Hofner Violin Bass Issue

[Cortez80]

Hi.  

 

I'm new to the forum and looking for some help with my Hofner Violin Bass. 

It's a B-Bass hi-Series Ignition so a budget model. I've had it for 6 or 7 years.

 

My problem is I recently changed the strings and all hell broke loose with the set up!

 

Having trawled through several forums and YouTube videos I now know I did many things wrong but can't seem to find the help/specific issue I have.

 

Ok, so I changed the strings all at once and forgot about the floating bridge (or should that be 'falling' bridge when you forget that it's not fixed in place!).  I've read-up about bridge placement/intonation and reckon I'll be mainly ok with that.

 

The big problem I have is that the E string feels & sounds as though it is too loose.  It is tuned correctly (well, as much as I can tell) but it is really loose so pretty difficult to discern the notes!.

There is also a lot of fret buzz and it also looks as though the string is touching other frets from around the 7th upwards.  It sounds almost muted when I fret a note. The string is not touching the wood part of the bridge and, on some fret positions, the string is not touching any other fret.

 

The strings I bought are Hofner Flatwound Strings (I ordered these as I made the mistake of ordering regular bass strings before only to discover they didn't fit the short scale bass and there was no silk on the end!) - Link here if it helps https://www.stringsdirect.co.uk/strings-c1/string-sets-c865/bass-guitar-c34/hofner-40-95-contemporary-series-flatwound-bass-guitar-strings-p15510?currency=GBP&gad=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI56amtfyh_wIVXS0GAB32Tg2gEAQYASABEgKKIfD_BwE#fo_c=1949&fo_k=84fae4046ee2b0e1334e25c83e11ffcc&fo_s=gplauk&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=

 

I have tried moving the bridge forward and back and also adjusted the height of the bridge and it is just the same.  I also have the bridge dead centre so the string isn't too close to the edge of the fretboard.

Also, If I tune the E string up by around 1 1/2 steps (to a G) it plays so much better and I don't have any dull/muted sound anywhere (just the occasional buzz which can be sorted with bridge adjustment)

 

It was fine before and I seem to recall that the last time I changed the strings, I changed them one at a time so as not to mess the set up.  unfortunately, I forgot this time as I wanted to give it a proper clean at the same time.  

 

Basically, it seems as though the E string is the wrong size/tension for this bass but it is actually the correct length and I'm struggling to figure this out!

 

Any help or suggestions would be very welcome!

 

I should also point out that I'm not really a bass player (more guitarist) - though I can knock out a bass line or two!- I just bought the bass for home recordings to get a natural bass sound on my recordings (mainly rock/blues).

[BigRedX]

What strings did you have fitted before? Were they the same make and gauge?

[Cortez80]

Hi BigRedX,

 

I had RotoSound RotoBass 50’s. 

[ikay]

Can you post a photo? Might offer a few clues.

[BigRedX]

1 hour ago, Cortez80 said:

I had RotoSound RotoBass 50’s. 

 

If these were your previous strings then your replacements are a much lighter gauge and probably exerting a lot less pull on the neck. You might need to slacken off the truss rod slightly. Hold down the E and G strings at the first and last frets. Are they touching any of the other frets in between?

[Cortez80]

53 minutes ago, ikay said:

Can you post a photo? Might offer a few clues.

Thanks okay, any specific areas you want to see?

[Cortez80]

33 minutes ago, BigRedX said:

 

If these were your previous strings then your replacements are a much lighter gauge and probably exerting a lot less pull on the neck. You might need to slacken off the truss rod slightly. Hold down the E and G strings at the first and last frets. Are they touching any of the other frets in between?

Thanks BigRedX. 
 

The E string is touching all frets from the 12th upwards.

The G string is touching only the 1st, 2nd and 3rd frets

[Baloney Balderdash]

Sounds like there is a back bow in the neck (that is the neck having a somewhat upwards arc), caused by a too tight truss rod relatively to the lower tension strings compared to what you previous had the bass strung with.

 

Loosening the truss rod and eventually installing higher tension strings hopefully will solve this, though from what you tell there might be other issues in play as well.

 

But at least I would start with loosening the truss rod and see if that solves it (remember to retune each time you have adjusted the truss rod).

 

You'll know that it has the truss rod has been adjusted correctly when fretting the low E string at 1st fret simultaneously with the 17th fret, the latter with you pinky, and, while holding the E string down like that at 1st and 17th fret, stretch over and tap the string down right above the 12th fret with your thumb (on the hand that your are using your pinky to hold down the string down at the 17th fret), and you should feel an ever so slight gap, we are talking mere fractions of a mm, and hear a very subtle click as the string hit the fret (of course with all the strings being in tune, so that the neck is under the tension it would be under normal circumstances), which indicates that the neck is having an ever so slightly forward bow (that is the neck having an ever so slight downward arc), just as it ought to.

 

Edited June 1, 2023 by Baloney Balderdash

[ikay]

5 hours ago, Cortez80 said:

Thanks okay, any specific areas you want to see?

 

Maybe a pic like below so we can see the string action up and down the neck to confirm the back-bow (which is what it sounds like). As hi-res as you can so we can zoom in and see the detail.

 

Edited June 1, 2023 by ikay

[Cortez80]

1 hour ago, ikay said:

 

Maybe a pic like below so we can see the string action up and down the neck to confirm the back-bow (which is what it sounds like). As hi-res as you can so we can zoom in and see the detail.

 

Hey ikay, does this work?

[Cortez80]

5 hours ago, Baloney Balderdash said:

Sounds like there is a back bow in the neck (that is the neck having a somewhat upwards arc), caused by a too tight truss rod relatively to the lower tension strings compared to what you previous had the bass strung with.

 

Loosening the truss rod and eventually installing higher tension strings hopefully will solve this, though from what you tell there might be other issues in play as well.

 

But at least I would start with loosening the truss rod and see if that solves it (remember to retune each time you have adjusted the truss rod).

 

You'll know that it has the truss rod has been adjusted correctly when fretting the low E string at 1st fret simultaneously with the 17th fret, the latter with you pinky, and, while holding the E string down like that at 1st and 17th fret, stretch over and tap the string down right above the 12th fret with your thumb (on the hand that your are using your pinky to hold down the string down at the 17th fret), and you should feel an ever so slight gap, we are talking mere fractions of a mm, and hear a very subtle click as the string hit the fret (of course with all the strings being in tune, so that the neck is under the tension it would be under normal circumstances), which indicates that the neck is having an ever so slightly forward bow (that is the neck having an ever so slight downward arc), just as it ought to.

 

Hey, I’m a little worried about messing so you the truss rod. Do you think changing to the previous gauge strings i had might solve the issue?

[ikay]

Thanks for posting the pic. There doesn't appear to be an obvious back-bow in the neck. Here's a cropped shot for others to check out.

 

[Cortez80]

1 hour ago, ikay said:

Thanks for posting the pic. There doesn't appear to be an obvious back-bow in the neck. Here's a cropped shot for others to check out.

 

Thanks ikay. I think BigRedX may be in to something with the gauge of the new strings and the reduced tension in the neck. I wonder if reverting back to the 50’s would sort the issue?

[BigRedX]

28 minutes ago, Cortez80 said:

Thanks ikay. I think BigRedX may be in to something with the gauge of the new strings and the reduced tension in the neck. I wonder if reverting back to the 50’s would sort the issue?

 

But if the reduced tension of the strings was the problem we'd be seeing an obvious back bow of the neck.

 

This sort of thing can be quite difficult to sort out on an internet forum, where despite the large number of knowledgeable musicians available, there's is not substitute for actually having the bass in your hands.

 

I thought from your OP that you bought the new string because you didn't like the pervious ones fitted. Whatever the case then you should get this bass sorted out for the strings you like. That might mean a trip to a reputable luthier in your area. Where abouts are you?

[Cortez80]

4 hours ago, BigRedX said:

 

But if the reduced tension of the strings was the problem we'd be seeing an obvious back bow of the neck.

 

This sort of thing can be quite difficult to sort out on an internet forum, where despite the large number of knowledgeable musicians available, there's is not substitute for actually having the bass in your hands.

 

I thought from your OP that you bought the new string because you didn't like the pervious ones fitted. Whatever the case then you should get this bass sorted out for the strings you like. That might mean a trip to a reputable luthier in your area. Where abouts are you?

Thanks again for the reply. I’m near Glasgow. I agree that a luthier is probably required. I was just hoping to avoid if it was a simple fix as I’ve just spent nearly £60 on two sets of strings!