Hofner HCT 500/1 Bass Reworked. Contemporary Hofner Gets German Pots, Flats and Thump. Beatle bass.
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- Опубликовано: 14 окт 2024
- A hofner 500/1 hct contemporary bass tone is compared to a german v63 bass. Once the china control plate is replaced with the german control plate and the standard short scale flat wounds strings are installed the results are amazing when plugged in. Hofner Bass. Violin Bass. Beatle Bass. McCartney Bass. Hofner Repair. #backbeatvintage #hofner #beatles #paulmccartney #thebeatlesgetback
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I bought the CT violin in 2008 and the CT Club back in 2010. I've played a lot of German made Hofners and was never impressed with the build quality, especially the late 60's and early 70's. The made in China CT's I have are excellent builds, especially the Violin CT. The Sunburst finish, Spruce top, book matched flame maple back and sides are beautiful....the German pick guard and control plates look a bit more aged. I changed the strings to flatwounds.
I would have liked you to have done the tone test with the CT control panel left in, with flat wound strings first, then changed to the German control panel, so we could have heard the difference. I was told not to bother with the control panel change, it didn't make much difference in the tone on the CT's.....You can tweak the tone with the pots. Thanks for your video!!
I managed to purchase the contemporary over a year ago, and being left handed it took them as long to ship it, but obviously worth the wait. I hope it isn't going to be twice as difficult to order a German pick guard, just passing this observation on to other viewers. Brilliant video and facts we all wanted to know, many thanks for your time in making them. I'm over the moon that the contemporary passes the physical, and will sleep easy now.
You’ve convinced me to buy one,really enjoy the videos,all the best from Manchester!!
I finally got my original german electronics, and wow..🎵🙏
Thank you for useful and much much helpful to understand nature of Hofner 500/1 contemporary vs "63
Hi!
Thank you very much for your videos.
I'm so glad someone is showing how to give technical attention to these basses.
I'm a happy owner of a Contemporary model made in China. It was modified with german electronics
and tuners (the chinese tuners had their plastic fail under my fingers after a few years of playing).
After years of Hoefner/Pyramid flatwound strings i'm trying Thomastik flats and I really like the clearer sound it produces.
I must admit I longed for an original german one but when I finally tried one I did not like the sound (very cool the resonance but it hardly affected the aplified sound) and the (worse) neck-diving (the body weight differing because of the block in the HCT). Of course the difference with mine was not much but enough to put to rest the desire for another bass. Very convenient, I'm so emotionally attached to my guitars that I could not sell one to get the "better" version.
I was wondering what numbers would you recommend for the pickups' height and what guidelines would you give to set them up.
Any advice?
Cheers from italian Switzerland!
FederinzC i generally adjust the neck pickup to be flush with the fret board (not the frets). The bridge pickup i memick the same as the neck to string height.
Nice 👍 I have the HCT bass , I love it . I stuck tea cup style knobs on mine too
Veery interesting and inspiring well done video, thank you so much EJ, I wish you nice holidays in view of a Happy New Year
Thanks for the video! I bought a contempary wich was made in Indonesia instead of China. Much better quality! Awesome!
Thanks!
That's interesting,I just bought an ignition bass which was crafted in Indonesia!
Got a Chinese HCT. Nothing wrong with. Upgrade with German controlplate. Awsome bass. Got also a Ignition. Basically nothing wrong with. After some upgrades (German bridge, zero nut and German controlplate) also an awsome bass.
In Toronto, The 12th Fret store is a little smaller than the 2 'big name' music stores but when you buy the Contemporary HCT Hofner, it comes with Hofner flat wound strings, teacup knobs and the same guitar case you showed here. That's where I got mine. Today I took delivery of the German control plate from Thomann and I'll swap out the unit to make the conversion complete. I've put off doing this for about 10 years, but I know the 250 K pots will make a big difference.
Excellent videos, keep up the good work
Thanks!
If I hadn’t just bought a new guitar two months ago, I’d be sinking 200 bucks into that German control panel to replace my Chinese one. What an awesome 😎 difference. 😁👍👍
When I bought my Contemporary back in 2012 at Guitar Center, it came with the Hofner case as well brand new! They must be getting cheap on the customers nowadays.
Great video. Having seen your ignition upgrades and this one, what is the major difference in the control plate to have such an effect on the sound?
crpat Hi, its the pots in the german controller. They are 250k and the others are 500k whick makes it more trebly. The 250k is a warmer tone plus adding the flatwound strings gets that hofner warm woody tone. In short, if a german hofner sound is what you want then the german control specs should be used. That can be done by installing a german control or by modifing the hct or ignition controller to the same specs. Thx!
Awesome.. Thank you..🙏
Excellent EJ👍
what a great presentation!! that was so much new stuff i learned! I agree the packaging the contemp comes in is a joke. Im shocked mine made it without a scratch in the mail!!!
I bought the HCT from Thomann and the guitar was sent with two cardboard packages ... So much more reassuring!
Great info. Thanks very much
I love the colour of your contemporary, I am interested in buying one but all the photos online seem to show it as having a black colour around the edges of the burst which doesn't look as nice to my eyes
I suspect reason for 500k pots was so it didn't sound as close to an original! I remember back years ago when they first brought out the Htc the first batches sounded very close to the more expensive hofners so they put the solid block in, and I wonder if they changed the pots as well, to distance it from the better hofners!
I agree ! I own a HCT bass , and I’m very impressed with it . I put flats on it , and replaced the black knobs with vintage style tea cup knobs .
Hi EJ!
Amazing video as always! I have been saving up for an Ignition bass myself, and I was wondering where you get them and how much they usually cost. I REALLY want one, and I'm planning on starting a tribute band. Thanks!
William, a 13 year old bassist
Nicely Done!
Thanks Steven.
i need to know how to put strings on a hofner , i mean the part of the tuners rolling...thanks
As ever, a very informative and enjoyable video. I have a Contemporary bass and would be interested to know if there is a recommended setting for pick up height, as measured from the pickup cover to the underside of the string pressed down at the last fret? The current setting on mine is a shade over 3.5 mm on both sides. Cheers and keep up the good work!
Hi, I usually try to get the neck pickup flush with the fretboard and the bridge pickup up as high as it can but it wont be able to be as high as the neck pickup. Although, if the pickups are over wound you may have to push them down a little at a time if the tone starts to get a little dirty. My height suggestions are for vintage basses with 6 to 8k ohms. If yours are up around 11 ohms you will most likely need to lower them a little. Hofner pickups are all over the place in ohms.....and thats ok as long as they are closely matched in ohms and adjusted accordingly. Thx! EJ
Thanks for the awesome video! Been preparing to buy a VB for about a year, but can’t find an affordable option that sounds quite like the original. Do you think there are any vintage Japanese copies that sound as good as the original Hofner without extra mods? Leaning towards this contemporary w same mods. Thanks again
The hct is as close as you can come to a german hofner in feel and sound when plugged in. Acousticaly it doesnt have the sound due to the block but all else is great. It must have labella flats or pyramid flats to have the usual hofner tone.
Hi EJ! I'm a big fan of your videos! You are incredible!! I have a problem and I hope you can help me: Is removing all the strings from my hofner at once affecting the bass? Because I want to put some lemon oil in the rosewood. Much love from Argentina
Hi Martin, as long as you mark where the bridge was sitting with pieces of tape so it goes back where it was you are good. What I would watch out for is using lemon oil. I recommend you use a product made for guitar necks. Stewmac.com has it. Good luck and thanks! EJ
@@BackbeatVintage Thank you EJ you deserve a place in the Hofner heaven next to Sir Paul!
Another fascinating video, though I would have put flatwounds on the CT for the initial comparison. I think you pointed out that the CT tuners tighten/loosen the strings more slowly than the V63 tuners. Isn't that a plus rather than a minus, allowing you to fine-tune with more precision?
Hi, yes that is correct. Nothing wrong with them. I actually prefer them over the 2 on a plate style tuners like they used in 62. Thx! EJ
Hi I have a 2003 1963 reissue German made 500/1 bass left handed bought new in 2003 from a reputable retailer. It has not had alot of use or abuse over the years. However, all the chrome has oxidized badly as have frets, tailpiece and brass tops of the pots and chrome pickups...I was never happy with the finish overall. I'd love your opinion. I did polish up parts with a brass polish but it doesn't last long. The chamber body has a bit of wood or something rattling around inside. I could send u pictures. It also rattles around in the case which has no internal padding.
Hi there, the german basses are finished with a clear lacquor so an very mild soft finishing polish will restore the finish. All the chrome you mentioned is actually nickel plating. Again a mild metal polish will shine it up. Sounds like the bass is in a high moisture environment. That plus the salt from your hands will tarnish the nickel. When bought new the german basses come with a soft cloth to be used to wipe it down after use just for tat reason. If you see any cloudiness in the finish its an indication of too much moisture. Keep it in the case as much as possible. Hope this helps. Thx!
EJ
Thank you for this video. I just purchased a lefty Hofner HCT new and was wondering if you offer service as to upgrading the controls to German if I sent them along. Would you install it for me? Thank you
Stephen
Hi, if you bought a german control plate then it is a simple soldering job. Hopefully u can do that easily. These days I am just working on my own collection. So sorry but thanks for asking. EJ
EJ
I’ve looked at both your videos for the HCT Cavern and regular bass. On your video with the HCT Cavern bass you mentioned the pick guard as being nice. But on the regular bass you mentioned it look cheap are they in fact different
Hi, yes they use different material. The early pickgards were ofton refered to as el toiletseato. The new material is much nicer looking...although I ‘ve seen some nasty ones too from time to time. I generally take them off....my preference. Thx! EJ
cant we just adjust the sound of my amp? i bought a contemporary and with the pods that came with it it sounds just fine. Same sound as on the album Beatles for sale
arie korving yes that works fine. Best if flat wound labella deep talkn strings are used. I have found that even my german made hofners require individual amp adjustments.
@@BackbeatVintage thanks for your reply
What strings did you advice....labella ?thomastick ? Rotosound ? Daddario ?pyramid ??
Labella deep talkn flats or pyramid flats. Labella’s are half the price.
EJ I was wondering if you could do a video on changing out the black nut On a technician Hoffner bass and install zero nut or zero threat you can buy online no thank you I would sure appreciate that
Chinese one is more visually pleasing IMHO, maybe apart from the cheap looking pickguard.
Hi. I need help adjusting the pick up height on a new Hofner contemporary bass. How is that done?
I saw some Chinese contemporary basses
And I'm wondering if they had the little slot in the neck like the original one
I've asked the sellers
And I seen the slot
And I wondered if I could feed a hofner strap through the copy guitar
Have you ever seen a Chinese copy hofner contemporary?
Unstable Doc Hi, i’m not sure what u mean. If u mean the space between the neck and body the ignition bass doesnt have that but the hct does. Thx.
Or what about the ignition control plate in the German. Hmmm
genial
Was wondering if you put the control plate from the Contemporary into a German Hoffner what that would sound like
Hi, i think that would make the german hofner loose the sound it is known for. Thx!
Why is it so buzzy?
Hello EJ,
Very interesting video that you make. I am looking for the German control plate with the 250 K pots to replace the one on my coming Contemporary CT Model: HCT-500/1-SB but I am unable to find it. I am willing to buy a brand new one but, even though I don’t know how to purchase it. I am living in Canada and I know there is no distributor of Hofner products here. The only one I found is in Riverdale, NJ. I could buy a used one but, considering how hard is now to get some money from work with the Covid-19, I don’t want to buy the wrong German control plate. Could you help me find the control panel that will fit my Contemporary CT Model: HCT-500/1-SB? I found that Thomann sells the HA2B model. Will it fit my bass? Many thanks, André
Hi, i would consider just changing the volume pots from 500k to 250k. Cheapest option. First check the pots as lately hofner started using 250k on the neck pickup. The mini pots at allparts.com 250k best.
@@BackbeatVintage Many thanks EJ,
I am planning to change the control plate not just the pots. I found at Thomann a control plate HA2B-PC. Will it fit my Contemporary HCT-500/1? Many thanks for your help and for what you put on RUclips. André
Yes it will fit no problem. Thx!
What does the v63 control panel have that's better than the HCT version?
Could you do a video on covering up the binding to make it look like a 63’
Giovanni Elmer i am not sure how i would do that. I highly recommend not pulling that off. Interesting thought tho.....
Backbeat Vintage I spoke to a guy that plays Paul in a Beatles tribute and he said he used nail polish and tape.
Backbeat Vintage would it be possible to change the binding
What about the pickups are thiese similar..🙏🎵
The same pickup is used in the hct as the german. The only issue is the inconsistancy in output readings. Best to be same or close in readings.
I meant and ignition bass
How do you remove the text on the truss rod cover?
Remove it from the bass and sand it off with 1000 grit paper and then a 1500 grit and then polish it with fine finish polish. Thx!
@@BackbeatVintage thanks for the reply :)
What is a typical resistance reading for German staple pickups uninstalled?
They vary...alot. Their website says 8 to 9 ohms for new ones. I have bought new ones that range from 6 to 11ohms. My supplier for vintage rewinds says there were three different thickness wires used. Either way, try to match them so they are close in reading. I find the higher wound ones to be to hot but useable if the pickup is lower in the mount.
@@BackbeatVintage Thanks! The ones I have in my HCT are about 7k each. Just wanted to make sure this was typical. I had not been able to find the published nominal values.
Why not just change the pots to 250K?? What about the ignition version? Can anything be done with that one?
Good idea. I just ordered up two 250k pots and will try that next. I haven’t really got my hands on an ignition bass yet but hopefully i will soon. Thanks!
@@BackbeatVintage thanks for taking up my challenge! Do try the ignition as well, ppl would be interested in what might be a good move for them!
Plus they're a hollow body as well, so, well worth comparing with a htc or hollow body hofner! Although, I gather the ignition is slightly bigger than htc etc!
Where i can find the switch panel V63 EJ?
Hi, google north coast music hofner. They have them. Thx!
can contemporary hofner strings be used on a 63 german 500/1
Hi, yes but save your flatwounds. Thx!
@@BackbeatVintage thankyou
j'ai acheté cette basse chez Thomann, elle est fausse et "innacordable" elle est juste jusqu'à la 6th fret et ensuite il y a un 1/2 ton d'écart....au début je disais à mon élève qu'il avait mal positionné ses doigts mais je me suis rendu compte que c'est l'instrument qui est faux. j'ai fais une vidéo, mais va faire entendre un 1/2 ton sur une vidéo !....On à renvoyé la basse chez Thomann qui se planque derrière Hofner. ils m'ont retourné la basse après avoir modifié l'action du manche, le pontet est tellement incliné que les cordes frisent....et elle est toujours fausse, retour chez Thomann....pas chère la basse mais c'est vraiment une lutherie de cagette...même si elle est jolie, le minimum c'est qu'elle soit juste.
Is there a measurement to set Pickup height?
I usually like the neck pickup to be level with the fret board (not the frets] the bridge pickup is usally equal to the neck height. I’m sure there is a factory setting but this always works for me. Of course the pickup output due to age has a lot to do with the sound/tone. Most of my specs are from vintage hofners but works well with newer.
@@BackbeatVintage Thanks !!!
500 vs 250 k ... whats the difference?
jonasvm88 hi, here is the stock rule regarding this. “Either 250K or 500K pots can be used with any passive pickups however the pot values will affect tone slightly. The rule is: Using higher value pots (500K) will give the guitar a brighter sound and lower value pots (250K) will give the guitar a slightly warmer sound.”
@@BackbeatVintage oh interesting, thanks for clarifying that :) i really want to get a viola. im living in berlin and feel so weird buying a hofner made in china..... unfortunately... the price tag... oh well. great video btw