NBD Höfner Club Bass

[Chris P.]

Well, not really NBD, cos it's still at Höfner's.

I'm quite good in the Höfner department. Besides a sold black HCT Club, I also got an HCT Verythin Bass.

And some Germans:

- A sunburst Macca 500/1 model
- An orange Gold Label 500/1 with the normal staple pickups in normal neck/bridge position
- A red matte Gold Label 500/1 with cavern spaced toaster pickups
- A Club Bass 500/2 in paisley with cavern spaced Diamond Pickups.

I love the looks and playability of the Club Bass and the sound of my red Gold Label with cavern spaced (close spacing) toasters (single coils). It's so much better than all my other Höfners. Less oomphhy, less wide and big, but more woody, tight, .. Love it. My fellow musicians ask me to use the red bass only, people borrow it for recordings. I guess that says enough.

So my 'dream' Höfner is a Club with those pickups and spacing and Höfner made a one of a kind for me. As far as I know there aren't any Club Basses with toasters around. There are some with cavern spacing, but with other pickups. I also like the KH logo tailpiece, because of Air I like natural Clubs and Höfner added a raised logo and a body logo. This is the result and I love it!

[Rob]

Congrats Chris,
We need a clip.

[clankenstein]

Nice!

[Dave W]

That's a beauty!

I don't know the differences between Höfner pickups over the years but the ones I've heard with Cavern spacing sound best to me.

[amptech]

Oooo, nice! Always wanted me a club. My cousin got an early one a few years back, sounds good and plays like a dream.

[Chris P.]

This is my humble opinion:

Cavern versus normal spacing:

Most people use the neck pickup with the normal spacing. The bridge pickup is not really usable, however it can let you dial in some extra highs (*). But to be frank you have one sound. Of course fingerstyle versus pick, palm muting, you can still do a lot within the warm Höfner range.

With a Cavern spacing - so pickups closer together - you can do much more. Together the sound is really deep and warm and soloing the middle/2nd pickup gives you a more middy sound, a bit faster sound and more tight. You can vary between ballads and more rocky songs by just turn your neck pickup on and off or use the volume control of it.

As a finger style player I like the thumbrest position of the second pickup.


Toasters/bars versus Staples/Diamonds:

The Staples and Diamons are roughly the same and humbuckers. Very big, wide and oomphy sounding. With finger style sometimes almost too much. Modern ones are a bit hotter and oomphier than older ones. The new relic Höfners have lower output and sound better imho. I know Höfner knows the pickups can be a bit lower in output to match older ones and gradually the change it, if I recall correctly. Of course great pickups, also the modern ones. If it's good enough for Macca, Dale of Amy Winehouse, etc. etc.

The bars and toasters are single coils and however I never tried the bars, my contact at Höfners say the character is close to the toaster. When I first got my toaster 500/1 I thought it was broken. I had my amp turned low and I had no sound. I turned the amp volume up and there it was! The output is MUCH lower. The overall sound is more woody, warm, tighter and more usable for finger style. Just not an explostion of sound but a great one. Much more bass and less pickup. It blends in great with piano and acoustic guitars and in my acoustic duo my other half wants me to play the red toaster one. A very talented player borrowed two Höfners and he had the same opinion. He even asked me to borrow the red one for recordigs.


Toasters and Cavern:

And an extra part about the combination. Caver/toasters. The neck pickup is more or less described above. Together it's a bit warmer and fuller, but the secret weapon is the middle pickup. A Höfner will never be a Fender but this pickup soloed is really nice for rocky songs and more usable than the humbucker soloed. It's warm, tight, fast and I just could use it in a rock band.


(*) I believe Paul McCartney has his bridge pickup on, but volume rolled down. That gives a different sound than bridge pickup off. Something to do with the strange circuitry. I'm not technical enough to explain this.

[Dave W]

Thanks for the explanation.

[ilan]

WOW. Beautiful.

(*) I believe Paul McCartney has his bridge pickup on, but volume rolled down. That gives a different sound than bridge pickup off. Something to do with the strange circuitry. I'm not technical enough to explain this.

His '63, at least in the two occasions I had to take a close look at the bass, has the switches in the popular up/down/up pattern (since his plate is upside down it's actually down/up/down from the player's point of view, but it's still neck PU on, bridge PU off, "solo" on), with the switches held permanently in place with small pieces of rolled black gaffer tape so that he doesn't accidentally knock a switch out of position. Both he and his tech Keith Smith have confirmed that this is the only setting he uses.

[westen44]

An interesting, unique and informative thread. 

[Rob]

An interesting, unique and informative thread.

I agree but we still need a sound clip 

[westen44]

I agree but we still need a sound clip 

From both Chris and Paul McCartney. 

[Chris P.]

I don't have the bass yet!

[Chris P.]

https://www.facebook.com/Chrispdekker/media_set?set=a.10156812164963855&type=3&uploaded=26

[ilan]

One of the prettiest Höfners ever. Did you consider a double-cut club?

[Chris P.]

Thanks!

I do like the doublecut Club. but I like the normal ones better. So, yes I like them, but I didn't really consider it.

This was btw the sole reason for playing Höfner and wanting a natural Club: