Hofner 63 relic is not sounding good after setup

Hard to answer your question(s) without before and after audio clips. Just give it awhile and see if the tone of the strings mellow out. If they don’t, then try some different strings. Simple, right?

 

Get a bucket of fried chicken and have an eat and play session… I’m only half joking.

 

My thought is, it's the new strings. I only change my strings when it's absolutely necessary. Give them some time.

 

there’s a chance the setup is not great, in that the action (string-to-string, and string-to-neck radius height) is off.. or at least may not what you’re used to. as far as the sound, what i do when flats are too bright and weird like that is lightly coat the strings with vaseline. seems odd but totally works to shorten the break-in time.

 

Salmonella is the source of Sir Paul's tone? That's a new one!

 

Not sure how you’d get salmonella from cooked fried chicken, bud.

 

I was suggesting a way to take the zing out of new strings by getting grease on them quickly, which in part was a joke.

 

But according to Anthony Jackson, that is exactly what Philadelphia session bassist Ronnie Baker did. Slather lard on the strings of his back-up bass.

 

If you don't maintain 140 degrees, it happens.

 

Sounds like strings to me it shouldn't take long to break them in depending on how often you play. You may have to adjust the tone controls on your amp until your strings break in.

 

Maybe the tech adjusted/changed the pickup height?

 

That's new roundwound strings for you. That brightness will fade and the woodiness will come. If you can't wait, get some flats.

 

I put pyramid flats on a hofner to replace the stock round wounds. It really changed the feeling and sound. I didn’t bond well the the pyramids. But give it some time

 

All new Hofner/Pyramid flats have a dead E and noticeably bright A-D-G's. They'll settle in and even out. Just keep playing it and don't wipe the strings down.

 

Yes, but he did that so he could put the bass in a closet for a year or so while the strings naturally conditioned themselves so they wouldn't rust. There was a story in BP magazine years about that right after he died, I don't think it was grease like that though, it would have gotten pretty rancid after about a week.

 

You are remembering the same BP story I am, only I suspect you are more correct on the details.

 

F9, what strings were on it prior to the new ones ?

 

Give it a month of playing. Pyramid Gold Flats are the same as the original equipment flats on that instrument. Once they are broken in, they are good for many years.

Listen to FranF, he knows of what he speaks. He's got more Hofner basses any anybody.