I have a hofner icon and I just took off the strings for the first time and the bridge came off and so did the nut. I know the nut should be glued on but is the bridge supposed to be glue or just sitting on the bass?
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Hofner Bridge
- Thread starter iamandrew248
- Start date
It does not appear right that the bridge should come off, though it is made in China. There is a company in the US that handles this bass called North Shore Music. Try to give them a call. Violin, viola , cello and double bass bridges will come off, if you remove all of the strings at once but on any electric bass, the bridge is attached to the body. Good luck..
Incorrect info! The bridges on hollow body Hofner basses are made to rest on the body so it can be moved forward/backward to intonate the bass, etc. But, yes the nut should have been glued to the neck. Also, only remove and replace one string at a time. There is tension created by the trussrod in the neck to counter the strings' tension.
Alkali Ike
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just like on just about all hollow archtops, it's just held in place by the string's downward pressure.
Okay, very good to know. I almost had somebody sand down a part of the finish and glue it on. That would have been a bad wakeup call,
WRONG!!!! That's exactly what it's supposed to do.
What has that got to do with anything? The German made Hofners have always had a floating bridge and so have many other basses. Also Icon/Ignitions are currently made in Indonesia.
I'm getting a 500/1 Vintage 63. I found it VERY disturbing that Guitar Center lists the Icon model as "Non-returnable." My own experience is that the Icon and the German models sound virtually the same. I'm concerned about workmanship, period.
As to the bridge, that is useful information, as these basses were the great-grandaddy's of the modern "acoustic-electric" bass. Yes, I do know a player who super-glued his bridge in place-however terrible as this was, he glued it in a good place so although he feels like an ass, his bass is still OK.
These basses are highly specialized. This should be an addition, not a mainstay in your collection. If you plan on learning Beatle tunes and playing along with the records, get the Icon and be prepared for a LOT of tuning between songs as the Beatles did not have a standardized "A" to tune to. (Want to play "When I'm 64?"-get ready to learn it in D-flat, although I'm sure they thought they were playing in C.)
All the best, if you are playing in a tribute/cover band, go with the Germans....IMHO.
As to the bridge, that is useful information, as these basses were the great-grandaddy's of the modern "acoustic-electric" bass. Yes, I do know a player who super-glued his bridge in place-however terrible as this was, he glued it in a good place so although he feels like an ass, his bass is still OK.
These basses are highly specialized. This should be an addition, not a mainstay in your collection. If you plan on learning Beatle tunes and playing along with the records, get the Icon and be prepared for a LOT of tuning between songs as the Beatles did not have a standardized "A" to tune to. (Want to play "When I'm 64?"-get ready to learn it in D-flat, although I'm sure they thought they were playing in C.)
All the best, if you are playing in a tribute/cover band, go with the Germans....IMHO.
edwinhurwitz
Supporting Member
THE SAW said:
I bet they did play it in C and varispeeded it up a bit as they liked the feel that way. They did lots of stuff like that. Read Emerick's book.
I'm using a Rogue for exactly that purpose (retrofitted Hofner tailpiece brings the string tension WAY down for the "Sir Paul" thump) and the sound is indistinguishable from the Hofner. I don't personally care for the feel, but the sound is what I'm after.
Prior to my current gig, I had the OEM tailpiece on it with roundwounds and it was my main bass for rock, blues & jazz. I find it quite versatile depending on the FX in your loop. Personally, I favor a fair amount of compression for anything other than Beatles' stuff, but taste is a subjective thing anyway, isn't it?
Cheap knock-off? Maybe. But It's a hell of a lot sturdier than the Hofners I've played, I like the flamed top, a proper set-up and new mini-pots & switches have made a world of difference in the sound quality. Works for me.
Question: The expensive German made Hofners have what looks like 4 "dashes" of white paint marks on both ends of the floating bridge. I don't think it's "paint". Does anyone know what it is? Some sort of "inserts"? Trim?
That's pretty common to most Hofner-style bridges - regardless of brand. I think it's the same plastic that's sometimes used to make the fret lines on "lined" fretless basses. I've tried for a couple of years, to get the frickin' stuff out of a right handed Hofner bridge - 'cause it won't work as a left handed bridge unless I do. And... I can't. Nothing I've tried makes much of an impression on that stuff. I think it would take a fret saw to get the stuff out. But, If you, or anybody else, comes up with a way to do it - that doesn't cost a fortune? Please let me know...
And, as for the original point of this post? Yes, floating bridges will fall off the bass (or guitar) if you loosen, or take all the strings off at once. That's why they're called Floating bridges. I've owned 5 of the things - and still have 4 of them. There are several ways to deal with it;
1. Just live with it. If you're happy with the bridge's location prior to a string change? Mark the location with some painter's tape, and change your strings. Then, put the bridge back where it was; tune up and intonate; and carry on. One of my basses actually has a little paper label on the bass that says "Place Bridge Here". Not perfect, but it get's me in the general neighborhood...
2. If the bridge is where you want it? And you don't want it to move, ever? Yeah, you can glue it down, but the preferred method is to pin it in place. Small steel/brass/whatever pins in the bottom of the bridge base plate, that fit into small holes in the bass's top. Clean; neat; the bridge won't move, but it's removable if you want to take it off. And, trust me; there will be times when you'll want to take it off. Lots of Gretsch Hollow body guitar players do this; some Gretsch guitars actually come from the factory with pinned bridges. And, so do the German-made Hofners; the bridge is pinned to a little wooden block under the pickguard...
3. Bridge moves when you play. If this happens to you? Well... no offense, but... you're almost certainly playing too hard. These things are not - and never were - intended to be up front, in-yer-face, shred machines. Watch Chas Chandler or Paul McCartney play theirs, back in the day. That's how basses like this were intended to be played. If that bothers you? Well, sorry, but you're using the wrong tool for the job. Nobody tries to go SCCA road racing in a Model A Ford; which, like it or not, is what these basses are today. But, if your bridge insists on moving, no matter what? First, make sure the bridge base's feet are flat down on the bass' top - don't be surprised if they aren't; it's a common problem. Just tape a piece of sandpaper (100 grit or so) down where the bridge is supposed to sit, and rub it back and forth - not side to side - until it does sit down flat. Check it often; it doesn't take much to get it right. After that? Use another Gretsch guitar player's trick; a little chalk - or better yet, bow resin - on the bridge base's feet, will help keep the bridge in place. Unless you insist on playing the poor thing just as hard as you can...
Like I said; I own several basses like this - including a Gretsch Broadkaster - and I have very, very few problems with the bridges. But, mine all sit down on the bass like they're supposed to; I use a little chalk under the bridge base's feet (resin's... messy, IMO); I play the kind of music that was popular when these basses were popular; and I play them the way they were played when they were popular. If I want to play something else? Well... that's one reason I have a couple dozen basses...
And, as for the original point of this post? Yes, floating bridges will fall off the bass (or guitar) if you loosen, or take all the strings off at once. That's why they're called Floating bridges. I've owned 5 of the things - and still have 4 of them. There are several ways to deal with it;
1. Just live with it. If you're happy with the bridge's location prior to a string change? Mark the location with some painter's tape, and change your strings. Then, put the bridge back where it was; tune up and intonate; and carry on. One of my basses actually has a little paper label on the bass that says "Place Bridge Here". Not perfect, but it get's me in the general neighborhood...
2. If the bridge is where you want it? And you don't want it to move, ever? Yeah, you can glue it down, but the preferred method is to pin it in place. Small steel/brass/whatever pins in the bottom of the bridge base plate, that fit into small holes in the bass's top. Clean; neat; the bridge won't move, but it's removable if you want to take it off. And, trust me; there will be times when you'll want to take it off. Lots of Gretsch Hollow body guitar players do this; some Gretsch guitars actually come from the factory with pinned bridges. And, so do the German-made Hofners; the bridge is pinned to a little wooden block under the pickguard...
3. Bridge moves when you play. If this happens to you? Well... no offense, but... you're almost certainly playing too hard. These things are not - and never were - intended to be up front, in-yer-face, shred machines. Watch Chas Chandler or Paul McCartney play theirs, back in the day. That's how basses like this were intended to be played. If that bothers you? Well, sorry, but you're using the wrong tool for the job. Nobody tries to go SCCA road racing in a Model A Ford; which, like it or not, is what these basses are today. But, if your bridge insists on moving, no matter what? First, make sure the bridge base's feet are flat down on the bass' top - don't be surprised if they aren't; it's a common problem. Just tape a piece of sandpaper (100 grit or so) down where the bridge is supposed to sit, and rub it back and forth - not side to side - until it does sit down flat. Check it often; it doesn't take much to get it right. After that? Use another Gretsch guitar player's trick; a little chalk - or better yet, bow resin - on the bridge base's feet, will help keep the bridge in place. Unless you insist on playing the poor thing just as hard as you can...
Like I said; I own several basses like this - including a Gretsch Broadkaster - and I have very, very few problems with the bridges. But, mine all sit down on the bass like they're supposed to; I use a little chalk under the bridge base's feet (resin's... messy, IMO); I play the kind of music that was popular when these basses were popular; and I play them the way they were played when they were popular. If I want to play something else? Well... that's one reason I have a couple dozen basses...
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