Hofner Icon B Owners

I set the intonation on my Hofner by...oh wait, you specified Icon owners, I own a regular old Hofner 500/1 Beatle Bass. Sorry.

 

GO TO northcoastmusic.com and contact them. they can probably tell you. and it is a really cool website also.

 

OK seriously. I intonate the G string(by moving the entire bridge), then intonate the E string trying not to move the G string side. Then check the G string again. You can only really adjust the outside strings, if you get them right the middle two will be good too. At least that's my experience. You can move the fretwire bridge pieces but I've never had to.
Also a heads-up, when buying replacement strings be sure you get strings that are long enuff for the silk winding to clear the nut. Some short-scale strings are made for Fender-type bridges and are not long enuff because of the added length to the tailpiece.

 

I found that Labella's Hofner custom flats are set up exactly for that situation. They're for short scale basses, but slightly longer than a conventional short scale string.

 

I have always used Pyramid short-scale flats, they're what come on new Hofners(at least the German ones, don't know about the Icon). And if you buy "Hofner" brand strings they are Pyramids in Hofner packaging. Pyramids are made in Germany. They're not cheap($50 or more. You gotta shop.) but they hold their tone for a very long time, so it evens out in the end. Very low tension too.

 

Intonation is tricky on these basses but I have heard some great feedback on the pyramind golds with hofners.

 

I tried Roto flats on my Turser Beatle bass. They weren't my cup of tea but they do work and they're fairly reasonable. But I ended up putting rounds on mine because it makes them a lot more versatile.

BTW, intonation is an illusion on those basses. Just set the E and G as best you can, then tune the E and A string slightly flat, and it'll play in tune everywhere on the neck.

BTW, you should use medium scale, not long scale, strings. The space between the tailpiece and the bridge makes short scale strings too short.

 

I use TI flats in a Rogue copy and they sound fantastic, and the intonation is pretty darn good.

As mentioned, start with the E string, then slightly slant the bridge towards the neck a couple of degrees, and check. Adjust the angle to find the right spot were most of the strings are intonated.