Hofner Ignition Violin Bass- string length? (And La Bella Breakage?)

[SLaPiNFuNK]

Thanks! I contacted the dealer and they said that they won't do any sort of replacement on strings that have been opened/installed. I emailed La Bella and they asked for a photo and information on what happened... I hope they can replace it, I hate to throw $40 away because of one dud string.

That is not how one should be treated. If neither help you then drop me a message.

The short scale should work. Medium scale is used the 70s' Hofners, as the tail pieces for those years were smaller (smaller tail pieces likely continue after the 70s).

Short scale is too short on Hofner basses.

 

[CaseyVancouver]

Off topic but that has never stopped me.

Took this pic couple of months ago. Hofner bass for sale at the Mirage hotel shop. Signed by all four. By the way the Beatles 'Love' cirque show is fantastic.

 

[Nick Danger]

I'm on my 3rd set of LaBella strings on my Ignition bass - rounds, flats and currently White Nylon Tape Wound's. Never had a string break so yours must be a manufacturing defect.

 

[2strings2frets]

I have used several sets of La Bella's Beatle Bass strings on my Rogue violin bass and never had one break. Sounds like a defective string to me. The only other strings that I know will fit are DAderiao tape wounds.

 

[shoulderpet]

Just had this very thing happen to me by the tuner end of the string, have emailed strings direct and hoping they help me out with this, for now I have tied another string through the ball end to extend the string enough to fit, seems to be holding for now

 

[ecadad]

Little update: La Bella emailed me back after I sent them a photo of the broken string, they're sending me a replacement. Solid customer service!

 

[DavesnothereCA]

....Short scale is too short on Hofner basses.

~
Yes and no.

My recent research indicates that it depends upon the make and model of string.

Here are some examples :

I am shopping for strings for a recently acquired Hofner Ignition Club bass which has DR round wound short scale strings on it (according to its last owner), and they fit fine, but after a few gigs, I decided that I want flats instead.

The DR SFL-45 Legend Flats have a 33.5" wound portion, as per your company's website [Invalid or Expired Link Removed] , and they would fit, based upon my measuring the bass this afternoon.

I suspect that the DR rounds currently on my bass are an SMR-45 set, of almost the same length (33.75" on your page) of wound portion as the Legend flats, as DR seems to only offer one length which is shorter than standard long scale [Invalid or Expired Link Removed] in these.

The GHS Brite Flats, which I have used on other short scale basses, claim by their maker to have a wound portion of 32.75", which also would satisfy this Hofner, except that they are a bit too heavy a gauge for my present preferences (AND, I wanted to try some 'real' flats again for a change, after years of ground or half-round strings on my long scale Ric).

However with LaBella, the maker says that an official short scale flat wound bass string has a wound portion of 32.25", which, depending upon how accurate they are with that number, may or may not clear the nut of my Ignition Club, and at best result, not by much.

Also according to LaBella, a Medium scale set will have a 34.25" wound portion, and a Beatle Bass specific set will be 34" even.

Problem is that I dislike the gauges of the LaBella BB sets, but like the 43-60-82-104 of their 760FL series, for example (better balanced than most 45-105 sets, including those from LaBella).

Measuring 34" from the string balls on my bass just tickles the tuner post of the 4th E string with its current strings in place, but the E string does not quite begin to go around it, suggesting that it is indeed 33.75".
~

 

[SLaPiNFuNK]

~
Yes and no.

My recent research indicates that it depends upon the make and model of string.

Here are some examples :

I am shopping for strings for a recently acquired Hofner Ignition Club bass which has DR round wound short scale strings on it (according to its last owner), and they fit fine, but after a few gigs, I decided that I want flats instead.

The DR SFL-45 Legend Flats have a 33.5" wound portion, as per your company's website [Invalid or Expired Link Removed] , and they would fit, based upon my measuring the bass this afternoon.

I suspect that the DR rounds currently on my bass are an SMR-45 set, of almost the same length (33.75" on your page) of wound portion as the Legend flats, as DR seems to only offer one length which is shorter than standard long scale [Invalid or Expired Link Removed] in these.

The GHS Brite Flats, which I have used on other short scale basses, claim by their maker to have a wound portion of 32.75", which also would satisfy this Hofner, except that they are a bit too heavy a gauge for my present preferences (AND, I wanted to try some 'real' flats again for a change, after years of ground or half-round strings on my long scale Ric).

However with LaBella, the maker says that an official short scale flat wound bass string has a wound portion of 32.25", which, depending upon how accurate they are with that number, may or may not clear the nut of my Ignition Club, and at best result, not by much.

Also according to LaBella, a Medium scale set will have a 34.25" wound portion, and a Beatle Bass specific set will be 34" even.

Problem is that I dislike the gauges of the LaBella BB sets, but like the 43-60-82-104 of their 760FL series, for example (better balanced than most 45-105 sets, including those from LaBella).

Measuring 34" from the string balls on my bass just tickles the tuner post of the 4th E string with its current strings in place, but the E string does not quite begin to go around it, suggesting that it is indeed 33.75".
~

A general statement "Short Scale strings are too short for a Hofner" is true. Traditional Short Scale strings have a 32" Winding length. DR being the longest that are called "Short Scale" by the company will fit a Hofner.

You know a funny story about DR Short Scale strings? DR actually used a Hofner Beatle Bass (as it was the most popular Short Scale bass at the time) to create their "Short Scale" sets. Well, they didn't realize how they would actually not fit a "1-piece bridge" short scale bass. The other "Short Scale" at the time was a Mustang (thru-body) and the DR "Short Scale" fit that as well. The other Short Scales the DR Strings fit as well... Starfire, Coronado and wouldn't you know it, an SG (while it has a 1-piece bridge, the tuners are further from the nut so much that a 34" winding string will fit.

DR knows their strings are really closer to a Medium Scale than anything else. We have talked about changing the labeling. Quite frankly they don't sell enough of them to really go crazy over it. The customers that do steadily buy them would be confused if SMR-45 / SNMR-45 suddenly have a traditional 32" Short Scale length so they are leaving them as is.

DR does make a custom winding length 32" string for one particular reseller out there, and they are labelled accordingly.


And yes. DR SMR-45 SNMR-45 SFL-45 all have the same 33.75" Winding Length. (including the 5-String Hi-Beam and Sunbeam "DR Short Scale" sets as well).

 

[DavesnothereCA]

A general statement "Short Scale strings are too short for a Hofner" is true. Traditional Short Scale strings have a 32" Winding length.

DR being the longest that are called "Short Scale" by the company, will fit a Hofner.

You know a funny story....

~
Speaking of interesting anecdotes, this article came up in my searches a few minutes ago, about GHS changing their short scale bass strings to be slightly longer than their historical length :

https://www.bassplayer.com/gear/ghs-strings-short-scale-bass-strings-get-longer

It looks like this production decision happened not long before I began to dabble in earnest with short scale basses, as part of my quest to find instruments which weighed less, about a couple of years ago.

It explains how they settled on the 32.75" figure which I quoted upthread.
~

 

[HaphAsSard]

~
Speaking of interesting anecdotes, this article came up in my searches a few minutes ago, about GHS changing their short scale bass strings to be slightly longer than their historical length :

https://www.bassplayer.com/gear/ghs-strings-short-scale-bass-strings-get-longer

It looks like this production decision happened not long before I began to dabble in earnest with short scale basses, as part of my quest to find instruments which weighed less, about a couple of years ago.

It explains how they settled on the 32.75" figure which I quoted upthread.
~

That complicates things for owners of, say, Danelectro Longhorns (toploading bridge, 30" scale - or a smidge less - E string tuner right at or very close to 32.75" from the bridge backplate, guitar tuners) or Ibanez Mikros (toploaders, 28.5" scale, said to accept 32" winding strings by a RCH). But hey, can't please everyone.

 

[DavesnothereCA]

That complicates things for owners of, say, Danelectro Longhorns (toploading bridge, 30" scale - or a smidge less - E string tuner right at or very close to 32.75" from the bridge backplate, guitar tuners), or Ibanez Mikros (toploaders, 28.5" scale, said to accept 32" winding strings by a RCH). But hey, can't please everyone.

~
My first recent test of a short scale bass was an Ibanez Mikro 4, around 2 years ago.

It had rounds on it and I ordered some GHS Brite Flats in short scale, which as I mentioned upthread are supposed to have 32.75" of winding.

I think that they fit the Mikro fine, without the wound part of the E going around the tuning peg.

Or maybe the peg post diameter was large enough that it did not matter.

Hmmm, I could ask its current owner to clarify this point.

That said, I do seem to remember needing to remove the spring of the E string at the bridge, to increase the range of adjustment to get it to intonate properly.

The neck however was too narrow at the nut for a multiple decades Ric 4001 player such as myself, so I left the Brite Flats on it and resold it, along with its earlier rounds as spares.

Later, I successfully installed another set of the same GHS strings onto a maybe 10 year old USA Gibson SG bass (30" or so scale).

The Gibson's neck was not as narrow at the nut as the Mikro, and in comparison the Hofner's nut neck width is almost as wide as my Ric.

The Gibson plays well, but the pickups and electronics do not please me much.

Yes, the pups look like those of an EB3, but I feel that they do not sound that way.

But that's for another topic.
~

 

[GIBrat51]

Well, either SLaPiNFuNK is right, and the string was catching in the nut slot because it's cut too narrow (which does happen all too frequently); or, yeah, the string was defective (which, sadly, also happens). And, yes it's possible to use Some short scale strings on your Hofner, if you don't mind round wounds. As far as strings are concerned, my old MIK Rogue VB-100 is the same as a Hofner. Those short scale rounds would fit it - if I were crazy enough to put them on there. Which I'm not; it sounds just like I want it to with the Roto 88 tapes it's wearing now... Also; yes, you can replace the tailpiece with a longer one if you want (Allparts has them, IIRC); that should allow you to use most short scale strings. In any case, I'd check the nut slots on your bass, and widen them if you have to; then just wait for your replacement string, and try again...

 

[DavesnothereCA]

....Also; yes, you can replace the tailpiece with a longer one if you want (Allparts has them, IIRC); that should allow you to use most short scale strings....

~
Not sure whether you were directing the comment at me, but that's an interesting thought for my Ignition Club.

Short scale designated strings are not all that commonly available in general (either due to manufacturers making less models of them, and/or stores carrying less of whichever ones ARE made), but still, short seem to be easier to find than medium scale.

I'll investigate.

Thanks.
~

 

[AboutSweetSue]

La Bella is pretty good at replacing strings. Never had a problem here. Usually they want a picture and batch to check quality control, find variables that could cause an issue.

 

[DavesnothereCA]

~
....I am shopping for strings for a recently acquired Hofner Ignition Club bass....

....with LaBella, the maker says that an official short scale flat wound bass string has a wound portion of 32.25", which, depending upon how accurate they are with that number, may or may not clear the nut of my Ignition Club, and at best result, not by much.

Also according to LaBella, a Medium scale set will have a 34.25" wound portion, and a Beatle Bass specific set will be 34" even.

Problem is that I dislike the gauges of the LaBella BB sets, but like the 43-60-82-104 of their 760FL series, for example (better balanced than most 45-105 sets, including those from LaBella)....
~

~
UPDATE :

I ended up buying a set of LaBella Low Tension Flats (42-56-75-100) in Short Scale, and installed them last Friday on my Ignition Club.

The wound portion of each string cleared the nut by about 1/4 inch as hoped, which means that LaBella's published spec of 32.25 inches of winding for short scale bass strings does seem accurate.

It also means that owners of Hofner Ignition Violin basses (and possibly other Hofner series than Ignition - Please Measure Your Bass Before Ordering) could use the various Labella Short Scale sets without being limited by the only two choices of gauges of the Hofner-designated LaBella flats.

One gig later now, I am quite pleased with the sound (of course had to EQ my amp differently), and especially like the smooth feel of the strings while playing them.

They settled into tune quickly, within the first gig.
~

 

[Pimpernel Smith]

Many string companies make brass ball ends that are too wide to fit into the Hofner tail piece slots properly.
Best to stick with the LaBella for Beatle Bass, or Pyramid Gold Flat short scale, or Thomastic-Infled short scale for Hofner. Hofners are tricky little things. They use tuners that are essentially made for guitars, and they require thin leaders to fit them properly. I've played them for 50 years.

 

[DavesnothereCA]

Many string companies make brass ball ends that are too wide to fit into the Hofner tail piece slots properly.

Best to stick with the LaBella for Beatle Bass....

~
No can do.

The Labella BB sets' gauges are either too far out of whack from equal tension (in the 50-100 set), or generally too light (in the 39-96 set).

(I might consider 39-96 gauges on a long scale bass such as my Ric 4001 though.)

Fortunately what I bought seems to fit my Ignition Club without the issue which you described, so I just wanted other Ignition series owners to know that I had achieved success with LaBella's newer Low Tension short scale set (42-56-75-100).

LaBella needs to make more choices of gauges in their Hofner BB scale length sets.

Using the same gauges as in the LT set with which I have had success, and also a set with the 760FL gauges (43-60-82-104), both would be decent places to start.

They would only have to set the string winding equipment to the correct wrap length, and maybe load some smaller balls into the hopper.

All of the remaining required specs, their equipment already supports in making other sets.
~

 

[shoulderpet]

~
No can do.

The Labella BB sets' gauges are either too far out of whack from equal tension (in the 50-100 set), or generally too light (in the 39-96 set).

(I might consider 39-96 gauges on a long scale bass such as my Ric 4001 though.)

Fortunately what I bought seems to fit my Ignition Club without the issue which you described, so I just wanted other Ignition series owners to know that I had achieved success with LaBella's newer Low Tension short scale set (42-56-75-100).

LaBella needs to make more choices of gauges in their Hofner BB scale length sets.

Using the same gauges as in the LT set with which I have had success, and also a set with the 760FL gauges (43-60-82-104), both would be decent places to start.

They would only have to set the string winding equipment to the correct wrap length, and maybe load some smaller balls into the hopper.

All of the remaining required specs, their equipment already supports in making other sets.
~

How do the low tension flats compare in terms of feel to the BB set with the 39-96 gauge?

 

[DavesnothereCA]

How do the low tension flats compare in terms of feel to the BB set with the 39-96 gauge?

~
I have not tried any other LaBella bass strings before, so cannot say for sure.

But for the gauge numbers of strings in general, smaller means looser at a given tuning, and based on the short scale of these Hofner basses, I felt that 39-96 would be too much change from what I have been used to playing.

The DR rounds which I took off it were 45-65-85-105, which are both heavier overall, and have too heavy a D and A string for even tension across the board.

45-60-80-105 would be a lot closer, but almost nobody make sets which are balanced that well.

D'Addario 'Balanced Nickels' are one of few examples which qualify in that regard, but alas they are round wound.

More often than not, to get properly balanced tension in a set of bass strings, you must either buy two sets of different gauges in your choice of string and break up both, or buy individuals if available in your choice of string, and in most cases they are not.

These LaBella Low Tension flats feel substantial enough to my hands on this Hofner, have a pretty even tension from one string to the next, without the overtones and finger squeak of rounds, and all of these are elements which I wanted.

I think that players of long scale basses would enjoy them too, if looking for flat wound strings.

That said, LaBalla's 39-96 sets may also feel tight enough on a long scale bass.
~

 

[shoulderpet]

~
I have not tried any other LaBella bass strings before, so cannot say for sure.

But for the gauge numbers of strings in general, smaller means looser at a given tuning, and based on the short scale of these Hofner basses, I felt that 39-96 would be too much change from what I have been used to playing.

The DR rounds which I took off it were 45-65-85-105, which are both heavier overall, and have too heavy a D and A string for even tension across the board.

45-60-80-105 would be a lot closer, but almost nobody make sets which are balanced that well.

D'Addario 'Balanced Nickels' are one of few examples which qualify in that regard, but alas they are round wound.

More often than not, to get properly balanced tension in a set of bass strings, you must either buy two sets of different gauges in your choice of string and break up both, or buy individuals if available in your choice of string, and in most cases they are not.

These LaBella Low Tension flats feel substantial enough to my hands on this Hofner, have a pretty even tension from one string to the next, without the overtones and finger squeak of rounds, and all of these are elements which I wanted.

I think that players of long scale basses would enjoy them too, if looking for flat wound strings.

That said, LaBalla's 39-96 sets may also feel tight enough on a long scale bass.
~

Fair enough, I only use low tension strings and whilst I did not find the 39-96 set stiff I ended up going with TI's for the noticeably looser feeling