Only issue was cranked amp and turned toward amp with no hands on strings, happened once and hasn’t ever happened again. I think it’s a greatly exaggerated issue.
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Hofner-(not just Beatle Basses)-Group Part 2
- Thread starter Bryan R. Tyler
- Start date
Only issue was cranked amp and turned toward amp with no hands on strings, happened once and hasn’t ever happened again. I think it’s a greatly exaggerated issue.
Didn’t know Hofner had a factory in Spain.
Hofner Fan Club on Instagram: "Reposted from @cavemanvintagemusic 1960s Hofner 500/1 bass w/hsc - SOLD Made in Spain. Yes, it’s a Spanish made 1960s Hofner. I love that there’s still gear out there I never knew existed. #cavemanvintagemusic #lincolnheights #losangeles #hofner #hofner5001 #hofnerbass #bass #bassguitar #vintagebass #hofner #hofnerfanclub #hofnerguitar #hofnerbass"
Hofner Fan Club on Instagram: "Reposted from @cavemanvintagemusic 1960s Hofner 500/1 bass w/hsc - SOLD Made in Spain. Yes, it’s a Spanish made 1960s Hofner. I love that there’s still gear out there I never knew existed. #cavemanvintagemusic #lincolnheights #losangeles #hofner #hofner5001 #hofnerbass #bass #bassguitar #vintagebass #hofner #hofnerfanclub #hofnerguitar #hofnerbass"
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- Feb 26, 2011
- 143
- 112
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- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist: Pyramid Strings
I'm not 100% sure, but I don't believe it was "their factory " per se. But, for a spell there were some authentic Hofners made in Spain. They looked a little bit different than their German cousins.
Finding one of them nowadays is pretty rare. I literally only know of one or two people that have one.
In the IG clip, they say it was a German who immigrated to Spain who worked out the Hofner licensing and started his own factory, so I’m not sure technically how you describe it. I’m curious if they were the same quality.
I think the black finish was something they used on necks where the wood grain was not very nice. So it could happen in German or Spanish models.
I have the Hofner 500/1 Contemporary Series and went through the "finding a strap" issue. Here's a link to a strap I found that isn't the cheaply made Hofner one, and only works on the Hofners that have the neck relief. Hope this helps someone out.
https://www.talkbass.com/threads/hofner-500-1-ct-strap-alternative.1624807/
https://www.talkbass.com/threads/hofner-500-1-ct-strap-alternative.1624807/
Hofner , ..but It's doubtful that I can afford originals. I can live with what I have but thanks for the reply!
I lowered mine a couple of mm's ( millimeters or about an 1/8th inch) and it cut out the distortion and tiny bit of Fback I was getting.
Got this for free few years ago, Höfner 185. Had been laying around in a huge warehouse for who knows how long.
Some previous owner had done a great job by painting it matt black and ripped out the frets.
I managed to sand the black paint down to the original finish, came out fine. Trussrod is working and the neck is reasonably straight although the headstock is a bit twisted.
Bought a set of original tuners as one was missing and the others were broken, replica bridge and few screws.
Strung up with Dunlop flats, has been a wall hanger until recently I finally made a new pickguard and fixed the wiring.
Pots date to 64', everything works but I'm sure some caps needs changing,
The fretboard is badly chipped so I have to figure that out before fretting, also needs a proper nut and setup.
Some previous owner had done a great job by painting it matt black and ripped out the frets.
I managed to sand the black paint down to the original finish, came out fine. Trussrod is working and the neck is reasonably straight although the headstock is a bit twisted.
Bought a set of original tuners as one was missing and the others were broken, replica bridge and few screws.
Strung up with Dunlop flats, has been a wall hanger until recently I finally made a new pickguard and fixed the wiring.
Pots date to 64', everything works but I'm sure some caps needs changing,
The fretboard is badly chipped so I have to figure that out before fretting, also needs a proper nut and setup.
Attachments
Didn’t liked the very agricultural 1:14 original tuners on my Ignition. Replaced them by 1:19 WJ28 Wilkinson tuners with sturdy metal butterbean wings. A set of six ( they are guitar tuners after all) came dirt cheap on Aliexpress ( about $ 25) resulting in more precise tuning and a much nicer finish. Re-used the original bushings, everything was plug and play. Nice
affordable upgrade!
affordable upgrade!
FYI using an old set GHS Precision Flats Light (45-95) medium scale. ( The newer medium scale of GHS offers a much longer winding length I believe). Used this set on a Fender Urge 32 inch scale, an Ibanez Mezzo also with a 32 inch scale neck and now on the Höfner and they just keep their tone although I never crimped them and several times even clipped them to size. The winding on the E needs a little encouragement, but eventually will go through that tiny tuner hole. Have a set of La Bella Beatle strings ready, but still hooked on the mellow sound and incredible smoothness of the GHS strings.
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Mounted the ZS-18 Zero Glide. Needed A LOT of sanding on the underside of the nut. Also positioning the fret is tricky as the slot for the fret is very narrow. Note: the fret can only be positioned in one correct direction because of the spacing of the rib on the underside of the fret. The wide part should be pointing towards the fret board. I used the second largest fret in the kit. Then mounted LaBella Beatle strings ( the light 0.39 - 0.96 FB2 set). Results so far: intonation was almost spot on, action is lower ( E from 3.0 to 2.5 mm) and the tone is slightly darker than that of the GHS strings. Open strings sound nicer, no rattling or buzzing. 
The very thin wire asks for guitar strings technique around the tuner posts ( stringing over and under). Would I do it again? Mwoah, maybe would have a custom bone nut installed instead, as the original soft plastic one is worthless. But so far so good.
The very thin wire asks for guitar strings technique around the tuner posts ( stringing over and under). Would I do it again? Mwoah, maybe would have a custom bone nut installed instead, as the original soft plastic one is worthless. But so far so good.
Does anyone know where I can get the swing tags, stickers and other paperwork, that comes with the new Violin basses. I'm going to get the tweed case for my '64 500/1 and just want to put some case candy in as well. Even full sized photo copies I'd consider.
Thanks in advance
Thanks in advance
Sorry if this is something that's been answered before, I've tried a few searches and can't find anything definitive. I have a HCT Club bass, and prefer the sound of rounds on it. I prefer bite and growl in my tone rather than thump, but I'm not averse to using flats with a brighter tone.
Up until now I've just been using the basic Hofner Contemporary rounds string sets on my HCT, which are... ok. I mean, they sound alright, but they quickly tarnish into an unsightly copper colour like no other strings I've ever seen. So I'm looking for something bright and roundish-sounding which fits the HCT and will last a lot longer. I'm particularly interested in the TI flats JF324H set, but several sites selling them say they only fit German Hofners and not the Asian made Contemporary series. Is this right? Has anyone successfully used the TI flats on a HCT model specifically?
Failing the TI's, any other suggestions for brighter, longer lasting strings that will fit an HCT Club? I've tried the Contemporary flatwounds - hated the dead thumpy E string; Labella White Tapes - generally liked them but the bass completely lost the glorious tone it has in the upper register when using rounds; and Rotosound Jazz flats - hated the physical feel of the string surface so they came straight off. Hoping something will work out soon, the testing is becoming expensive!
Up until now I've just been using the basic Hofner Contemporary rounds string sets on my HCT, which are... ok. I mean, they sound alright, but they quickly tarnish into an unsightly copper colour like no other strings I've ever seen. So I'm looking for something bright and roundish-sounding which fits the HCT and will last a lot longer. I'm particularly interested in the TI flats JF324H set, but several sites selling them say they only fit German Hofners and not the Asian made Contemporary series. Is this right? Has anyone successfully used the TI flats on a HCT model specifically?
Failing the TI's, any other suggestions for brighter, longer lasting strings that will fit an HCT Club? I've tried the Contemporary flatwounds - hated the dead thumpy E string; Labella White Tapes - generally liked them but the bass completely lost the glorious tone it has in the upper register when using rounds; and Rotosound Jazz flats - hated the physical feel of the string surface so they came straight off. Hoping something will work out soon, the testing is becoming expensive!
I think any string that fits on the German models will fit on the HCTs. I switch them up between my HCT and German Hofners. With that in mind, medium scale is usually the way to go with the E being 100 at most.
I love the TI hofner set on my German. I’m sure it would fit the contemporary. Is the tailpiece the issue?
Almost all the retailers which stock the JF324H set include a disclaimer with exactly the same wording:
"They WILL fit any of the original series German made basses. They do NOT fit the Asian made Icon & Contemporary series. This is due to the tuning machines used on those models; the holes are too small for the strings."
Being that the wording is identical on multiple sites it suggests this may have come from Thomastik at some point, but I can't actually find this info on their own site. Things got further confused when I read that Hofner may have changed the tuners on the HCT and Ignition since the early versions came out, which could mean the warning applies to the older versions and is no longer relevant... but I haven't found anything to verify that idea either way.
I've also seen today that the GHS short scale pressure wound 40-96 set has a 32.75" winding length and will fit, and could be just what I'm looking for... Unfortunately it seems there's only one single UK retailer which lists them and they're out of stock! Probably have to pay silly money to import them. Oh well!
A question for all of you Hofner afficionados, is the fretless hofner violin bass a regular factory item or is it just a once-in-a-while or special order item? I remember seeing Ralf Gauck playing a fretless series 5000 a few years back and of course he/it sounded spectacular. Also I have seen a couple for sale. I would very much like to get a fretless CT series but I have no idea if such a bass even exists.
