Hohner "The Jack" Restoration

[PaulThePlug]

On 30/08/2025 at 14:40, Jackroadkill said:

PS - can also do you a pickup ring with a thumb rest designed for the Steinberger Spirit, which I think might well fit your Hohner.

 

https://makerworld.com/en/models/1434657-steinberger-spirit-humbucker-with-thumb-rest?from=search

Not wishing to 'Hi-Jack' the thread - see what i did there?.. 🤣

I got a B2 Basket Case for £Low on a whim... Strip Down and Clean Up of the bridge, Tuner Thrust Washers fitted, pots were seized, so simple Vol and 3 way selector.

If you have the file and are about to press Play, how much for a pair in Black?

Ta Muchly

[Jackroadkill]

23 hours ago, PaulThePlug said:

If you have the file and are about to press Play, how much for a pair in Black?

 

PM inbound!

[Mediocre Polymath]

Righty, I'm back from a week's holiday on the Devon coast (lovely) and ready to put the finishing touches on this project. 

 

In my time away, the lacquer has had time to fully cure. So the first thing to do was the both tedious and nerve-wracking process of wet-dry sanding the bass to get rid of all the brush marks and runs. 

 

This is always a fairly scary process, as you just have to keep sanding (constantly checking things) and trust that you applied the finish thickly enough to be able to smooth out all the imperfections before you go all the way through the clearcoat somwhere. If you blow through it, particularly if its in a very visible spot, you essentially have to just throw up your hands, do a lot of swearing and start the whole process again, which can take a week or two to cure. It's maddening, but I've gotten pretty good now. No issues with this job. 

 

Here's what the bass looks like now – I've sanded and polished and polished and polished and polished and polished.  I then applied the shielding foil to the control cavity and added the ground wire before attaching the bridge (with thurst bearings fitted now, thanks for @PaulThePlug for the recommendation). I boiled the strings and gave it a rough set-up for intonation and action. No electronics yet. One of the great advantages of headless basses (especially double-ball end ones) is that you can string them up and de-string them over and over again without any problems. 

 

 

I've just spent the last half an hour or so playing it unamplified and it seems pretty damn good. No fret buzzes, and it's really surprisingly loud even with just the wood for resonance. One thing that has thrown me a little is just how chunky the neck is – I'd taken measurements and so I knew in theory that it was a big boy, but I was still a little taken aback when I got it in my hands. It feels more like my dad's 70's EB3 than the jazz and stingray style necks on my custom basses. I'm assuming I'll get used to it in time.  

 

Even with the chunky frets, the action could probably go lower than its current position (with the saddles decked on the G and D strings decked) with no fret buzz. Not that it isn't playable now, probably low enough for most players, but I'm picky. I think I can file the bridge saddles down a smidge without problems. 

 

Tomorrow I'll prep the 3D printed components from @Jackroadkill and put the electronics together. My plan is to put a basic vol-blend-tone circuit in it for now, and then replace it with something esoteric, filter-based and active down the line if I like the general sound and playability. 

 

[neepheid]

4 minutes ago, Mediocre Polymath said:

Righty, I'm back from a week's holiday on the Devon coast (lovely) and ready to put the finishing touches on this project. 

 

In my time away, the lacquer has had time to fully cure. So the first thing to do was the both tedious and nerve-wracking process of wet-dry sanding the bass to get rid of all the brush marks and runs. 

 

This is always a fairly scary process, as you just have to keep sanding (constantly checking things) and trust that you applied the finish thickly enough to be able to smooth out all the imperfections before you go all the way through the clearcoat somwhere. If you blow through it, particularly if its in a very visible spot, you essentially have to just throw up your hands, do a lot of swearing and start the whole process again, which can take a week or two to cure. It's maddening, but I've gotten pretty good now. No issues with this job. 

 

Here's what the bass looks like now – I've sanded and polished and polished and polished and polished and polished.  I then applied the shielding foil to the control cavity and added the ground wire before attaching the bridge (with thurst bearings fitted now, thanks for @PaulThePlug for the recommendation). I boiled the strings and gave it a rough set-up for intonation and action. No electronics yet. One of the great advantages of headless basses (especially double-ball end ones) is that you can string them up and de-string them over and over again without any problems. 

 

 

I've just spent the last half an hour or so playing it unamplified and it seems pretty damn good. No fret buzzes, and it's really surprisingly loud even with just the wood for resonance. One thing that has thrown me a little is just how chunky the neck is – I'd taken measurements and so I knew in theory that it was a big boy, but I was still a little taken aback when I got it in my hands. It feels more like my dad's 70's EB3 than the jazz and stingray style necks on my custom basses. I'm assuming I'll get used to it in time.  

 

Even with the chunky frets, the action could probably go lower than its current position (with the saddles decked on the G and D strings decked) with no fret buzz. Not that it isn't playable now, probably low enough for most players, but I'm picky. I think I can file the bridge saddles down a smidge without problems. 

 

Tomorrow I'll prep the 3D printed components from @Jackroadkill and put the electronics together. My plan is to put a basic vol-blend-tone circuit in it for now, and then replace it with something esoteric, filter-based and active down the line if I like the general sound and playability. 

 

 

Totally feel your stress with the wet sanding thing - I had a hand painted design underneath my clearcoat - no pressure then!

 

Glad it went well, it's looking boss!

[Jackroadkill]

Yes!!  It's looking good - glad it's playing nicely.

[Hellzero]

Very nice job, really. Congratulations!

[Mediocre Polymath]

Mostly wiring and electronics stuff today. I started by sawing the old broken tabs off the front pickup and installing the replacement baseplate suplied by @Jackroadkill. As this isn't going to be a visible part, I didn't bother doing any prep or refinement here other than cutting off a corner to accommodate the cable (which was in a slightly different position to where it was on the baseplate) and using a soldering iron to press some threaded inserts into the plastic. 

 

With that done, and the 3D printed surrounds sanded and lacquered, I started putting things together. 

 

I don't have any pictures of this, because anyone who has ever wired up a guitar will know that the process is extremely annoying and requires intense concentration. I did it without burning myself, and only had to desolder the whole thing, make a cup of tea, and start again once. Which is good going. 

 

 

Edited 22 hours ago by Mediocre Polymath

[Mediocre Polymath]

Oh, more importantly, it's finished!

 

 

I'll take some better pictures tomorrow when I have some daylight, but here's a decent enough shot of the completed bass. I think it looks rather nice, and it sounds good as well. I've attached a quick bit of noodling, recorded direct into my interface with no tinkering. It's neck position, both pickups on, and bridge position. I've since raised the bridge pickup a little, so it should sound a bit less feeble. 

 

 

 

Thanks to @Chienmortbb for being willing to part with this project bass, @PaulThePlug for his Hohner/Steinberger knowledge and @Jackroadkill for his 3D printing work. 

 

Also, special thanks to the cheap white-and-orange beach towel/workbench cover that stars in many of these pictures. My mum bought from a Leclerc in Brittany during a family holiday about 30 years ago, and it's only recently occurred to me that I have no idea how or when it ended up rolled up in a cupboard in my house. 

[Stub Mandrel]

1 hour ago, Mediocre Polymath said:

Oh, more importantly, it's finished!

 

 

I'll take some better pictures tomorrow when I have some daylight, but here's a decent enough shot of the completed bass. I think it looks rather nice, and it sounds good as well. I've attached a quick bit of noodling, recorded direct into my interface with no tinkering. It's neck position, both pickups on, and bridge position. I've since raised the bridge pickup a little, so it should sound a bit less feeble. 

 

 

 

Thanks to @Chienmortbb for being willing to part with this project bass, @PaulThePlug for his Hohner/Steinberger knowledge and @Jackroadkill for his 3D printing work. 

 

Also, special thanks to the cheap white-and-orange beach towel/workbench cover that stars in many of these pictures. My mum bought from a Leclerc in Brittany during a family holiday about 30 years ago, and it's only recently occurred to me that I have no idea how or when it ended up rolled up in a cupboard in my house. 

 

It lives!

[Jackroadkill]

Looking and sounding very smart, sir.  Nice job!

[SpondonBassed]

Very nice.  Good sound too.

 

Have you considered trying superwound (piano) strings?  I have some lightish ones on my B2A.  Incredible sustain and harmonics.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited 19 hours ago by SpondonBassed

[Mediocre Polymath]

21 minutes ago, SpondonBassed said:

Very nice.  Good sound too.

 

Have you considered trying superwound (piano) strings?  I have some lightish ones on my B2A.  Incredible sustain and harmonics.

Interesting. I've just been pondering the question of strings, as the ones that came with this bass are properly knackered. I boiled them in some vinegar, so they don't sound totally dead, but they're worn and don't seem to be particularly consistent in terms of string-to-string and note-to-note volume. 

 

The front runners from what I've seen of double-ball-end strings so far are Stadium Elites, because they're a) apparently made in the UK, and b) not £50+ like most other sets. 

[PaulThePlug]

10 minutes ago, Mediocre Polymath said:

The front runners from what I've seen of double-ball-end strings so far are Stadium Elites, because they're a) apparently made in the UK, and b) not £50+ like most other sets. 

Don't think Stadium are DBE... you wants the Elites DBE. Mine were £20 offer on the bay, via Bass Center.

[SpondonBassed]

31 minutes ago, Mediocre Polymath said:

The front runners from what I've seen of double-ball-end strings so far are Stadium Elites, because they're a) apparently made in the UK, and b) not £50+ like most other sets. 

 

It would be worth making enquiries of Newtone Strings.  They made a set of DBEs for me before.  Otherwise... it's the clamp!

[HeadlessBassist]

55 minutes ago, Mediocre Polymath said:

Interesting. I've just been pondering the question of strings, as the ones that came with this bass are properly knackered. I boiled them in some vinegar, so they don't sound totally dead, but they're worn and don't seem to be particularly consistent in terms of string-to-string and note-to-note volume. 

 

The front runners from what I've seen of double-ball-end strings so far are Stadium Elites, because they're a) apparently made in the UK, and b) not £50+ like most other sets. 

 

I've used the 30-90 set of Bass Centre Elites for years on my Status basses. I also recently took a part exchange Jack Professional in a fit of 1988 nostalgia (I bought a new Jack Professional when I was 18), which suited the same strings very nicely. 

 

On my main Status, I've recently tried a set of GHS Stainless Steel 30-90s. They're a little higher in tension than the Bass Centre strings, but boy are they bright. They sound fantastic.

 

I've tried to gee up Gore (the parent company for Elixir) to make light DBE strings, as I exclusively use Elixir 40-95s on all my other basses, but sadly they don't seem interested. 😩 

 

 

[BassBus]

7 hours ago, SpondonBassed said:

 

It would be worth making enquiries of Newtone Strings.  They made a set of DBEs for me before.  Otherwise... it's the clamp!

I'll second Newtone Strings. They made me up a batch of ten sets of the gauges I wanted in DBE. Very quick and easy transaction. Takes them about two weeks to make up a custom order.

[Mediocre Polymath]

I'll have to look into Newtone strings, thanks. 

I'm glad I booked the day off work today, as I'm just sitting around playing it. I have to admit, I'd not expected it to sound this good.

 

It's also even more comfortable to play now that my hands aren't all cramped up from spending a day sanding and working with a soldering iron. 

[Mediocre Polymath]

Some better pictures. Perhaps one day I'll re-do the chemical blacking on the metal hardware. 

 

 

 

I probably could get the finish a bit shiner and less scuffed looking, but I've been working on this thing for about two months, and there comes a point where you just don't want to sand things anymore. 

 

 

I feel good for having revived this bass and, if I may say so myself, made it probably a bit nicer than it was when it left the factory when I was about 2 years old. I think, all told, this project has cost me something like £250-300, so not a sensible financial decision but still not a huge outlay for a very nice instrument.  

 

[SpondonBassed]

23 minutes ago, Mediocre Polymath said:

not a sensible financial decision

 

Do you not think you could break even, cash-wise, or make a little on it?  Labour excluded of course.

 

It is a lovely thing just going by the photos.  It certainly sounds like a zinger.

[Mediocre Polymath]

58 minutes ago, SpondonBassed said:

 

Do you not think you could break even, cash-wise, or make a little on it?  Labour excluded of course.

 

 

Not sure, probably break even on my costs but I'd be surprised if I got anything more than that. I have no immediate plans to sell though.

 

I had a look online while I was working on this thing – checked out various listings on reverb, ebay, etc. It seems that no-one is really sure how to price these basses at the moment. Some slightly manky ones are on offer for £250-350, while others are listed for as much as £800. The Bass Gallery has one that they recently got in for £550, though it looks to be in very good condition. Almost every listing has a decription that is riddled with bizarre inaccuracies, and there doesn't seem to be any significant difference in pricing between the active, passive and later "Custom" models (with the J-style pickups). Curiously, Hohner's own website says these basses were first made in 1988 but this one has a 1987 serial, and there are a lot of posts online from people who claim to remember seeing/owning/selling them as far back as 1986.

 

I think the rather forgotten nature of these instruments reflects the abrupt cultural shift that happened in the early 1990s. The eighties were, I'd argue, the last period (in the West at least) when "new" and "hi-tech" was generally considered to be automatically better than "old" and "traditional". The headless bass was a classic example of that sort of technological optimism – it was marketed as the improved, more rationally designed and technologically advanced form of the electric bass. The bass of the future!

 

When grunge hit the cultural mainstream, that was all flipped on its head. The most important thing (certainly in music) was the appearance of authenticity, which meant a sort of outsider aesthetic complete with old, second-hand guitars, clothes from charity shops, and so forth. A glossy, hi-tech futuristic bass suddenly looked corporate and lame. As a result, I think these models experienced a calamitous fall from the height of cool to deeply, profoundly uncool in a matter of a few years. I suspect that, despite being really well made instruments, their value on the second-hand market is still – even now – recovering from that initial blow to their reputation.

 

 

 

 

[BigRedX]

IME Hohner are terrible at record keeping when it comes to all the various musical instruments they have made. I used to own an electric 12 string guitar that hasn't appeared in any of their catalogues or model lists. If I did an on-line search based on the model name and number on the headstock it came up with an entirely different looking instrument. However, there are various features that indicated that it had been built that way originally and hadn't been "Frankensteined" together from a couple of other guitars by a previous owner. Also I was aware that there was at least one other similar example owned by a well-known guitarist. So don't be put off if you can't find your exact model listed anywhere. 

[SpondonBassed]

3 hours ago, Mediocre Polymath said:

When grunge hit the cultural mainstream, that was all flipped on its head. The most important thing (certainly in music) was the appearance of authenticity, which meant a sort of outsider aesthetic complete with old, second-hand guitars, clothes from charity shops, and so forth. A glossy, hi-tech futuristic bass suddenly looked corporate and lame. As a result, I think these models experienced a calamitous fall from the height of cool to deeply, profoundly uncool in a matter of a few years. I suspect that, despite being really well made instruments, their value on the second-hand market is still – even now – recovering from that initial blow to their reputation.

 

That's interesting.  Could that be why folk buy new and then deface their instrument just for credibility on the scene?