Hofner Bass restoration...questions!

V8

Sooo, I got 'lucky' and got this beastie last week. A hofner 189 (circa 1971-1983), jazz bass copy.

I say 'lucky' because it's been quite abused and I'm debating whether or not it's feasible to get playing again. Or just scavenge for parts.

Tuners work, though two are missing the bushings.
Neck is relatively straight, some life in the frets still & truss rod seems fine and still adjusts.
Body seems to be from a 189 - though is somewhat trashed and there's at least 4 layers of paint, top layer being a rattle can applied black.
Original pickguard (I reckon, it's tough to say definitively as hofner apparently used a variety of parts) w/thumb rest. Though some genius cut a hole for a set of jackson pbass pups and installed them upside down with silicon glue... ???

The biggest issue I can see is that the bridge had two thick plastic plates underneath. When strung up with these in place the action was laughably high. Without the plates, the strings are flat on the fretboard.

Obviously an issue that a 'luthier' attempted to fix by moving the bridge forward, then moved it back & stuck the plates to raise up the bridge.

What I cannot figure out from digging around on the net, because all the pics of similar basses have the (eww) ashtray style covers on - is if this bridge original (seems to be old enough). Or someone tried to fit a different bridge and screwed it up royally. Taking the bridge off doesn't reveal much evidence, just a mess - I'd have to strip the paint for more evidence of the original holes.

Popping the neck off doesn't reallly help, the neck & body seem to match. The fit is good, and there are no additional holes in either the neck or body - impossible to say for sure as at least two of the resprays included the neck and pocket...*sigh*

My first impulse is to deepen the neck pocket and remove the plates raising up the bridge. But that seems wrong if the neck and body are both from a 189 - which seems to check out from comparisons with other's pictures of the 189. Likely that the bridge issue is a hacked install from another bass...

Any idea's, suggestions or sites I can ask bass refurb questions?

Thanks!

Sakkie

It all depends on how much you're willing to spend... (As with everything in life)

If you are going to do a full house restoration, you can look into the Leo Quan Baddass bridge. It's a high-mass bridge with a very thick base plate and should offer enough clearance for a decent action.

Cheers

V8

Sakkie wrote: It all depends on how much you're willing to spend... (As with everything in life)

If you are going to do a full house restoration, you can look into the Leo Quan Baddass bridge. It's a high-mass bridge with a very thick base plate and should offer enough clearance for a decent action.

Thanks Sakkie , did some reading & that's a interesting option.

Very doubtful I'm going the whole hog on this one - If I did spend serious $ on it - i'd want restore to original. But the parts seem super scarce (nothing on ebay) and only a few bass bits available at projectguitarparts and nothing I need :'(.

Would be a pity to turn this into a ornament (the neck is usable) or break it up for parts - which is looking more likely as I trawl the interwebs.

V8

Fast forward a few months and I got into playing bass (again) and I was gasing for a p-bass...

So I pulled out the hofner and started messing around to see what it would take to get her playing again :

1. Refurbed the tuners, I could find the missing two ferrules from the UK at 15GBP...each! So I made some sleeves for the two missing ones out of a golf club shaft - not pretty, but they work.

2. Checked out the neck. Truss rod was a little stiff, but some patience + valve oil and she adjusts easily now. Nut was fine, frets were worn, so a quick n nasty level and crown along with a strip and refinish of the fretboard was in order. I'll have to go back and pay some more attention to the frets, I missed a few spots =(.

3. The bridge...the biggest part of the build was figuring out how to get the bridge to work on this bass. Eventually I thumbsucked that 5mm was about the height I needed to raise the bridge (original two plastic plates were 7mm). My mate Paul cut me a piece of steel - which with a touch of tweaking worked like a charm. During the test fit the bridge lifted when I was tuning up - noticed that holes were skew, probably for the original tailpiece bridge. Not gonna work for this one, so filled and re-drilled.

Now about the "finish"...I never intended on refinishing the bass. I had a feeling it was far too much like hard work. And I was right. At least four re-finishes in it's past!

From what I can find on the net, she was probably a sunburst finish originally. I reckon it had a lots of play, had some touch up's in brown and then someone went and stripped her and did a really through refinish in white. Then a nasty rattle can job in green and finally the crappy black rattlecan spray job.

In my defense, I did NOT intend on a 'relic'. I just pulled out some scraper blades and investigated what lay under the paint. A week later there was only one option, get creative. Some of the relic'ing existed before I started, hidden under the white paint. As I pulled up the paint it was interesting to check out the wear patterns - the neck was very nicely worn. The body not so much, but I think that's because the white refinish was a bare wood refinish on the body (but not the neck - weird).

To get the aged look - a combo of tea, vinegar and steel wool was used as a "chemical stain" and finally it was 'sealed' with coconut oil for that greasy & used look. I'm very happy with the way the neck came out - I'm still deciding if I like the front of the body - there's a art to how much tea (tannin) vs how strong the vinegar/steel wool solution reacts. Basically, the more tannin = darker aging. It's gone a bit darker than I intended and is continuing to darken after two weeks. If I want, it's real easy to strip the bare wood and try a lighter solution - two hours from start to finish.

Applying some tea. First of four coats, next time I reckon one or maybe two is enough.

Left to right : Before aging, after aging, after waxing

Some idea's are just bad...

peterleroux

Looking good- I like the layers of finish that the relicing reveals.

Norman86

you been busy ?
But it looks like you missed a few spots eh ?

V8

Here she is...a sunrise photoshoot to get a bit of a naturally vintage flavoured photo. Still a few things to get done, but for now she be strung and playing. And the consensus is...she's a winner! She slaps, pops and fingerstyles like a champ. The neck is something else - kinda a cross between a jazz neck (lovely radius), but slightly wider - though not as chunky as the majority of pbass necks I've tried. Next mission is the pickup...more news this week I hope!

peterleroux

Looking good! Is it a 34" or a short scale?

Lu22

Sweet looking bass. I was against the worn look at first, but the more I look at it the prettier it gets. Great work.

V8

peterleroux wrote: Looking good! Is it a 34" or a short scale?

Thanks! It's a 34''. Would be a VERY cool bass were it SS or even better a 32''.

Interestingly, it came with very low frets from the factory, compared to the skyscrapers on the Curbow. Add in the jazz radius neck vs flat neck of the Curbow and it's a entirely different playing experience.

Lu22 wrote: Sweet looking bass. I was against the worn look at first, but the more I look at it the prettier it gets. Great work.

Thanks ! It was a exercise in budget that lead to a 'creative' solution. Since the bass is no longer in original condition and I can't get the parts (or even figure out what they actually were) - my approach was do it on a budget.

Attacking it with razor blades and tea seemed like a way to go about it... :?

The finish will evolve a little more, I want to age the white paint, kinda match the sun aging on the pickguard. I've tried a few methods - all failed thus far. I've got one more trick to try though.

Squonk

Good Stuff!

V8

Six years, I cannot believe. Insane. I've at least changed strings once in that time 😬 Also swopped in a schaller pbass pickup, Dimarzio pots and wiring.

I think the biggest changed came from changing the resistance of the tone pot from 500k to 250k. That really opened up the high end of the schaller. It's not the bassiest bass, but it's got a mid range sleaze that appeals.

The 'relicing' actually doesn't look all that different from the 2016 pics? Though the 2016 one's were a bit earlier, there's more yellow in that sunrise. By my eye, it's a bit darker than it was, actually now looks a bit more the age it's relicing suggests 😁 Wherever I rest by default is now very polished, so it's interesting to see where the wear patterns I would create be. The body is mostly worn where I would play, even the top horn is polished up - cause I spend a lot of time slapp happying away! If ya check the back of the neck, there's finger gunk where I like to play, 3rd, 7th or 12th fret - tells me I still dunno if I'm a guitar player or a bassist.

I think I might put some more work on the back of the neck - I want to remove some more paint, I really like the feel of the bare wood, sealed with sweat and hand oil 😝

Here's a 2022 set of pics - thanks for the poke @RCVN & @blood_bought

RCVN

@V8 Looking good

modulator

Good going. Six years, time flies. Good that the project not only survived, but advanced. How does this rank on your favourite scale?

V8

modulator Good going. Six years, time flies.

Thanks! Eish, time has indeed whizzed by, the 'rona interlude' made things seem a bit surreal maybe?

Wellll, great question - so far #1, because I still have , play it and dig it. 😀 I have been looking around for something else for ease of slapping - I might add a cheap Gio Soundgear or similar - they are a lot easy to play and have a active circuit. No rush though, I'm playing more guitar lately, working on getting some shreddiness back in my life.

RCVN

V8 Have a look at them Yamaha's.

I paid about the same as for a gio, and its 300% the instrument. TRBX 174. It is passive though.

V8

RCVN Have a look at them Yamaha's.

Thanks, I have 🤔 They are good, I dug on the RBXA2 a long while back, just wasn't cheap enough at the time to tempt. Played great, sounded real good.

I'd have have a (Gio) Soundgear, just because I'm used to them. Everytime I play one (4 string) it's a familiar, easy playing, place. Can't say I like the sound - it's McD's compared to the Hoff's homemade fatty mids 😆

modulator Sometimes the gems are just a bit mud-crusted.
Enjoy.

Too true, thanks! I remember having fun with the refurb, getting all the overspray off the headstock was extremely satisfying. I've been looking around for a sister guitar to join, but nothing turn ed up quite as beat up.

guidothepimmp

Nice one

modulator

Had a conversation recently, guy bought a left-hand bass with obvious neck issues, just because it was left. Could not sort it with truss rod, threw it in the cupboard. Some time later he looked at it again: previous owner(?) had shimmed the neck to sit with more than 10 mm action. Sorted that, set the truss rod, is a good player now, and has active pickups.
Sometimes the gems are just a bit mud-crusted.
Enjoy.

blood_bought

looking good indeed! Id say you should totally remove all the finish from the neck, I cannot tell for sure but it almost look like the neck has a flame going on? or is it just my eyes

V8

blood_bought cannot tell for sure but it almost look like the neck has a flame going on?

Eyes are good! Fairly sure it's a hunk of maple and the ribbing of the flames looks cool - makes me wonder what grain is lurking under the headstock.

From left to right are the various stages of erm...'finishing'

Freshly sanded, then first applications of 'stain', post oiling and buffing then 6 years later. I agree, expose more of the wood. Means neck off, so I'm waiting for a reason to re-string (I'll have to redo setup anyways).