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

[Michael Eisenman]

22836255[/URL], member: 288042"]My apologies if this is not the correct or appropriate forum but my question is: Where do you 500/1 bassist place the thumb of your fretting hand? I rest mine on the top edge of the neck pickup but was recently told not to do so, to keep the thumb "floating", but I found that difficult to do.

Depending on the tone I want, I rest the thumb of my plucking hand on the end of the neck, on either pickup, or on my virtual B string:

 

[shoulderpet]

Has anyone here added an active preamp to their Hofner? Curious as to whether there is enough space under the control panel to do this

 

[mongo2]

Has anyone here added an active preamp to their Hofner? Curious as to whether there is enough space under the control panel to do this

If it's a hollow body or semihollow body there's plenty of room but access to the inside of the body through the hole under the control plate might be an issue depending on the size of the preamp.

 

[Roger Ford]

I believe I saw a diagram for a 500/1 on the Hofner website with an avtive control. I'm not certain as it's been a while. I know I saw one I'm just not certain where.

 

[Doctor Intrepid]

I believe I saw a diagram for a 500/1 on the Hofner website with an avtive control. I'm not certain as it's been a while. I know I saw one I'm just not certain where.

I think it was in the early 70s when they produced some active 500/1s.

 

[Scooter Johnson]

this link may help Invalid Link Removed

 

[shoulderpet]

Hi, after some advice on my Hofner, last night it seemed to develop a really had buzzing, really loud, tried a different bass through my amp and was fine so am sure it is the Hofner and not my amp. I am guessing a grounding problem, how are Hofners grounded usually? I am guessing the ground wire is under the tailpiece to ground the bass?

 

[Doctor Intrepid]

Hi, after some advice on my Hofner, last night it seemed to develop a really had buzzing, really loud, tried a different bass through my amp and was fine so am sure it is the Hofner and not my amp. I am guessing a grounding problem, how are Hofners grounded usually? I am guessing the ground wire is under the tailpiece to ground the bass?

As far as I know that is how they are grounded. I have 5 Hofners and never had any grounding issues, of buzzing. I do get some rattling noises from some of them, but no buzzing.

 

[rockinrayduke]

I thought I'd profile my 68 500/1 on here a bit. By 68 Hofner had made a number of changes to the 500/1. These changes are as follows:

1. They switched from the humbucker staple pickups to single coil blade pickups. My 68 has the single coil blade pickups.

2. They changed the heel of the bass, where it meets the body, so that it was square and not rounded as is the case with actual violins. My 68 has the square heel.

3. They widened the control panel so that it would be easier to remove, and put back in, the control panel. My 68 has the wider control panel.

4. They shortened the tail piece so they could use the same tail piece for the new Club basses, which had a shorter body, and the Violin basses. Mine has the shorter tail piece.

5. They changed the tuning pegs so that they were covered and spring loaded. My 68 has this innovation.

6. Finally, by 68 they started using one piece maple necks. Luckily mine is an anomaly, as it is a three piece neck! Often Hofner would use up old pieces that are lying around, which then produces anomalies like my bass. So cool!

Here are the pics!
View attachment 3438157 View attachment 3438157 View attachment 3438158

I'm needing a 500/1 for a Beatles trib band I'm working with and looked seriously at the late 60s early 70's models with the blades but ultimately went with the v62 to look more authentic. I love those blade pickups.....

 

[Doctor Intrepid]

I'm needing a 500/1 for a Beatles trib band I'm working with and looked seriously at the late 60s early 70's models with the blades but ultimately went with the v62 to look more authentic. I love those blade pickups.....

Yeah, the blades are good but they are single coil and not hamburgers. Pick what you want.

 

[WannaBeatle]

Yeah, the blades are good but they are single coil and not hamburgers. Pick what you want.

I do like a hamburger pickup once in a while, too. but, I usually prefer a pizza pickup for acoustics

 

[Doctor Intrepid]

I do like a hamburger pickup once in a while, too. but, I usually prefer a pizza pickup for acoustics

lol, autocorrect is no fun.

 

[DavesnothereCA]

this link may help Invalid Link Removed

~
Having just snagged my first Hofner bass a few days ago, I have revisited TB discussions about the company's unorthodox wiring diagram on many of their models, including the Club, one of which I now own, and the Violin series.

In an effort to decide whether to make changes, and if so which ones to make, I looked at and compared all of the schematic diagrams which I had accumulated last time I had examined the circuitry without a Hofner bass handy, and then noticed the pic which you posted, same one as someone else had posted back on Page 43 of this thread.

I noticed and need to alert everyone to some ERRORS in this diagram, compared to every other diagram which I have previously found.

There are two :

First, the name labels in the schematic are interchanged from reality, between the neck and bridge pickup.

Secondly, in the same schematic, there is a line missing across the top pair of terminals of the 'Treble On' switch, which should be there and connecting them together.

That all said, the pictorial version of the circuit looks OK, and consistent with all other schematics which I have encountered.

Please would someone else proof read my observations, and post whether or not you agree.

Perhaps Fermata is one such person ?

Thanks.
~

 

[DavesnothereCA]

My apologies if this is not the correct or appropriate forum but my question is: Where do you 500/1 bassist place the thumb of your [plucking] hand?

I rest mine on the top edge of the neck pickup but was recently told not to do so, to keep the thumb "floating", but I found that difficult to do.

~
The thumb of my plucking hand rests against the side of my E/4th string, doubling as an element of my method of string damping, except of course while I an playing that string.

It's worked fine that way for me, for several decades on my Ric 4001, and seems equally effective on my latest bass, a Hofner Club Ignition series, silver sparkle finish.
~

 

[mongo2]

My apologies if this is not the correct or appropriate forum but my question is: Where do you 500/1 bassist place the thumb of your fretting hand? I rest mine on the top edge of the neck pickup but was recently told not to do so, to keep the thumb "floating", but I found that difficult to do.

I often keep the thumb of my plucking hand on the side of the neck and pluck in the vicinity of the neck pickup since that's the tone I usually want. Otherwise I float my thumb to achieve other tones.

 

[DavesnothereCA]

~
Having just snagged my first Hofner bass a few days ago, I have revisited TB discussions about the company's unorthodox wiring diagram on many of their models, including the Club, one of which I now own, and the Violin series.

In an effort to decide whether to make changes, and if so which ones to make, I looked at and compared all of the schematic diagrams which I had accumulated last time I had examined the circuitry without a Hofner bass handy, and then noticed the pic which you posted, same one as someone else had posted back on Page 43 of this thread.

I noticed and need to alert everyone to some ERRORS in this diagram, compared to every other diagram which I have previously found.

There are two :

First, the name labels in the schematic are interchanged from reality, between the neck and bridge pickup.

Secondly, in the same schematic, there is a line missing across the top pair of terminals of the 'Treble On' switch, which should be there and connecting them together.

That all said, the pictorial version of the circuit looks OK, and consistent with all other schematics which I have encountered.

Please would someone else proof read my observations, and post whether or not you agree.

Perhaps Fermata is one such person ?

Thanks.
~

~
"I noticed and need to alert everyone to some ERRORS in this diagram."

I should add that in many of the other Hofner schematics which I have found, there are NO labels at all shown for EITHER pickup, forcing us all to guess which is which.

( The first of two schematics in this linked post is an example of one with the pickups not being labeled :
How to rewire a Hofner violin bass control panel for more tones )

The person who authored the upthread pic to which I have been referring must have assumed/guessed that the bridge pickup would be nearer to the 'Treble On' switch, which might make sense at first thought/glance.

However, following the wires in any photo of an unmodified Hofner control panel (including this one) shows that association not to be true, as I see it.

Instead, it is the NECK pickup which is located in the top left of the schematic.

Another thing in many of the schematics out there (this one included) is that they do not specify in which position that each of the switches is shown.

Again, please would someone double check and comment upon my observations ?
~

 

[fermata]

Indeed, @DavesnothereCA, there are some anomalies between the diagrams. I think you're correct about the neck pickup being the top one. And in this diagram, the switches are shown in their up/'off' position; switching them down engages Treble On and Bass On.

This seems the same (with the Bass on capacitor/resistor on the other side of the switch, but that doesn't matter):

Source: Hofner Icon Bass 500/1 mods

To really verify this stuff, the best bet is to pop open your control panel and follow the wires. But I'm reasonably confident these diagrams are correct.

There's also a very clear wiring diagram here: Invalid Link Removed Jump to page 205.

And just for the record: After rewiring my Hofner controls at least five times, I put it back to stock; I now believe the stock wiring is best and, despite it's inherent weirdness, well-conceived and functional.

 

[DavesnothereCA]

Indeed, @DavesnothereCA, there are some anomalies between the diagrams. I think you're correct about the neck pickup being the top one....

....To really verify this stuff, the best bet is to pop open your control panel and follow the wires. But I'm reasonably confident these diagrams are correct.

There's also a very clear wiring diagram here: Invalid Link Removed Jump to page 205.

And just for the record: After rewiring my Hofner controls at least five times, I put it back to stock; I now believe the stock wiring is best and, despite it's inherent weirdness, well-conceived and functional.

~
Holy Electro-Cornucopia, Batman !

Over 500 bass diagrams and variants are covered in that PDF.

The guy who authored it must have been on a mission !

Thanks for the link !

And yes, all of the schematic and pictorial diagrams which you have presented individually thus far for stock 500/1 Hofners do indeed agree with the others which I have encountered, albeit some are missing some labels.

Only the one upthread to which I drew attention was inconsistent in labeling.

Missing labels is a [somewhat] lesser evil than incorrectly labelled, in MY mind.

At least it makes a person think.

Regarding the relative merits of stock wiring vs modified for these Hofners, I'm still evaluating, and will comment further at some point, over in your thread.

Let me just say so far that I can see pros and cons to each approach.

Cheers !

PS : I should mention that the schematic on P 205 of that compilation is drawn quite differently than all of the rest which I have encountered for these Hofners, with pickups and switches in different places on the page than in the others (and still missing some labels), though at first exam, I think that it operates the same.
~

 

[fermata]

OK, I had more time to scrutinize the various diagrams. The two in post #1217 are correct (and correlate to the linked Cadfael diagram). But as @DavesnothereCA identified, the diagram in post #1206 has a critical mistake: the lack of a jumper between the top two lugs on the Treble On switch, which renders the neck pickup inoperable.

 

[DavesnothereCA]

OK, I had more time to scrutinize the various diagrams. The two in post #1217 are correct (and correlate to the linked Cadfael diagram).

But as @DavesnothereCA identified, the diagram in post #1206 has a critical mistake: the lack of a jumper between the top two lugs on the Treble On switch, which renders the neck pickup inoperable.

~
Yes indeed, having no jumper there would cause that problem, AND again, for the other readers, post #1206 has the incorrect (swapped from reality) pickup labels in its schematic diagram, which I noticed before the missing jumper, which itself only cropped up while I was following and comparing the signal paths in the various Hofner diagrams which I have on file, in an effort to confirm the label swap issue.

The circuit would still work, if built and wired as per that schematic with the pickups swapped, but would not sound as expected.