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

Fair enough, that makes sense then, the Hofner strings are not bad, nice and bright but they seem to lack that lower mid girth to them, I was very surprised that I was able to get such an aggressive tone from them, rounds sound surprisingly good on a Hofner
Yeah I like rounds on mine too. I have rounds on 2 of my 5 500/1s. Flats on 1 and white nylon tapes on another. One bass is apart right now, as I'm in the process of customizing it.
 
Hi Hofner Beatle Bass Players. Just a reminder, if anyone would like a club membership number in The Hofner-Group Bass Club let me know.
Membership is easy, The
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, just show us a pic, or pics of your Hofner Bass, or Basses, and request a membership number. Don't forget to show us your amps too. We love pics here!
Man, Too bad I didn't keep the one I had. '63 Beatle bass. Great bass.:(
 
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...I also added a home-made thumbrest, which I'm still in debate of whether I'll keep it on or not (throws me off cause it feels too much like I'm playing a 5-string :confused:)
View attachment 2784579
View attachment 2784580
Thx, crunge. I just had to copy this mod because I sometimes like to play between the pickups (I had the same issue with my Rick; see photo below). I did find that the inside LEGO position was too close, and using the outside position gives me a pretty straight shot from pickup to pickup. The rest sits about ¼" below string level. Total cost: $1.99. This is my introduction to LEGO—where will it lead...?

upload_2019-6-13_9-26-54.jpeg upload_2019-6-13_9-28-1.jpeg upload_2019-6-13_9-32-36.jpeg
 
Ok, had the roundwounds on for a week or so and really liking them so far, might try some Roto's once these Hofner rounds start to die, funny thing is with the brightness of these strings I find myself boosting the treble, switching on the tweeter and engaging the bright switch on my amp (so a total of +28db at 10khz) to make full use of the tone of these strings, very untraditional Hofner tone but sounds great
 
Greetings to all! Per gsgbass' instructions, I am requesting a new member number for this group.

I'm an old retired guy that has played more dive bars and bad gigs than I care t remember over my 50+ years of gigging... all amateur hobby band work. Recently moved to a retirement community in central Florida and found a club that plays only Beatle music. We meet weekly, have a membership of a few hundred folks (most only come to meetings to learn and listen) and a core group of about 20-30 musicians who try to faithfully reproduce the songs on each of the 12 British released albums. Also belong to a small group of 5 club members that perform "The Beatles Story" and "British Invasion" shows throughout the community.

The following are pics of my Hofner's:

upload_2019-6-15_20-19-16.png

My '67 vintage German 500/1. Had it since early 70's. Pretty minty, no checking and still have original strings in the case!

upload_2019-6-15_20-24-17.png

My 2012 Diamond Jubilee bass - #25 of 60 made for US market. Only ever played twice!

upload_2019-6-15_20-27-36.png

My main player... Mid 20-teens HCT 500/1 SB with several cosmetic mods (tea cups, TRC, etc.).

upload_2019-6-15_20-30-31.png


Mid 20-teens HCT USA Flag bass. Since this pic I've added tea cups and a pick guard. Another great player! Love the HCT series!

Probably shouldn't include this one, but I can't help myself!
upload_2019-6-15_20-33-54.png

I built this from a Chinese Ignition kit. Always wanted a G500/1 or a H5000/1 Deluxe but couldn't afford one, so I just did what I could afford. It plays and sounds remarkably like my Germans... it was a real learning experience!!!

I use a GK 1x12 combo for most of my Beatles and BI gigs.

I also have a pre2000 Warwick Streamer LX, an Euphonic Audio 500watt/Korg DTR2000 and an Epifany 3x10 Neo cabinet for use in more "professional" gigs.

I've been a TB member for a short while but just found this group. You all seem to share a reverence for the Hofner basses as do I. Looking forward to joining this illustrious group of Hofner aficionados
 
Greetings to all! Per gsgbass' instructions, I am requesting a new member number for this group.

I'm an old retired guy that has played more dive bars and bad gigs than I care t remember over my 50+ years of gigging... all amateur hobby band work. Recently moved to a retirement community in central Florida and found a club that plays only Beatle music. We meet weekly, have a membership of a few hundred folks (most only come to meetings to learn and listen) and a core group of about 20-30 musicians who try to faithfully reproduce the songs on each of the 12 British released albums. Also belong to a small group of 5 club members that perform "The Beatles Story" and "British Invasion" shows throughout the community.

The following are pics of my Hofner's:

View attachment 3447138
My '67 vintage German 500/1. Had it since early 70's. Pretty minty, no checking and still have original strings in the case!

View attachment 3447141
My 2012 Diamond Jubilee bass - #25 of 60 made for US market. Only ever played twice!

View attachment 3447143
My main player... Mid 20-teens HCT 500/1 SB with several cosmetic mods (tea cups, TRC, etc.).

View attachment 3447144

Mid 20-teens HCT USA Flag bass. Since this pic I've added tea cups and a pick guard. Another great player! Love the HCT series!

Probably shouldn't include this one, but I can't help myself!
View attachment 3447147
I built this from a Chinese Ignition kit. Always wanted a G500/1 or a H5000/1 Deluxe but couldn't afford one, so I just did what I could afford. It plays and sounds remarkably like my Germans... it was a real learning experience!!!

I use a GK 1x12 combo for most of my Beatles and BI gigs.

I also have a pre2000 Warwick Streamer LX, an Euphonic Audio 500watt/Korg DTR2000 and an Epifany 3x10 Neo cabinet for use in more "professional" gigs.

I've been a TB member for a short while but just found this group. You all seem to share a reverence for the Hofner basses as do I. Looking forward to joining this illustrious group of Hofner aficionados
That is an inspiring collection!
 
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Greetings to all! Per gsgbass' instructions, I am requesting a new member number for this group.

I'm an old retired guy that has played more dive bars and bad gigs than I care t remember over my 50+ years of gigging... all amateur hobby band work. Recently moved to a retirement community in central Florida and found a club that plays only Beatle music. We meet weekly, have a membership of a few hundred folks (most only come to meetings to learn and listen) and a core group of about 20-30 musicians who try to faithfully reproduce the songs on each of the 12 British released albums. Also belong to a small group of 5 club members that perform "The Beatles Story" and "British Invasion" shows throughout the community.

The following are pics of my Hofner's:

View attachment 3447138
My '67 vintage German 500/1. Had it since early 70's. Pretty minty, no checking and still have original strings in the case!

View attachment 3447141
My 2012 Diamond Jubilee bass - #25 of 60 made for US market. Only ever played twice!

View attachment 3447143
My main player... Mid 20-teens HCT 500/1 SB with several cosmetic mods (tea cups, TRC, etc.).

View attachment 3447144

Mid 20-teens HCT USA Flag bass. Since this pic I've added tea cups and a pick guard. Another great player! Love the HCT series!

Probably shouldn't include this one, but I can't help myself!
View attachment 3447147
I built this from a Chinese Ignition kit. Always wanted a G500/1 or a H5000/1 Deluxe but couldn't afford one, so I just did what I could afford. It plays and sounds remarkably like my Germans... it was a real learning experience!!!

I use a GK 1x12 combo for most of my Beatles and BI gigs.

I also have a pre2000 Warwick Streamer LX, an Euphonic Audio 500watt/Korg DTR2000 and an Epifany 3x10 Neo cabinet for use in more "professional" gigs.

I've been a TB member for a short while but just found this group. You all seem to share a reverence for the Hofner basses as do I. Looking forward to joining this illustrious group of Hofner aficionados
Beautiful collection you've got there. I especially like the Jubilee Hofner. I've been trying to get my hands on one of those. Thanks for sharing your collection with us.:bassist:
 
Greetings to all! Per gsgbass' instructions, I am requesting a new member number for this group.

I'm an old retired guy that has played more dive bars and bad gigs than I care t remember over my 50+ years of gigging... all amateur hobby band work. Recently moved to a retirement community in central Florida and found a club that plays only Beatle music. We meet weekly, have a membership of a few hundred folks (most only come to meetings to learn and listen) and a core group of about 20-30 musicians who try to faithfully reproduce the songs on each of the 12 British released albums. Also belong to a small group of 5 club members that perform "The Beatles Story" and "British Invasion" shows throughout the community.

The following are pics of my Hofner's:

View attachment 3447138
My '67 vintage German 500/1. Had it since early 70's. Pretty minty, no checking and still have original strings in the case!

View attachment 3447141
My 2012 Diamond Jubilee bass - #25 of 60 made for US market. Only ever played twice!

View attachment 3447143
My main player... Mid 20-teens HCT 500/1 SB with several cosmetic mods (tea cups, TRC, etc.).

View attachment 3447144

Mid 20-teens HCT USA Flag bass. Since this pic I've added tea cups and a pick guard. Another great player! Love the HCT series!

Probably shouldn't include this one, but I can't help myself!
View attachment 3447147
I built this from a Chinese Ignition kit. Always wanted a G500/1 or a H5000/1 Deluxe but couldn't afford one, so I just did what I could afford. It plays and sounds remarkably like my Germans... it was a real learning experience!!!

I use a GK 1x12 combo for most of my Beatles and BI gigs.

I also have a pre2000 Warwick Streamer LX, an Euphonic Audio 500watt/Korg DTR2000 and an Epifany 3x10 Neo cabinet for use in more "professional" gigs.

I've been a TB member for a short while but just found this group. You all seem to share a reverence for the Hofner basses as do I. Looking forward to joining this illustrious group of Hofner aficionados

I'm from Germany and don't even own a Höfner bass (yet), but I really like your collection and your musical activities in your community. :thumbsup:

Your basses are giving me some serious "GAS" too! :D;)
 
I'm from Germany and don't even own a Höfner bass (yet), but I really like your collection and your musical activities in your community. :thumbsup:

Your basses are giving me some serious "GAS" too! :D;)

BassmanM... Wie gehts! Thank you for your comments. The Hofner's are a great short scale bass and pretty versatile if you have a decent contemporary amp to extract the full range of tone they are capable of. Given Hamburg's important place in the history of the Hofner 500/1 series, I am hopeful that you can add one to your collection in the future!
 
Anyone using Rotosound roundwounds on their Hofner? If so how do they sound? Nice and bright?
I have a set of Rotosounds waiting for my Hofner, I know from previous experience with Roto's that they sound great on some basses, others not so much, I could just put them on my Hofner but the set of rounds on there at the moment are only a couple weeks old so I think they probably have a good 3-4 weeks life left on them
 
Thanks GavinJC for your nice comments. The Diamond Jubilees do come up from time to time, but they tend to be pretty pricey. Good luck with your search!

If you or anyone else in the club is interested, there is currently a German Diamond Jubilee for sale on Reverb...

<Hofner Diamond Jubilee Violin Bass 2012 | N's Les Paul Shop>

A brief background story is in order here. When Hofner decided to build the "limited series" 1-60 (one for each year of Her Majesty's service) in Germany, there was some "confusion" about the number being built. It appears that the USA Distributor bought the entire run of the original 60 for the US market! These basses had regular Hofner serial numbers and a sequence number ( 1 thru 60) on the Certificate of Authenticity (COA).

Meanwhile, the rest of the world market distributors were very upset about this. After some tense discussions with Hofner, it was decided that they would commence a SECOND run of Diamond Jubilee basses. this time for the World Market. These basses were identical in every way except that their serial numbers on the COA corresponded to a specific year the Her Majesty served. Thus these basses would have non-standard Hofner serial number like 1970, 1971, 1972, etc.

The bass I own is #25 from the North American run. The bass that is currently listed on Reverb is number 1970 from the World Market run.

Just another example of how confusing things can get when dealing with these wonderful handmade beauties!
 
If you or anyone else in the club is interested, there is currently a German Diamond Jubilee for sale on Reverb...

<Hofner Diamond Jubilee Violin Bass 2012 | N's Les Paul Shop>

A brief background story is in order here. When Hofner decided to build the "limited series" 1-60 (one for each year of Her Majesty's service) in Germany, there was some "confusion" about the number being built. It appears that the USA Distributor bought the entire run of the original 60 for the US market! These basses had regular Hofner serial numbers and a sequence number ( 1 thru 60) on the Certificate of Authenticity (COA).

Meanwhile, the rest of the world market distributors were very upset about this. After some tense discussions with Hofner, it was decided that they would commence a SECOND run of Diamond Jubilee basses. this time for the World Market. These basses were identical in every way except that their serial numbers on the COA corresponded to a specific year the Her Majesty served. Thus these basses would have non-standard Hofner serial number like 1970, 1971, 1972, etc.

The bass I own is #25 from the North American run. The bass that is currently listed on Reverb is number 1970 from the World Market run.

Just another example of how confusing things can get when dealing with these wonderful handmade beauties!

Love it! If I was in the US and had the $$, I'd probably grab it. :thumbsup:
 

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