Build #4 Custom HB-4

[Alexej]

One of the last orders from pitbull at all I suppose...
Always liked this shape of the "Beatlesbass"...
For this custom kit was on sale and I liked the fretless version, I wanted to try it out...



The kit is fine beside the neck/neckpocket...the neck aligment to the body is not centered when you put the neck into the pocket...It is going about 5 mm to the upper edge of the body, so you dont get a straight line following the neckline to the centre of the body...Not sure how to fix it with a hollow body that might become difficult...I suppose I have to sand quiet a lot of the necksides to get the right angle...and then fix it with glue and veneer to keep it in the right shape...lets see





What I really can not understand about the Hoefner Basses is the control pannel which is esthetically a nightmare in my eyes Suppose it is part of the history, did not get much into this honestly, but I just can not keep it like that...
I am not sure if I can reproduce the electronics, but in the end it could also be a switch for the humbuckers, and two volumes and one mastertone.

I want to close the cavity and veneer the Bass with some burl...I simulated how it should become if I color it with shades of black, keeping the burl slightly visible...overall the look of black and chrome and maybe a bit of white from binding...But making it white could also be an option, then I will use some smoother and calmer veneer I think...



Any comments are welcomed

[fender3x]

It will be interesting to see how you deal with the control plate.

With regard to the centerline offset, I had something similar to it on the bass in my avatar. I made things line up with the neck, rather than the centerline of the bass. You could fix it, as you have suggested, but it will be a ton of work to get it to line up just right. You could just line up the tailpiece and bridge with where the red line is in your pic. Since you haven't got pickup cavities, you could cut to line up with the red line as well. It doesn't look like it's off enough for anyone but you to notice, or to effect play-ability.

Then, of course, there is the old "whack it" trick. If you put the neck in the slot and give it a good whack on the treble side of the headstock it may move a little toward the centerline.

[Alexej]

Yeah, I am curious about how it will become, too 🙂 Have to check your bass build Fender3x...

For the electronics I will have to open the back of the body, making a small cavity to be able to place the potis...a bit not sure, if this affects the resonance of the body by making holes...have no idea how it influences the sound...

I am still thinking, how it could work with the center line...I think it will be noticeable, for those are about 6 mm difference...

Now I consider doing something with the neck pocket, instead of the neck, but there is not much material with the thin hollow body to experiment...well it is a challenge 🙂

[Rabbit]

I had a similar issue with my hb-4. I set up the tail piece bang in the centre of the body, and then when I put strings on discovered the strings were off line with the neck. I solved the issue by moving the tail piece The amount I had to move it meant that the tail piece covered the original holes.

[fender3x]

I had a similar issue with my hb-4. I set up the tail piece bang in the centre of the body, and then when I put strings on discovered the strings were off line with the neck. I solved the issue by moving the tail piece The amount I had to move it meant that the tail piece covered the original holes.

This is a more concise way of saying what I was trying to say...

Mine was off far enough that I had to add a small piece of maple to the one side of the neck to get it to look right. I should mention that the piece is purely cosmetic. It didn't do anything to adjust the angle of the neck.

https://www.buildyourownguitar.com.a...?t=5339&page=6

If you scroll back in that thread you'll see that it was also off far enough so that the post for the bridge was half off the center block. Even so, when it was completed, using the approach that Rabbit suggested and after adding my patch on the side of the neck, you would not notice that it's off a bit from the center line.

You're use of the word "potis" made me think that you might also want to take a look at the Cadfaels book on bass circuit layouts. I think it is probably the most comprehensive ever made, and I spent a good bit of time with it trying to understand Höfner tone circuits (pages 200-206). It's a good reference for English speakers, but it's in German so even better for some people ;-)

https://www.buildyourownguitar.com.a...ead.php?t=9703

[Alexej]

Thank you for the input. I am not sure if I totally understand your description of how to conceal the notcentered neck displacement
If I just look at the guitar I do notice that it is not straight. Especially from the back. I made some more measurements and am willing to change the angle...but not sure how...I think I have to sand some neck to be able "rotating" it a bit in the pocket...
I have the centered line in mind and can't ignore it, atm

Will study your builds to see how you made the progress...Looked up both builds, the HB4 and the ES4-B diaries...both builds look great and I like the dark red/black colors, very nice...also very helpful to see the approaches dealing with problems and issues...

And what a wonderful book it is...just awesome...is there something similar out there for guitars, too?...thank you very much Fender3x...

[Alexej]

I tried to adjust the neck and somehow it seems to work. Had to sand just a couple of millimeters on the bottom side of the pocket and on both sides of the neck. Just some millimeteres were enough to change the angle. As can be seen in the foto, before the adjusting there were more than 5 mm difference. The gap I will fill with some veneer and by gluing the neck afterwards it should be stable and fine.



Now I can move on with the build.

[fender3x]

Well done! Good idea to fill with veneer any place you can. You want to get a good bond with the glue when you do the glue-up.

As to the book...I have never seen anything else like it. I would love to see one on guitars...and I think the author has a forum where some guitar stuff may be discussed:

https://www.electricbass.ch/blog/cad...-e-baesse-1559

http://161589.homepagemodules.de/

The guy seems to specialize in basses however, and doesn't seem to have much interest in guitars.

Cadfael is actually Andreas Kuehn, who seems to have multiple interests, but when he gets into things, he really gets into them. Basses and Kawasaki BJ250 motor bikes for example.

[Alexej]

Thanks! I moved on and opened the back, to have an electronics cavity. Just used a scalpelknife and it worked fine for the 4mm wood...



I am still thinking, if it is possible to transfer the Höfner electronic plate into a circuit of switches, resistors and potentiometers. Maybe this massive bassbook might give me some solutions and understanding of the electronics. But I am still a total profane in soundelectronic and have no idea what basses should sound like and which options are interesting...

Maybe I will even use something like that https://www.thomann.de/de/artec_se2a.htm
Or keep it simple with just volumes and a tone...

[fender3x]

That is a really beautiful cut. It's really the way these Höfners should have been done in the first place.

You could definitely wire your bass like the original Höfners if you want to. You would follow the wiring diagram on 205 of the big book.
To do it you would need two 250K pots and three two-way DPDT microswitches. It's a bit unusual. The control that says "bass" turns the neck pickup on and off. The control that says "treble" turns the bridge pickup on and off. There is no tone pot. Instead there is a rhythm/solo switch. basically "rhythm" cuts some treble frequencies. Think of "solo" as having the tone pot on "10" and rhythm as turning the tone pot all the way down. Not sure what pickups you'll be using, but I would be inclined to use single coils with it to keep it from getting too dark.

There are lots of other options. You could wire it like a Fender Jazz with VVT and no switches*, which would give it a clean look. Lot's of other configurations are possible as well. To be a bit closer to the Artec controls but still passive you could wire it V-Blend-T.** The blend pot works like a pickup selector switch with the neck pickup on one side and the bridge pickup on the other. Both are full on in the middle. It allows you to have as much or as little of each pickup as you like...a pretty common mod on Fender Jazz basses.

The Artec control harness is active, and I don't think it will work without a battery. It says it will work with either active or passive pickups, which is good. It would give you active controls. Passive controls cut certain frequencies (either high or low) but don't add anything. Active controls have a little amplifier built in so that they can boost as well as cut frequencies...and will add or cut about twice what what passive controls will do. Good for tone shaping, BUT it means you have to add a battery. I know people who love their active tone controls, but I just don't like the idea of leaving a battery in a bass.

*Page 41 in the big bass wiring book
** Page 335 or 336 in the big book.