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Hofner string question

greggory garner

greggory garner

Jun 29, 2015
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#1
Hey, just got a contemporary line Hofner club bass, I love thick flatwound strings and was wondering if anyone has used the 50-100 labella Beatle bass flats for their Hofner. Seems like a more fragile instrument than others and was wondering what opinions are. Thanks
 
#3
The main thing is to buy strings which actually fit a Hofner. LaBella does make such strings which fit through the tiny string tuner posts, fit the through the tailpiece slots and are exactly the correct length. They are a high quality string made for Hofners. Make sure you get one of their sets specifically designed for "Beatle bass".
Have you read the posts on this string section where we discussed the 3 most popular flats for Hofner basses?
Pyramid Gold flats short scale are the original equipment strings that Hofner puts on their German made basses. McCartney uses them. Thomastik-Infeld makes a short scale version for their Jazz flats, which many people like. Both of these are excellent, and last many years making them cost effective in the long term.
 
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#4
greggory garner said:
Hey, just got a contemporary line Hofner club bass, I love thick flatwound strings and was wondering if anyone has used the 50-100 labella Beatle bass flats for their Hofner. Seems like a more fragile instrument than others and was wondering what opinions are. Thanks
Click to expand...
Well...
La Bella has made those strings for... quite a while, so somebody must use them. My only Hofner - a German-made 500/2 Club Bass (no lefty Club Bass otherwise) has it's original strings - I think. They look identical to the 40-100 short scale Pyramids I bought as a spare set, though... Personally, I've always found really light gauge flats - like La Bella's 39-96 Beatle Bass flats - to be just a little too... flexible... for my playing style. I have a set of 39-96 760FX's on my Dano Longhorn - and they are more flexible than I'd like - but, I want "that Dano sound", and that's what it takes to get it. If you feel the need for a 50-65-80-100 string set? Then use them, by all means. I doubt it will hurt the bass, really. Just keep an eye on your neck, if you have concerns... :whistle:
GretschWretch said:
I won't use a 50-100 set on anything. 40-100 is my preferred gauging, with a little bit of fudging to either side. But a 50 G implies a 65+ D, and IMO that is just asking for neck bow. The only possible exception might be if the strings are tapewounds.
Click to expand...
I used the 50-107 short scale Boomers for quite a while - and really liked them. Well, except for being rounds... The bass had no trouble with them, but it's a headless, aluminum-necked Kramer "Duke". Neck bow on that thing, would require a 10-ton hydraulic press... I played them until they really did die, then searched for some flats that sounded similar. Short scale DR Legends did the trick. I have a set of La Bella 760FS's on a cheap Chinese violin bass. They've been on that thing for about 6 years now; no neck problems so far. And, frankly? I would have expected problems by now; but... nada...:cool:
 
#5
GIBrat51 said:
I used the 50-107 short scale Boomers for quite a while - and really liked them. Well, except for being rounds... The bass had no trouble with them, but it's a headless, aluminum-necked Kramer "Duke". Neck bow on that thing, would require a 10-ton hydraulic press... I played them until they really did die, then searched for some flats that sounded similar. Short scale DR Legends did the trick. I have a set of La Bella 760FS's on a cheap Chinese violin bass. They've been on that thing for about 6 years now; no neck problems so far. And, frankly? I would have expected problems by now; but... nada...:cool:
Click to expand...
If you want to irrevocably destroy an otherwise excellent neck, just load it with the old orange-thread Gibson Mon-el flatwounds. Ask me how I know.
 
#6
The Pyramid strings are the strings to use. The TI's don't have the tone. Some others have too much tension. The La Bella's are good, but to me they are unbalanced.
 
#7
greggory garner said:
Hey, just got a contemporary line Hofner club bass, I love thick flatwound strings and was wondering if anyone has used the 50-100 labella Beatle bass flats for their Hofner. Seems like a more fragile instrument than others and was wondering what opinions are. Thanks
Click to expand...
i just tried the la bellas on a verythin, sounded good but too stiff for me. i have a set of the lighter gauge on the way.
 
#10
What about the normal 760FL-M (M for medium scale)? That's a balanced tension with 43-106 gauge.
I currently run the 50-100 set on my Ignition. It feels alright, but the top 2 strings are a good bit brighter than the bottom 2. I prefer the lighter 39-96 set, but I currently run that set on my EB-3.
I'd like to try the 50-100 nylon set, though. It could be a bit looser and more balanced than a normal 50-100 set?
 

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