New bass day! Hofner 500/1 ct

[Wonky2]

So after a crap start to the day with the pickup sale saga, I had a change in my positive mental attitude and went ahead and bought a hofner 500:1 contemporary series bass….(second hand) with a case….

 

I’ve wanted one for ages. My 76 jazz bass is insanely good but as a few of you know my bones are goosed and the weight isn’t ideal. And so the hofner itch has been scratched! 
 

i think I got a great deal

On it, although had to travel a fair trot to get it but what the heck! 

 

it sounds fantastic but is strung with rounds, I’m a flats man and I use Ernie ball cobalt flats but guess I need short scale for this hofner so I’m not sure eb cb flats come in short scale….?

 

any suggestions guys for a nice set of flats short scale? Not something I’ve ever looked for before….and as this bass is “lightweight” should I not be using my normal 100-45’s and maybe go a touch lighter? I don’t want to snap the thing in half ! 😝
 

set up isn’t too bad, but could

possibley be squeezed a little

More lower action ….. 

the bridge adjusters are pretty much bottomed out though so I guess it’s a “sand the bottom of bridge feet” job like I’ve done on new double bass bridges in the past…. 
Also, I can’t work out what size truss rod key is? Cant even see down the flippin hole!  Any one know that off hand? 
 

playing, well it’s small… very small….playing with a puck seems the likely solution …. I’m a fingers guy, anyone else play a hof with fingers ? 

 

 

Edited February 11, 2023 by Wonky2

[luckman67]

Good looking bass you have there I hope it gives you, many happy years of playing and ownership. I have a 1964 500/1 which like you my 34" scale basses were starting to hurt my left hand, so I brought out my old Hofner & it is easier to play and yes I to use a pick. I didn't want to waste money on an expensive set of flatwounds to begin with just in case, I ended up putting the Hofner back in it's case. So I bought the Hofner HCT flatwounds to see if I liked them & thee not bad I think I paid about £23 on eBay for them.

I probably will get a set of LaBella Beatle Bass strings but for now, these will do plus I like the green silk ends.

 

[Wonky2]

Yeah I’ve seen them, 26£ which is great, I just wondered if they’d end up being a false economy and soon replaces with chromes or labellas …. But if the general opinion is that they’re great I may give them a go….they sure look ok ….

how long you had them on, do they intonate well and is the tension feel high/low/med?

 

I use (and have for the last 10 years) eb cobalt flats, and I love everything about them, they’re perfect.  But don’t do short scale 🤦‍♂️👍 

 

I think it’s more about tension and consistency  of intonation ….

and I’ve noticed the hofner round which came on the bass don’t intonate fantastically well….. yes, I’ve adjusted the bridge to correct intonation but I just know how the string registers on my tuner that these hof strings are a bit “wobbley”….

Think I might have some used chromes somewhere to try, and an old set of cobalts but the acutual working part of the string would be wound around the machine head peg as those sets are LS (32or 34”)…. 
would that matter ? Prob not I guess

Edited February 12, 2023 by Wonky2

[luckman67]

3 hours ago, Wonky2 said:

Yeah I’ve seen them, 26£ which is great, I just wondered if they’d end up being a false economy and soon replaces with chromes or labellas …. But if the general opinion is that they’re great I may give them a go….they sure look ok ….

how long you had them on, do they intonate well and is the tension feel high/low/med?

 

I use (and have for the last 10 years) eb cobalt flats, and I love everything about them, they’re perfect.  But don’t do short scale 🤦‍♂️👍 

 

I think it’s more about tension and consultancy of intonation ….

and I’ve noticed the hofner round which came on the bass don’t intonate fantastically well….. yes, I’ve adjusted the bridge to correct intonation but I just know how the string registers on my tuner that these hof strings are a bit “wobbley”….

Think I might have some used chromes somewhere to try, and an old set of cobalts but the acutual working part of the string would be wound around the machine head peg as those sets are LS (32or 34”)…. 
would that matter ? Prob not I guess

The tension is not bad at all on these string as these are made for Hofner but overseas under licence. Intonation wise they can be a little off but at this price for the strings, I guess there is a bit of a trade off.

[Paul S]

I'd have a go with black nylon tapewounds - I put a set on mine, when I had one (well, a Club) and it sounded pretty fab.  Lovely feel, too.

[grayn]

I can't help you with flats, as I am not fond of them but I have owned a lot of short scale basses and have always used standard length strings on them, with no problems, especially if your bass has a separate bridge and tailpiece.  As you say though, probably better off with the lighter gauge strings.  Nice bass BTW.

[Guest]

Bass Direct have got both the 760FHB2 36-56-77-96 and the 760FHBB 50-65-80-100 sets of LaBella Beatle Bass Deep Talkin Flats for £40 each

 

LaBellas blurb reads "Fits Hofner Beatle basses and similar models that require 34" distance from ball-end to silk. Please do not substitute this set for a medium-scale set."

[Reggaebass]

There’s a set of hofner Deep Talking Bass flats for sale on here, not sure if they are any good for you 

[Grahambythesea]

I found the strings too close together for finger style, although if you look at pics/videos of 60s players they seemed to manage. It depends what you’re used to. As for Hofner strings - yuk.

[BlueMoon]

Going from say a P bass to a Höfner violin bass can require a quick adjustment regarding string spacing and scale……..but no big deal in my personal experience.

[shoulderpet]

On 12/02/2023 at 17:26, Ricky Rioli said:

Bass Direct have got both the 760FHB2 36-56-77-96 and the 760FHBB 50-65-80-100 sets of LaBella Beatle Bass Deep Talkin Flats for £40 each

 

LaBellas blurb reads "Fits Hofner Beatle basses and similar models that require 34" distance from ball-end to silk. Please do not substitute this set for a medium-scale set."

These are great strings, be careful fitting them though as they get very skinny at the tuner end so there is potential to stab yourself accidentally with them or to snap them if you are overzealous fitting them.

Daddario tapewounds also work well

 

Another thing to note is that you will need medium scale strings due to the tailpiece.

[police squad]

On 12/02/2023 at 17:26, Ricky Rioli said:

Bass Direct have got both the 760FHB2 36-56-77-96 and the 760FHBB 50-65-80-100 sets of LaBella Beatle Bass Deep Talkin Flats for £40 each

 

LaBellas blurb reads "Fits Hofner Beatle basses and similar models that require 34" distance from ball-end to silk. Please do not substitute this set for a medium-scale set."

wow that's cheap

 

I have a set for sale on here, I shall reduce the price acordingly

[police squad]

On 12/02/2023 at 17:49, Reggaebass said:

There’s a set of hofner Deep Talking Bass flats for sale on here, not sure if they are any good for you 

they're mine, I shall reduce the price

[Wonky2]

I went with the labella beatle bass .96-.38 guage in the end….

wheni opened the packet I immediately thought I crap , I’ve made a boob here because this g sting is bonkers thin….. 

but having spent two nights leveling frets , re crowning and polishing I was keen to get it string up and set up….

 

I did and it was great. Those labellas are absolutely gorgeous to play. (I’ve use eb cobalts exclusively for the last 12 years)….. I’m a definite convert.

 

took the bass and played it for the first time with the band last night….

 

the first 5-10 mins I thought hmmm this isn’t for me…..

but once I’d got used to it ….

MY GOD this bass is just fantastic in every way. 
i absolutley love it.

 

sommuch so , I may consider selling my 76 jazz and butting a proper German hofner.

 

 

[shoulderpet]

1 hour ago, Wonky2 said:

I went with the labella beatle bass .96-.38 guage in the end….

wheni opened the packet I immediately thought I crap , I’ve made a boob here because this g sting is bonkers thin….. 

but having spent two nights leveling frets , re crowning and polishing I was keen to get it string up and set up….

 

I did and it was great. Those labellas are absolutely gorgeous to play. (I’ve use eb cobalts exclusively for the last 12 years)….. I’m a definite convert.

 

took the bass and played it for the first time with the band last night….

 

the first 5-10 mins I thought hmmm this isn’t for me…..

but once I’d got used to it ….

MY GOD this bass is just fantastic in every way. 
i absolutley love it.

 

sommuch so , I may consider selling my 76 jazz and butting a proper German hofner.

 

 

Yep, there is something special about a Hofner with flats and once you get used to them they play effortlessly, you made the right decision with the lighter gauge as Labellas always feel a bit heavier than the numbers the gauge provides.

 

The German Hofners are pricey but they are lovely basses, if you can afford it then it is totally worth it imo, tonally they go slightly deeper than the contemporary models (but that might just be down to the Pyramid flats that they ship with)

Edited February 17, 2023 by shoulderpet

[shoulderpet]

4 minutes ago, shoulderpet said:

Yep, there is something special about a Hofner with flats and once you get used to them they play effortlessly, you made the right decision with the lighter gauge as Labellas always feel a bit heavier than the numbers the gauge provides.

 

The German Hofners are pricey but they are lovely basses, if you can afford it then it is totally worth it imo, tonally they go slightly deeper than the contemporary models (but that might just be down to the Pyramid flats that they ship with)

Also, it is worth swapping out the tuners on the contemporary Hofners, projectguitarparts sells various Hofner tuners, I replaced mine with a set of the rugby ball shaped tuners

[Wonky2]

6 hours ago, shoulderpet said:

Also, it is worth swapping out the tuners on the contemporary Hofners, projectguitarparts sells various Hofner tuners, I replaced mine with a set of the rugby ball shaped tuners

Yep the machine heads are particular crud.

i specifically paid more for the ct model than the basic ignition series but in all honesty the bass needed that much work and still require upgrades such as machine heads etc so I’m left wondering what the difference would have been if I’d have gone with the cheaper option….

dontbget me wrong, I’m happy with it but it does make you think….

 

I had to do a full fret levelling and recrown/polish before I could get it set up nice….

 

with all that in mind, I would wonder how much more refund a German model would be ? 

[luckman67]

Glad you managed to sort some strings out for your violin bass. 

[Happy Jack]

The genuine German basses are MUCH better made and finished, but they are MUCH MUCH more expensive. 🤑

[Wonky2]

2 hours ago, luckman67 said:

Glad you managed to sort some strings out for your violin bass. 

 

43 minutes ago, Happy Jack said:

The genuine German basses are MUCH better made and finished, but they are MUCH MUCH more expensive. 🤑

tha ks Jack, more expensive is a given…. But better finish, I assume you mean refind to a much higher standard in terms of attention to detail and set up, ie the neck and frets? 
 

im not concerned much with laquer.paint finish , just actuall quality of the workmanship/build…..(which I’m sure is exactly what you mean)….

 

the difference in price is whopping, are they THAT much better ? 
or would putting German electrics in a well set up ct achieve any near similar at a fraction of the cost?

[Happy Jack]

They're properly-built, old-school instruments, built and finished in the same way and to the same standards as they build violins and cellos.

[luckman67]

On 18/02/2023 at 10:36, Wonky2 said:

 

tha ks Jack, more expensive is a given…. But better finish, I assume you mean refind to a much higher standard in terms of attention to detail and set up, ie the neck and frets? 
 

im not concerned much with laquer.paint finish , just actuall quality of the workmanship/build…..(which I’m sure is exactly what you mean)….

 

the difference in price is whopping, are they THAT much better ? 
or would putting German electrics in a well set up ct achieve any near similar at a fraction of the cost?

If you don't want to change the panel over you could just change, the pots over to 250k from the 500k pots that are in it at the moment. This Gentleman has done loads of video's on all the, violin basses from the IGN to the German 500/1.

 

[shoulderpet]

On 12/02/2023 at 10:13, luckman67 said:

Good looking bass you have there I hope it gives you, many happy years of playing and ownership. I have a 1964 500/1 which like you my 34" scale basses were starting to hurt my left hand, so I brought out my old Hofner & it is easier to play and yes I to use a pick. I didn't want to waste money on an expensive set of flatwounds to begin with just in case, I ended up putting the Hofner back in it's case. So I bought the Hofner HCT flatwounds to see if I liked them & thee not bad I think I paid about £23 on eBay for them.

I probably will get a set of LaBella Beatle Bass strings but for now, these will do plus I like the green silk ends.

 

I tried these and they were probably the worst strings I have ever brought, Labella and TI's are leagues better imo

[Reggaebass]

Alain posted one recently on his 500/1 with flats, he normally plays a jazz bass, sounds fantastic, just thought it might be of interest 🙂

 

[luckman67]

2 hours ago, shoulderpet said:

I tried these and they were probably the worst strings I have ever brought, Labella and TI's are leagues better imo

The LaBella's & TI's are without question a better brand of flatwound strings. I must have found a decent pack of the Hofner HCT flatwounds as they don't sound to bad, on my 500/1 so I'm greatfull for that. Next May my bass is 60 years old so as a birthday present maybe a set of LaBella's would be in order 😃 

Edited February 19, 2023 by luckman67