Hofner-(not just Beatle Basses)-Group Part 2

[Stempelloos]

Here is my Hofner collection: two made in China Ignitions in Baby Blue; a standard Club bass and V63 violin bass made in Germany; and a 3 PU gold top Tom Petersson special and a CV LTD Club both made in Germany.

Nice collection! I've wondered how those 3-pickup versions work with the switch board.
Do you select 2 pickups with one switch, or does one switch have a 3-way switching possibility?

 

[SJLee]

Very accurate rundown on the most common flatwounds available for Hofners @shoulderpet. My experiences mirror yours for the most part.

Depending on preferences, one's string choice will obviously vary...but I've found the LaBella Beatle Bass flats (.039-0.96) to be the most versatile of the bunch. They'll get you anywhere from the classic Macca sound on up to articulate twangy and most points in between. What I especially like about them is that when I run my HCT Cavern through my Zoom A3 I can get it to sound amazingly close to an amped URB. Of course the attack lacks the bloom of an upright somewhat, but the tone is really right there. To non-bassist ears, it's pretty convincing, especially in a band mix. Their low tension is easy on Hofner necks (had to loosen the TR when I switched to these) but they're still very playable. I really like these strings.

I've got Pyramid flats on my Klira and Hofner Club basses. These are the strings designed specifically for the Hofners and offer the classic sound that most of us associate with them. I love the way they sound and they're fairly low tension, but not floppy.

I don't care for the sound of TI's on a Hofner (but they sound fantasic on a P-Bass). The Rotosounds flats sound great, but their high tension is brutal on Hofner necks, so I avoid them.



LaBella makes strings from their Deep Talkin' Bass series that are specifically labeled "for Hofner Beatle Bass". The winding length/silk length is correct and the winding ends are designed to fit through the small tuner openings. I couldn't say for sure if the ends of your Low Tension Flats will fit through the posts on a Hofner. You'd have to give it a try. But like I said above, the .039-.096 LaBellas sound and feel great.

Lastly, in order to officially be considered part of the group here, I'll post a picture of my Cavern. Pics of my Club will follow later...

View attachment 3204068

Thanks MrMoonlight! I do have Low Tension Flats on a Danelectro Longhorn which also has the small string holes. So I can verify they do fit. Unfortunately, I cannot switch them over to my Höfner 58 reissue as the tuning pegs are a different distance from the nut then the longhorn. This is the case as well with the 62 or 64.

 

[DrSteve]

Yes. Thanks
I picked it up used. Was originally a custom order. Tag says #1

Just had it set up with new TIs and it plays and sounds better then ever

Fantastic looking bass! Can you describe how the controls work with three pickups? Looks like the same controls as used with the two pickup basses. I’d be curious to know know the switches and knobs work with three pickups.

Knobs work similarly to other Hofners. Bass / Treble on off - Rhythm / Solo but the knobs are Volumn & Tone. I know its an electronic capacitor thing (sorry, I'm not a tech) and not specifically pickups on/off, but it makes it easier to think of it as Treble Off (up position) = Neck pup on, Bass off = Bridge on, and Solo = Middle pup on.
I would guess the om Peterson works the same way (nice collection by the way)

 

[shoulderpet]

Very accurate rundown on the most common flatwounds available for Hofners @shoulderpet. My experiences mirror yours for the most part.

Depending on preferences, one's string choice will obviously vary...but I've found the LaBella Beatle Bass flats (.039-0.96) to be the most versatile of the bunch. They'll get you anywhere from the classic Macca sound on up to articulate twangy and most points in between. What I especially like about them is that when I run my HCT Cavern through my Zoom A3 I can get it to sound amazingly close to an amped URB. Of course the attack lacks the bloom of an upright somewhat, but the tone is really right there. To non-bassist ears, it's pretty convincing, especially in a band mix. Their low tension is easy on Hofner necks (had to loosen the TR when I switched to these) but they're still very playable. I really like these strings.

I've got Pyramid flats on my Klira and Hofner Club basses. These are the strings designed specifically for the Hofners and offer the classic sound that most of us associate with them. I love the way they sound and they're fairly low tension, but not floppy.

I don't care for the sound of TI's on a Hofner (but they sound fantastic on a P-Bass). The Rotosound flats sound great, but their high tension is brutal on Hofner necks, so I avoid them.



LaBella makes strings from their Deep Talkin' Bass series that are specifically labeled "for Hofner Beatle Bass". The winding length/silk length is correct and the winding ends are designed to fit through the small tuner openings. I couldn't say for sure if the ends of your Low Tension Flats will fit through the posts on a Hofner. You'd have to give it a try. But like I said above, the .039-.096 LaBellas sound and feel great.

Lastly, in order to officially be considered part of the group here, I'll post a picture of my Cavern. Pics of my Club will follow later...

View attachment 3204068

Yes, the Labella's are really good strings, did you try the medium scale Rotosound flatwounds? They are a lighter gauge than the long scale sets

 

[SJLee]

Knobs work similarly to other Hofners. Bass / Treble on off - Rhythm / Solo but the knobs are Volumn & Tone. I know its an electronic capacitor thing (sorry, I'm not a tech) and not specifically pickups on/off, but it makes it easier to think of it as Treble Off (up position) = Neck pup on, Bass off = Bridge on, and Solo = Middle pup on.
I would guess the om Peterson works the same way (nice collection by the way)

So with the treble bass tone off/on, do you know if that is selecting different pickup configurations, or is it adjusting tone among all three pickups being on?

Sorry for all the questions, but just trying to understand how it all works.

 

[fermata]

So with the treble bass tone off/on, do you know if that is selecting different pickup configurations, or is it adjusting tone among all three pickups being on?

Sorry for all the questions, but just trying to understand how it all works.

EDIT: D'oh! Just realized you're asking about the switches on the three-pickup bass.

-----
But for the record, here's how the switching works on a two-pickup Hofner:

In Solo, two resistors put 600K Ohms in parallel with the output, which loads the pickups and smooths out some upper midrange spikes that would be present without the additional parallel resistance. (It's like adding a third pot, as found on most two-pickup basses.) Switch to Rhythm, and now there's 330K Ohms in series with the output (the other 270K Ohms are still in parallel). This is like turning the volume down partway, and it also shunts some more highs to ground.

With the Bass and Treble switches up ('off'), both pickups are in the circuit, controlled by their respective volume controls (as well as the Solo/Rhythm switch).

Switch Bass On, and the bridge pickup (along with its volume pot) is switched out of the circuit, which reduces how much treble is shunted to ground. At the same time, a .1 uF tone cap is put in parallel with the neck pickup (it also has an 8.2K Ohm resistor between it and ground, which smooths out the resonant mid-bump and retains more treble than a cap wired straight to ground would). The cap is why Bass On sounds darker than just rolling off the bridge pickup. It's a tone control for one pickup.

Switch Treble On, and the neck pickup (and its volume pot) are switched out of the circuit, again imparting a brighter sound. Further brightening the sound is a .01 uF capacitor in series with the bridge pickup, which cuts bass. That's why Treble On sounds brighter than just rolling off the neck pickup. It's the same principal as the vintage switch/setting on a Rickenbacker or the strangle switch on a Bass VI.

 

[fermata]

Hi
Having tried a fair few flatwounds on my Hofner , thought I would give my feedback, my Hofner is currently sporting Rotosound flatwounds

Labella extra light gauge
Good thumpy flatwound string, distinctive as thumpy but also fairly bright treble, can get a lot of brightness with eq if required or roll off highs for a darker tone. Tension is low and strings are flexible feeling, very smooth feel.

Pyramid gold flatwounds
Very thumpy tone, if you want that classic thumpy Hofner tone then these will do that better than any other string, lots of bass, lots of low,low mids, not much top end. Strong attack then dies away almost immediately. I liked the tone of these a lot but they had a stiff feeling to them that I just could not get used to, the feel of these is slightly odd, they are smooth but slightly bumpy feeling.

Hofner Comtemporary Flatwounds
Very old school sounding strings, thumpy but the E string had literally no sustain at all, even less sustain than Pyramid gold, smooth feel , low tension.

TI Jazz Flats
Articulate midrange heavy flatwound, good choice for someone who wants a flatwound but wants something that is articulate and defined, strong high mids and long sustain for a flatwound, some people claim these strings sound more like rounds than flats, I disagree, these are clearly flatwounds to my ears just more articulate than most.
Only downside with these strings is that there is no real thump to them, feel is slightly less smooth than most flatwounds but still fairly smooth, tension is very low.

Rotosound jazz bass flatwound RS77M
Very different to their longscale version, for starters the gauge which is 90-40, not bright like the longscale version but nice and thumpy with a good thick tone , strangely the tone of these reminded me a little of Pyramid gold. Only downside with these is that I needed to tighten the truss rod more than with the other flatwounds although that is not too say that these feel stiff, they have a relatively flexible feel to them, the finish on these is very smooth.

Labella black nylon tapewounds
These sounded great at home but I found my bass was completely buried when I used these live, so much so in fact that they came off the following day, thumpy but useless to me due to no cut at all with these. Tension is very,very low with these, very smooth feel

This a great comparative summary! Of the strings I've tried on my 500/1 CT, I've liked the light La Bella flats the best--in part because they intonate the most easily (and perfectly) on my bass.

To which, let me add:

GHS Precision Flats
By design, the silks on short scale GHS strings just clear the nut on a Hofner. Compared to the La Bella flats, they feel equally smooth but drier, which (acoustically) made some brushing noises. The GHS have fuller, more present low mids. By comparison, the La Bellas seem a bit scooped. The E is a bit thuddier than the La Bella E. Tension/feel is similar on both sets, with the GHS .045 G feeling a bit more substantial (in a good way) than La Bella's .039 G. The GHS set is a bit more flexible feeling than the slightly stiffer La Bellas. After a couple of months with the GHS strings, I went back to the La Bellas because the La Bellas intonate perfectly (on my particular bass), while the GHS got close but weren't perfect, and the E string lost definition above the 10th fret or so. However, the bridge was further back with the GHS set, which made the bridge pickup sound fuller.

La Bella White Nylon Tapewounds
I made it several weeks with these and then took them off because they were just too noodle-y feeling. You can practically fret them by looking at them. The tone was nice--balanced and full spectrum, with more controlled lows than the monstrous lows flats on a Hofner deliver.

Ernie Ball Slinky Rounds
When I bought my CT, it was strung with Ernie Ball Slinky (.045-.105) nickel-plated rounds. They intonated perfectly and sounded fantastic in a live mix. I just prefer flats to rounds, but if I didn't, those would have stayed on.

 

[Oberst]

Interesting thing about this Hofner thread I have noticed:

1: it seems to have some of the best explanations of things that lay things out with clear explanations.

2: it has the nicest and most helpful folks participating.

3: there are some really talented people playing Hofners.

 

[shoulderpet]

This a great comparative summary! Of the strings I've tried on my 500/1 CT, I've liked the light La Bella flats the best--in part because they intonate the most easily (and perfectly) on my bass.

To which, let me add:

GHS Precision Flats
By design, the silks on short scale GHS strings just clear the nut on a Hofner. Compared to the La Bella flats, they feel equally smooth but drier, which (acoustically) made some brushing noises. The GHS have fuller, more present low mids. By comparison, the La Bellas seem a bit scooped. The E is a bit thuddier than the La Bella E. Tension/feel is similar on both sets, with the GHS .045 G feeling a bit more substantial (in a good way) than La Bella's .039 G. The GHS set is a bit more flexible feeling than the slightly stiffer La Bellas. After a couple of months with the GHS strings, I went back to the La Bellas because the La Bellas intonate perfectly (on my particular bass), while the GHS got close but weren't perfect, and the E string lost definition above the 10th fret or so. However, the bridge was further back with the GHS set, which made the bridge pickup sound fuller.

La Bella White Nylon Tapewounds
I made it several weeks with these and then took them off because they were just too noodle-y feeling. You can practically fret them by looking at them. The tone was nice--balanced and full spectrum, with more controlled lows than the monstrous lows flats on a Hofner deliver.

Ernie Ball Slinky Rounds
When I bought my CT, it was strung with Ernie Ball Slinky (.045-.105) nickel-plated rounds. They intonated perfectly and sounded fantastic in a live mix. I just prefer flats to rounds, but if I didn't, those would have stayed on.

Thanks, have always wanted to try the Ghs on my Hofner but whenever i go to buy a set they always seem to be sold out, being in the uk Rotosound flats are pretty easy to find online so my bass is wearing those at the moment, being made of a nickel alloy(monel) and being pretty warm out of the pack they remind me a bit of Pyramids but the Rotos definitely have their own thing going on tonally

 

[WannaBeatle]

funny, I thought the Roto set was a bit brighter than Pyramid or Thomastik. But, not nearly as tinny as some stainless flats I've tried.

But, with the Rotos I've tried (on my Ricky 4003), I immediately got that Pink Floyd tone down to a tee. I liked them, but, they weren't what I was looking for (other than looking for Waldo, or the droids I was looking for).

 

[12BitSlab]

I must be in the minority here in that I like the stock Hofner strings. I suppose others want a different sound than I do and that’s understandable. I like my V64 to sound like I stole Sir Paul’s bass.

 

[WannaBeatle]

I must be in the minority here in that I like the stock Hofner strings. I suppose others want a different sound than I do and that’s understandable. I like my V64 to sound like I stole Sir Paul’s bass.

the stock strings on the German basses are Pyramid. Those are my favorite of the bunch, obviously.

 

[shoulderpet]

funny, I thought the Roto set was a bit brighter than Pyramid or Thomastik. But, not nearly as tinny as some stainless flats I've tried.

But, with the Rotos I've tried (on my Ricky 4003), I immediately got that Pink Floyd tone down to a tee. I liked them, but, they weren't what I was looking for (other than looking for Waldo, or the droids I was looking for).

The medium scale Rotos are very different to the long scale set, the long scale set are much brighter and higher tension and rougher, the medium scale are darker,smoother and lower tension

 

[WannaBeatle]

I might wanna try them out sometime as an experiment. I know McCartney was using rotos a lot during the Beatle days (along with Pyramid) as well as on and off in the '80s and early '90s.

I wasn't a fan of the LaBella sets he was using. They sounded too bright and tinny (I used them for a long period, too).

 

[MrMoonlight]

...did you try the medium scale Rotosound flatwounds? They are a lighter gauge than the long scale sets

Yes, I used the medium scale set. I liked their sound but after putting them on, the neck ended up having way too much relief and even with the truss rod maxed out, I couldn't get the action down low enough. I really didn't want to buy a Hofner replacement bridge to sand down to try to get it any lower, so I just took them off. I kinda wished they would've worked for me, but alas...

I'm happy with the Pyramids and the LaBellas. They cover pretty much anything I need sound-wise from my Klira and Hofners.

 

[shoulderpet]

Yes, I used the medium scale set. I liked their sound but after putting them on, the neck ended up having way too much relief and even with the truss rod maxed out, I couldn't get the action down low enough. I really didn't want to buy a Hofner replacement bridge to sand down to try to get it any lower, so I just took them off. I kinda wished they would've worked for me, but alas...

I'm happy with the Pyramids and the LaBellas. They cover pretty much anything I need sound-wise from my Klira and Hofners.

Fair enough, I have to admit that even though they are lower tension than the long scale version and they don't feel particularly stiff my truss rod is pretty much maxed at the moment, have also noticed that the intonation is a bit screwy, if I can sort this then happy days , if not then I will go back to TI's

 

[shoulderpet]

Hi
Having tried a fair few flatwounds on my Hofner , thought I would give my feedback, my Hofner is currently sporting Rotosound flatwounds

Labella extra light gauge
Good thumpy flatwound string, distinctive as thumpy but also fairly bright treble, can get a lot of brightness with eq if required or roll off highs for a darker tone. Tension is low and strings are flexible feeling, very smooth feel.

Pyramid gold flatwounds
Very thumpy tone, if you want that classic thumpy Hofner tone then these will do that better than any other string, lots of bass, lots of low,low mids, not much top end. Strong attack then dies away almost immediately. I liked the tone of these a lot but they had a stiff feeling to them that I just could not get used to, the feel of these is slightly odd, they are smooth but slightly bumpy feeling.

Hofner Comtemporary Flatwounds
Very old school sounding strings, thumpy but the E string had literally no sustain at all, even less sustain than Pyramid gold, smooth feel , low tension.

TI Jazz Flats
Articulate midrange heavy flatwound, good choice for someone who wants a flatwound but wants something that is articulate and defined, strong high mids and long sustain for a flatwound, some people claim these strings sound more like rounds than flats, I disagree, these are clearly flatwounds to my ears just more articulate than most.
Only downside with these strings is that there is no real thump to them, feel is slightly less smooth than most flatwounds but still fairly smooth, tension is very low.

Rotosound jazz bass flatwound RS77M
Very different to their longscale version, for starters the gauge which is 90-40, not bright like the longscale version but nice and thumpy with a good thick tone , strangely the tone of these reminded me a little of Pyramid gold. Only downside with these is that I needed to tighten the truss rod more than with the other flatwounds although that is not too say that these feel stiff, they have a relatively flexible feel to them, the finish on these is very smooth.

Labella black nylon tapewounds
These sounded great at home but I found my bass was completely buried when I used these live, so much so in fact that they came off the following day, thumpy but useless to me due to no cut at all with these. Tension is very,very low with these, very smooth feel

And I have managed to source a set of GHS Flatwounds which are on my vintage brand violin bass copy, too early for my thoughts on these yet, on my main bass my Hofner club I have switched back to TI Jazz flats, I have fairly mild arthritis and my hands really benefit from the low tension of the TI's, add to this the fact that the TI's are about the lowest tension you can get is very reassuring to me.

So to summarise

For tonal flexibility:
TI Jazz flats

For old school thump:
Pyramid or Rotosound flats

Most comfortable flats:
TI Jazz flats

Worst flats:
Hofner Contemporary Flatwounds, like playing a bass drum, zero definition and only seemed to get worse as these broke in, I suspect these are one of the cheapo chinese brands you see on Ebay re-branded, to make matters worse the first set had a dead on arrival E string and when I decided enough was enough and took these off I could feel the outer wrap moving independently of the core

 

[Shadows Bass]

After reading through 40 pages of this site, I decided I would bite the bullet and get myself a Hofner Ignition Beatle Bass. They are quite expensive here in Australia but I managed to get a good deal on a brand new one in a hard case - delivery only took a couple days.
Bass arrived in good condition but needed a setup which took about an hour before I could play it. It plays really well, everything works and sounds as it should. The crappy strings that it came with even sound ok so I'll leave them on for a few weeks and see how they go. Hopefully they'll dull a bit. It is almost impossible to buy short scale flats here in Oz and after reading so many reviews on this site, it will take a while to figure out what I want.
Anyway, having said all that, I have two gigs this weekend and I'll be taking the Hofner along to both and give it a run. We do quite a few Beatles songs and I think this little bass will sound awesome.

 

[MAJOR METAL]

This looks really sharp!

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[Stumbo]

After reading through 40 pages of this site, I decided I would bite the bullet and get myself a Hofner Ignition Beatle Bass. They are quite expensive here in Australia but I managed to get a good deal on a brand new one in a hard case - delivery only took a couple days.
Bass arrived in good condition but needed a setup which took about an hour before I could play it. It plays really well, everything works and sounds as it should. The crappy strings that it came with even sound ok so I'll leave them on for a few weeks and see how they go. Hopefully they'll dull a bit. It is almost impossible to buy short scale flats here in Oz and after reading so many reviews on this site, it will take a while to figure out what I want.
Anyway, having said all that, I have two gigs this weekend and I'll be taking the Hofner along to both and give it a run. We do quite a few Beatles songs and I think this little bass will sound awesome.View attachment 3216198

Cool bass! IME, if you add an adjustable HPF, probably one with a footswitch, (for example, like Broughton or fdeck) it'll be easier to dial in Macca's tone.