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1960s Hofner Solid Body


bigjohn
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So far I've taken the strings off and cleaned it up with a damp cloth.

Not sure so far if the bass actually works! I thought all my amps we're out of the house, but I've just remembered about another two I have stashed... which will at least tell me if it works, even if it doesn't reveal fully what it sounds like.





There's a few minor problems I've discovered so far that need attention :

1) There's paint on it. Someone has decorated and not covered her up. So there's flecks of paint AND worse, there's parts where the body looks like it's been accidentally brushed with a wet paintbrush. :)

2) The tuning head posts, although fully working are a little bent / wonky and one in particular (the A) is worse than the others. The bushings have popped out a little. The strings have probably never been changed and they've been left under tension for the last 40 years. :)

3) The "Vol 2" knob is seized up.


Could be a lot, lot worse. The neck looks straight, there's no massive dings and no missing parts apart from the bridge cover...


Anyone got any ideas how best to fix her up?

Edited by bigjohn
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I'm no luthier, so I'll refrain from offering useless advice, BUT before you start messing with the electrics, make sure you really really understand how it's wired up and what it ... erm ... seems to do.

The old Hofner control plate is one of the weirdest pieces of work you'll ever see.

Ideally, start by finding someone with a fully-functional Hofner using the same controls, and spend some time working it all out.

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[quote name='Happy Jack' post='1170643' date='Mar 21 2011, 01:39 PM']I'm no luthier, so I'll refrain from offering useless advice, BUT before you start messing with the electrics, make sure you really really understand how it's wired up and what it ... erm ... seems to do.

The old Hofner control plate is one of the weirdest pieces of work you'll ever see.

Ideally, start by finding someone with a fully-functional Hofner using the same controls, and spend some time working it all out.[/quote]


Ok - relatively good news...

The jack socket was a bit loose - I seem to have fixed that by removing and putting the nut back on. I'd imagine that won't last :)

Volume 1 works perfectly.

Treble switch makes no difference.

Bass switch cuts sound completely when on. Off it's fine.

Rhythm/Solo switch seems to work well.

Volume 2 is seized up.

2 out of 5 ain't bad.

Got a great sound!


Any ideas how best to get the paint off?

Anyone got any ideas other than WD40 to unseize Volume 1?

Edited by bigjohn
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[quote name='BigRedX' post='1170792' date='Mar 21 2011, 03:51 PM']WD40 is worst thing you can use on electrical components. Use something like Servisol instead.[/quote]

I'll give it a go...

Not sure the servisol will cut through the rust though...

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[quote name='Ou7shined' post='1170818' date='Mar 21 2011, 04:16 PM']Can you pick the paint off with your thumb nail?[/quote]

Nah. I've tried that.

Might give it a go with a magnifying glass and a table knife... the some of the spatterings might succumb to that...

Not sure about the ones one the scratchplate.

And where the paint is brushed on...

Edited by bigjohn
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[quote name='bigjohn' post='1170718' date='Mar 21 2011, 02:24 PM']Volume 1 works perfectly.

Treble switch makes no difference.

Bass switch cuts sound completely when on. Off it's fine.

Rhythm/Solo switch seems to work well.

Volume 2 is seized up.[/quote]

OK, a quick heads up.

You have a neck pickup (which makes a bassy sort of noise) and a bridge pickup (which makes a trebly sort of noise). It follows that the BASS ON/OFF switch will switch the neck pickup on/off, on for more bass, off for less bass.

Close, but no cigar.

Another way to make the sound more bassy, y'see, would be to switch the treble pickup off. So switching to BASS ON actually turns the bridge pickup off.

Another way to make the sound more trebly, of course, would be to switch the bass pickup off. So switching to TREBLE ON actually turns the neck pickup off.

You can see where this going, can't you? You're way ahead of me.

It follows, with dreadfully Germanic logic, that switching both BASS ON and TREBLE ON actually results in ... erm ... switching off everything.

Don't get me started on the SOLO switch.

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[quote name='Happy Jack' post='1170858' date='Mar 21 2011, 04:35 PM']OK, a quick heads up.

You have a neck pickup (which makes a bassy sort of noise) and a bridge pickup (which makes a trebly sort of noise). It follows that the BASS ON/OFF switch will switch the neck pickup on/off, on for more bass, off for less bass.

Close, but no cigar.

Another way to make the sound more bassy, y'see, would be to switch the treble pickup off. So switching to BASS ON actually turns the bridge pickup off.

Another way to make the sound more trebly, of course, would be to switch the bass pickup off. So switching to TREBLE ON actually turns the neck pickup off.

You can see where this going, can't you? You're way ahead of me.

It follows, with dreadfully Germanic logic, that switching both BASS ON and TREBLE ON actually results in ... erm ... switching off everything.

Don't get me started on the SOLO switch.[/quote]


Ha ha. Excellent. :) Ok - well the strings are off at the moment as I'm cleaning the fretboard up...

I reckon then, that the TREBLE ON switch is actually jammed ON... But then I wasn't thinking quite so laterally when I was testing her out before...

So what about this SOLO switch... it seemed to sound a little phased when on...

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I own a Dynelectron copy of a danelectro guitarlin which had been covered in emulsion paint. I used the side edge of a flat bladed screw driver to carefully crack and chip the paint off over the course of several days. If the area is small and you're patient, this may be the way of least damage.

Halfords do an electrical contact cleaner too, for £3.99.

Edited by Ancient Mariner
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