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Violin / Hofner Bass pickups

Mosfed

Mosfed

Apr 21, 2013
12,753
45,525
Washington DC
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Partner - CCP Pedals
#1
Hey there

Who makes a decent Hofner bass pickup?

I just picked up a Tokai copy of the Hofner at a closeout sale at a local store that is going out of business for freaking peanuts. The last thing in the world I needed was another bass, but at least it is completely different than the ones I already have.

The build quality is lovely, straight neck, lovely flame - but even at the original price point, I can't imagine they are sticking decent pickups in there. So I would like to change them out for something better.

Does anyone have any ideas?
 
#2
You can always spend the big bucks on real Hofner pickups, or play the ones you have: do they sound good? Are they low-noise? Do they EQ well? Tokai may use oriental pickups, but they use good ones; it is in the realm of possibilities they use the same pickups as on the Epiphone Viola. I'd keep what is there and do a good setup. A good setup will do more for a bass than any number of aftermarket pickups or other modifications. Put a set of flats on it.
 
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#3
iiipopes said:
You can always spend the big bucks on real Hofner pickups, or play the ones you have: do they sound good? Are they low-noise? Do they EQ well? Tokai may use oriental pickups, but they use good ones; it is in the realm of possibilities they use the same pickups as on the Epiphone Viola. I'd keep what is there and do a good setup. A good setup will do more for a bass than any number of aftermarket pickups or other modifications. Put a set of flats on it.
Click to expand...

No doubt I am playing it for a while before making a change, but I wanted a sense of any pickup manufacturers that actually made that pickup. It's like a mini-humbucker sized single coil (I think). I agree on flats - already restrung with Rotos.
 
#5
I'm having the same problem with a Jay Turser copy aswell, acoustically it's alright, intonation is dead on (such wow) and it's my live bass and thus i beat the crap out of the strings :D it hasn't failed me yet, but i hate how the pickups sound. I used to own half of a german no name violin bass hofner copy from 68 or 69, it was really great acoustically and the pickups were simply AMAZING. Though intonation was at a point of no return with a heavily twisted neck. It had a nice usuable sweet spot around the fifth fret tho... and it was so worth it just for that. I wish i still had it, but i split up with my ex and had to split the instruments we owned, she kept that bass. Now that i remember, the bridge pickup sounded very trebly like it wasn't set right, but i only ever used the neck pickup on that one. It was a one trick pony due to all its faults, but damn it was a nice trick.

I contacted her to see if she was willing to sell the bass to me so i could salvage the pickups, but she's keeping it.

Help me find replacement pickups !! Maybe some of you have experience with a vintage hofner copy that has great stock pickups ? There are plenty vintage ones in local ads, but i don't know which ones have decent pickups, the one i was telling about i got for 300 bucks, still cheaper than hofner replacement pickups.
 
#7
I picked up a Teisco violin bass here in the Classifieds last year. Had to replace some of the wiring, but WOW, what a great tone those pickups have!
 

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