.

From the serial number you can determine when it was made.

Enjoy.

TD
 
#20
Hello all.

I'm interested in my first semi-hollow bass. And after researching exactly the sound I'm after I came upon the Hofner series whether it be the China made Icon B or the HCT 500/1. I've heard these played and really love the shorter scale woody sound. I play a little upright bass that I bought used, but often I want to play a smaller bodied amplified version of that sound.

Recently I came across a used 1964 Hofner Senator 5144. If I have this correct this is a semi hollow. So I'm curious if anyone has played or owns one of these Senators and how its sound compares to what I'm after...that meaty woody low-end.

Not sure if I'd be better off with the Senator or either the Icon B or HCT 500/1 (though Thorton Davis has given great description of the difference in the Icon B and HCT 500/1, which is great). Mostly curious how a 1964 Senator sounds. Note, I can't go and play the instrument in person yet, unless I'm traveling to test and purchase it.

Thanks for any help.
 

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