Hofner 500/1 Ignition Bass Upgraded. German Hofner Parts.

[@findingemo3691]

The Bob Ross of bass guitars

[@johnstephen7610]

@Gennady Golovkin That says a lot about Bob Ross. Quite an impact he's had.

[@adam-li5st]

@@johnstephen7610 very true

[@aydanneilson-bourke7378]

I must say, this was quite soothing

[@hevog]

I've been playing e-bass for many years now and never really had the Höfner violin bass on my mind to be honest. Seemed too vintage, too light, too hollow, too melodic and what not. But since the Chinese version is really cheap now I ordered one. So, what can I say, I'm pretty much blown away, really. Gosh, do I love this bass. Now, I want to have a real German made Höfner one.

[@charlie2namon]

I like the Chinese bass because it will be a novelty for me and I don't need another expensive bass. It's nice that there is a cheaper one available to experiment with.

[@kazmaitalia8796]

@@charlie2namon I have the red Club Ignition Bass arriving from Reverb . Are the electronics that bad that I need to replace pots ! Thanks

[@charlie2namon]

@@kazmaitalia8796 I'm still waiting for delivery, next Wed. 4-21-21. If it ain't broke don't fix it comes to mind. I have seen a video on KZbin where a tech changes the pots on a Hofner to 500 ohms, I think. Not sure I heard a difference.

[@sharonlee4773]

@@kazmaitalia8796 Yes I agree-I cant see how changing the pots would change the sound!

[@silentgd]

would've been interesting to have heard it with just a change of strings first before you did the control panel/nut/bridge change...I'm more than happy with my Ignition Club after just changing the strings to tapewounds

[@patbianco7671]

Hi EJ. I am an older guy and have been playing drums for a long time but recently I have been considering taking up the bass.. I have been watching a lot of KZbin and I want to compliment you on your videos..They are so informative plus I am amazed at your workmanship.. You are so thorough and meticulous... A true artisan. Very impressed! 🤗

[@BackbeatVintage]

Thanks Pat. Its interesting to me because I have to edit the lengthy hours down to about 40 or so minutes which is long for youtube. Nice to know they are informative after all the editing. Hang in there and stay safe. Thanks again. EJ

[@thedapperdjentleman4706]

Criminally under-subscribed, this one

[@tedbrookins]

I see you flipped the bridge pickup around so the poles are further from the end like the non- Ignition series. Makes a difference in the tonal character. Nice work on that beauty!

[@jeffreyg4626]

You did a great job. Very interesting video. I bought a Chinese Hofner copyin 2010 for $350 and a real German Hofner in 2011 for $1800. I preferred the Chinese bass straight away. Easier to play- better action and thinner neck. I sold the German Hofner. Put Labella flat wounds on the Chinese Hofner. I love it. The German Hofner bass was exceptional quality by the way. Just harder to play then the Chinese Hofner copy.

[@LouisMenotti]

So enjoyable to watch! Genuinely love the background music. I so wish I knew a guy like yourself here in the UK.

[@BackbeatVintage]

Thanks Louis. Stay well! EJ

[@DXPunx74]

I look at how they drilled that and some of the other stuff they did and say, "Ouch". They need to watch that Hofner video showing how they're made. Those Hofner guys are very great at making those. So spot on and very detailed. I was impressed watching them build those.

[@niallchurch2679]

Well thanks for doing this! It's been very interesting!

[@ShrimpsTonic]

Very nice! I just ordered one of these. In my experience these Hofner basses are VERY prone to having dead spots in weird places like the 1st or 5th fret of the E-string, hope the one I ordered doesn't have them. I may also do the zero fret upgrade.

[@robmartinez7517]

I have owned many Hofner Icon/Ignition violin and Club basses. They are GREAT for the money and sound amazing!

[@9the_red_yeti6]

Great video. I bought a hofner ignition and have been pretty underwhelmed with it's performance so I'm gonna try to make it as good as you did using this as a guide. Thank you so much for making such an informative video!

[@sharonlee4773]

So how did you get on a year ago?

[@TRICK-OR-TREAT236]

I UPGRADED MY HOFNER TOO. IT NOW HAS AN ELECTRONIC IGNITION.

[@TheTwangKings]

God, these basses are gorgeous.

[@christopherejenake]

After playing the electric bass guitar for 27yrs now, I am really looking to get the acoustic feels to my new sound. So, I started searching for acoustic guitars. I really didn't fancy the violin bass until I heard someone play it......men!!!! I fell in love with the warm sound that comes off of these 4 strings!! Just before I could hit the store to get 1 to add to my collection, someone put up an EKO 995 "1965" violin bass for sale at a give away price because the owner felt the string action was too high......long story short, I bought it. But I know that if I did, I would have to upgrade and customize it. Now, watching this video has given me hope to see the light at the end of the tunnel. There is a repair shop not far from where I live. I will give them a try. If they can't give me what I need, I will probably have to ship it out to you for your Midas touch upgrade!!!!

[@leascaart]

Fantastic review. I almost bought this. Not going to buy anymore. I’m going to save to buy a German made Hofner. I want nothing to do with China made crap, especially music instruments. Thank you, sir. You are wonderful.

[@CesarLeon]

This is when I remember why I hate living in Mexico. You can't get any good parts for guitar modifications

[@jeffreyg4626]

Let me know what you need. When Mexicans have the materials- they make very high quality guitars. I have a Fender 1950's Road Worn 2010 Precision bass made in Mexico. The best bass I every owned!

[@cburgess2805]

Cool man try NZ where shipping is $50 and it takes 4 months :P

[@haikat4]

Does Mexico have an equivalent of Alibaba? You guys must have lots of manufacturing surplus.

[@electricgypsyblues4761]

This was very enjoyable to watch. The closest thing I have to a Hofner is a Jay Turser beatle Bass.

[@cameronstilliens7163]

Hey EJ, love your channel! Bought one of these about a year ago or so and love it! It’s my first Hofner and definitely not my last! Thanks for the great videos 👍

[@paulsummerside]

Great video. Considering either an HCT or Ignition as don’t have the money for a proper German Hofner. Would a Brass nut be another solution? As trying to get the Zero nut kit in the UK, isn’t easy right now, with the Brexit restrictions on imports from anywhere. And the replacement Bass nuts are a fraction of the price, compared to the kit. Also would it be possible to fit 250ohm pots into the standard ignition control, or is the Chinese plate a completely sealed unit ? Some great videos on your channel. Thankyou so much for filming them.

[@larrybeamerregals9070]

Hi EJ, I just got my Hofner Ignition yesterday. Have been watching your video to do the upgrades. I am not a bass player, but wanted to see if I could play one. I opended the control panel and sure enough, my pots say b250 ohms. I will buy a new bridge from hofner, but I tries to email zero glide for the ZS-18, zero fret. I needa ZS-18 L. I play left handed and have a left handed hofner. I dont own any tools and can buy some wood glue but how to I invert the spacing on the nut? Lefty Larry

[@temp289]

This is so well done. I wish I had you for my nextdoor neighbor.

[@plinkbottle]

Bought a Hofner in 1966. It had the white binding and thinner neck. It was hard to get the right flat wound strings in those days so the E string was always a bit muddy and lacking in pitch definition..All I could get was the short scale Fenders for a fender mustang, very high tension.. I needed a pick to get the most out of it.. I have seen people do hard finger style with these and lift the strings right off the saddles..It provided a nice sound for the music I was playing at the time, but I eventually went to a full scale bass to provide a more accurate pitch and get a greater variety of strings.

[@Bobobox95]

Hey if you could’ve one tip to a young bassist, what would it be? You seem like an expert in the field so...

[@plinkbottle]

@@Bobobox95 If you want to make money playing bass, only learn enough slap to do an impressive solo.. Learn other types of music the way others do it these days. By tuning into recordings and playing along with it. Pay attention to getting the intonation right and the bass set up properly. When the bass is right in tune with the band the sound will get really strong. Play a little bit treble when learning and getting in tune, then fatten it up when doing gigs. Thrash it out with with some friends of your own skill level till you get the feel of the bass players role in the band. After you get past the novice stage play with some good musicians, they will make you a good bass player by giving you the chance to play some really smart stuff.

[@Bobobox95]

Charles Rablin Thank you so much I’ll use this sage advice 🙏

[@willoughf]

This is very useful. I just bought a lefty version of this bass. I will definitely replace the strings as a start.

[@leonardotornesello930]

Always change the strings on a just bought instrument!

[@rb13818]

Absolutely love this design, planning of adding it to my collection after the rickenbacker,.

[@kevinmorrice]

i use pyramid gold flatwounds, from what i heard its paul mcartneys choice of strings

[@williamadamsmusic3025]

Your video on the ignition Beatle Bass is very helpful!

[@Anne6621]

i have the same bass and had the same mods done that you did and its actually a great guitar !! , and you have a great channel and why you dont have 1 millions subscribers puzzles me !!

[@niallchurch2679]

Where did you get the bridge, as it's not supposed to fit an ignition?

[@jltrem]

Very nice job.Bought an Ignition about seven years ago and the first thing I did was put LaBellas on it. That alone made quite a difference. I attribute it to it's fully hollow construction. The only other mod I made was to put teacup knobs on it because I'm a guitar player and got it because I'm a Beatlemaniac.

[@jltrem]

@Arzola Sorry, cant tell you as the only flatwounds I'm familiar with are the LaBellas. E.J. could probably tell you as he has much more experience.

[@ttoille765]

It appears you flipped the back pickup to where the screws are closer to the neck. Is there a reason for this? Does it make a sound difference?

[@zurdoremi]

not much if any difference at all. Don't bother.

[@iansutherlandcraig]

That was a great post. I know what my next project is. The nut in that bass really kills any sustain and I long thought a zero fret but was the way forward.

[@twincitiestara]

I kind of wish you had demonstrated how the Ignition sounds with JUST the strings changed to flats, so we could really hear what kind of difference your hardware & electronics upgrades actually made. The sound difference of changing the strings and the pickup height is so dramatic that it's hard to tell if any of the other stuff mattered much.

[@BackbeatVintage]

Good point. Thx! Ej

[@news603redux]

Just got my third HI-459 Ignition six string, identical body to this one. Genuinely amazed at a guitar of this caliber {shortcuts and all} for $300.

[@maxlox4169]

Hey EJ! I absolutely love your videos! I own an ignition and I’m about to start working on it! I’ve ordered some la bellas and i’m going to align the pickup with the fretboard like you did! Hopefully soon i can pick up a German control board and take it to the next level! Keep doing what you’re doing!

[@PeteCarlton]

I've been watching your inspirational work for two or three years now, EJ, and I've finally laid my hands on an Ignition - prompted by this video in particular. What wouldn't I give to be able to handle a vintage or a vintage reissue, but I'm very happy for now. Fortunately, I seem to have escaped the poor finish on the scratchplate and (so far) on the bridge. One thing I would love to know is where you've been getting your vintage spares from, for instance the nut with the zero fret and the "loaded" switchplate.

[@BackbeatVintage]

Hi Pete, i usually order from north coast music for hofner parts. Google them. Regarding the zero fret I had to find a supplier on line but nobody I use regularly. Starting with the ignition you will learn alot. Have fun!

[@SoloDallas]

Love what you've done here

[@jeremyboyd6136]

I'm planning on getting the Ignition series bass, and the first thing I'm going to do is change the strings to flatwound.

[@DXPunx74]

They make a world of difference and are more quicker on the sliding fret to fret.

[@niallchurch2679]

Here's something you might show us, how to warm up a pickup using paraffin, as you eluded to in video!

[@MrSmark123]

Came here to ask the same question, yes please!

[@claudevieaul1465]

There's a few good videos on that topic on YT, just look for 'wax potting pickups'. It is usually done on guitar pickups, and mostly for use on hi-gain / vastly overdriven tube amps, but it does have an effect in every case: it slightly warms up the pickup by taking out some harsher frequencies. It all depends on your amp too. The combination of good flatwounds (or even tapewounds) and a warm amp will nicely do the trick without potting.

[@knutz7]

Great video, gives me hope for my ignition club. :)

[@gregjarvis3288]

Oh I forgot the Gibson es335.....and the next one is a Hofner Mcartney bass. I am going to look into string choice a lot more. Not being a player I rely on my guitarist friends for advice on sound. Set up is not a problem for me. I find where you use tremolos or Vibrolas roller bridges help with string spacing retention and tuning. Great tips thx.

[@donaldkelley5885]

The control knobs on my Icon bass went bad. I hot wired the pickups together. The neck had a twist. I radius block sanded the frets.

[@weightlessfilms5651]

That's awesome! Would love to make these upgrades to my Ignition. Could you add a list of all the parts you bought to do this? Did you buy new pots, or did the control panel you purchased include those and wiring?

[@bluesman463]

your awsome bro, keep up the good work.thx for posting these vids on upgrades.

[@sharonlee4773]

Inspriring,Thanks! Tho Im no convinced changing the pots/caps/resistors in the control panel could make a difference in sound,but it looks better!

[@jamiemineer4879]

I have one of these and would like to make changes to mine

[@joesasser4421]

Why didn’t you just buy a genuine (German) Höfner?

[@jamiemineer4879]

Joe Sasser too expensive

[@philipgolden8121]

Hi there firstly loved the video great wee pastime you have there wish I had the knowledge and skill and the spare cash to pursue a genuine passion like that. My main question I have for you is I am trying to get the correct gauge and length of strings for the exact model of Hofner as you were working on. Can you tell me which Labella flatwound strings gauge/length etc so I can buy them and get them fitted once this bloody lockdown is over with ha. Cheers from Scotland look forward to your reply

[@EddieG1888]

I think there are more lower mids from the pickups on the RI compared to the Ignition, but the Ignition still sounds pretty good.

[@johnnyrex5115]

Thank you I'm going to try and do the same thing to my Hofner Ignition

[@TheBassfresh]

Things I love about my German Mersey Violin bass; deep thick neck, woody tone, can use beatle bass strap, craftsmanship. Things I love about my icon cavern violin pro; no zero fret (not a fan), easier pup adjustment, pup placement, side dots, tuners work better, wider neck. yes, I have labella flats on both...and i TAKE IT TO GIGS.

[@fshoaps]

Why don’t they call them Beatles basses? It feels like everyone isn’t saying the obvious in calling them “Mersey basses”

[@beechclanger]

I have an ignition that I gig with but as a minimum want to get the pick guard and control panel changed, absolutely love the ignition

[@beechclanger]

Changed to the German that is

[@beechclanger]

Haha yes👍

[@iangarrott21]

anyone have any instruction on how to install a German pickguard on a German Hofner that does not have a pickguard? I have the German bass and the German pickguard, afraid to drill into the neck and bridge. appreciate any advise.

[@MrLouo]

Hi EJ I was wondering what you thought of the zero glide nut for the ignition bass. Thanks

[@PhillipAlcock]

Would really like to know what difference the German control unit makes. Shame it wasn’t possible to hear the difference each change made.

[@thefishcollector3461]

Where can I find those parts so I can do this to my bass

[@kevmac1230]

I built a Beatle bass from a nice kit and I love it's look.The sound is pretty good but I can't believe how loud acousticaly it is.It is a bit distracting trying to play at low practice volume. I am going to try a couple of things you did especially the zero nut. Can you give a link to it?You did a great job. Subbed.

[@gilpi552]

So, on My Ignition Hofners, the decorative part of the saddle that you are showing unsoldered, the three little pieces that slide to the saddle itself are not soldered, these are causing a rattle. Im thinking of dropping some super glue into the holes to prevent the rattle, what do you think? Or just leave it off, it does nothing. Also I have noticed that placing some heavy foam between the saddle and the top, stops the rattle and improves the tone as well.

[@BackbeatVintage]

Hi, imwould leave it off but….regarding improving the tone I suggest you watch my latest video where I upgraded an icon and delt with tone transfer. EJ

[@robertbenton2804]

Hofners in general are hard to truly intonate correctly. If you listen closely to many Beatle albums you can literally hear Paul's bass out of intonation on many songs, some more than others. He had trouble with it his entire Beatles career, and only latter on he had it taken care of. That said, he also used a RIC right around Rubber Soul with flats that many confuse with his Hofner. All of my Hofners, German and China intonate better than Paul's then, and now. On my China bass the entire bridge had to literally be moved up over a 1/4" the width of the bridge itself, and then adjusted from there, the indents where it use to be are still there. Using a Peterson strobe it is now perfect. I have Labella flats on it. I could probably completely fix Paul's bass once and for all. Also, I was wondering did you ever pot wax the pickups, and was there a significant difference in sound compared the the China made control plate? Great video, and yes I subscribed, I hope more follow my lead.

[@wills_corner]

Can you please tell me how I can paint the control switches white? I don't know how to paint it so that it doesn't wear off in minutes

[@BackbeatVintage]

Thats a tough one. I dont think I would paint them. Might be better if you change out the control plate with one with white switches. Sorry! Good luck! Ej

[@murdomckean5140]

ive got the same in left handed all that rough cut is peelable plastic

[@jondolar92]

At 9:30 you said: "I already removed the copy off of the nut cover". What do you mean? I bought a Contemporary and ordered a truss nut cover from Thomann but the holes of the new cover don't match the original ones. What should I do? I don't want the Contemporary inscription on my bass.

[@BackbeatVintage]

Use the hct one with the copy on it but get some 1500 grit emery paper and sand it off. Once off use 2000 grit paper and then use some guitar buffing polish to shine it back up. Stewmac.com has the paper and polish. Thx!

[@UFOBobTV]

Awesome video. I learned a lot. Thanks.

[@joeychiarolanza6310]

Going to do the following Switch to half wounds, use a damper around the top of the neck by the nut (helps mute the overtones a bit) Switch out the knobs for tea cups ((if I try anything more I'll for sure ruin it lol) for what that hi bass is its really pretty good I'd say (it records well too) I hope that tail piece doesn't fall apart like it did on yours, I'll order a replacement before I change strings... You're a truly talented musician and craftsmen sir... My I ask if I want to switch out those knobs for tea cups I guess I have to remove the control panel and loosen from the back??? Thanks

[@BackbeatVintage]

Thanks Joey. The factory black knobs should pull off....first you might want to look to see if there are small set screws on the side of the knobs. The tea cups have the set screw on the side. I dont think you need to remove the control unit to do this. Stay well.

[@joeychiarolanza6310]

@@BackbeatVintage thank you, yes I did ck for the screws on the side... Not there, seemed pretty snug when I tried to pull on them.. Will ck again but will be very careful... Thanks again.

[@brucewayne4211]

I changed my Black Hofner Ignition Bass to the Hofner bridge (Ebony), Hofner Control, Hofner Trapeze Tail Piece and Hofner Tuning keys and stopped there. Strings were changed to "La Bella Deep Talking Flat Wounds". The original pick guard was reinstalled with the exception of painting the screw heads to the same color of the pick guard. The Tuning Key holes had to be re-drilled to accommodate the new Hofner Tuning Keys. I'm looking to replace the nut to the zero-nut configuration but otherwise it looks and sounds great!

[@BackbeatVintage]

Excellent work!

[@brucewayne4211]

Could you please post a link and part number for the "zero-nut" kit part used on your bass.

[@brucewayne4211]

I used the ZS-18 Slotted for Basses | Zero Glide Replacement Nut. goldtonemusicgroup.com/zeroglide/products/zs-18

[@avega2792]

That sounds amazing!

[@bernoulli1]

Hi EJ: I was looking at the wiring in my ignition. Is it a pretty straight forward soldering project to replace the ignition control panel with the german reissued control panel? Any tips?

[@BackbeatVintage]

Brian .C hi, wire the pickups just like the german pickups are wired. The control unit should have come with the input jack installed. Use the white ground wire from the ignition bass and solder it to the input jack ground. This white ground should be coming from the tail block inside the bass. Note....very carefully and slowly you may have to slightly reshape the unit to lay down properly. You are actually reshaping the metal plate behind the plastic control plate. Reshaping is very minor and you dont want to injure the electronics etc. Good luck...

[@bernoulli1]

Thanks so much for the reply. I should be getting the german reissued control panel in the mail in a few days. I’ll leave another reply to let you know how it went. Thanks again!!!

[@bernoulli1]

Update: so I got the control panel and got it all installed properly the first time... pretty easy to do. Prior to switching it I did multiple direct input recordings into my DAW (Logic pro X) in order to do an A/B comparison on tonal difference from the ignition control panel versus the german reissued control panel. Drum roll... to my ears they sound exactly the same. No difference in tone... but the german panel looks way better. I think perhaps the greatest tonal upgrade for the ignition bass is putting the beatle bass flat wound strings on it. Flat wound strings completely change the tone versus the stock round wound strings which to my ears sounds horrible.

[@mtrusch]

thanks for the video. I'm considering buying one but after looking at your video I have some doubts about the overall quality of this type of inexpensive bass as compared to say the Gretsch G2220. My impression is that the fundamental design of a violin bass is more fragile than a conventional bass, therefore requiring perhaps a better build/material quality. Any thoughts about this?

[@southpaw4590]

Bad thing about the zero fret kit is they don’t offer a lefty version for my ignition. Do you cut your own nut and could you do something like that for me plus add the ebony bridge Thank you Stephen

[@niallchurch2679]

Have you tried stewmac?

[@BackbeatVintage]

Hi Steve, i havent done a lefty but you could do it im sure. I wish i could but right now i am committed to a bunch of projects. Let me know how it goes. The ebony bridge is an easy swop. Try northcoastmusic.com for that.

[@skarovision]

Mine has got over 8 high frets straight out of the box. Was rather annoyed about it, but I guess thats where corners are cut on cheaper guitars. I think I will need to level mine. It plays OK with the factory rounds on. I tried changing strings to Hofner flat wound. Was a disastrous waste of money. They wouldn't tune properly. I reset intonation, adjusted truss rod and bridge but it was hopeless. They would be in tune at the 12th and then out at the second being sharp on the A string and various places on the neck even though intonation at 12th was spot on. Had to put factory rounds back on for it to tune properly. Im a bit nervous about shelling out for Labella's incase I have the same problem. I wish they would put flat wounds on from the factory as most people buy this bass for the Macca sound.

[@brucetaylor8973]

Just got one of these, How did you remove the writing on the truss rod cover? That looks pretty cheesy to me and I'd love to make it go away. Great guide to upgrading these, I'm going to start with the easy things like flat wound strings and the control plate. I will probably do the amber tint on the pickguard and tuners as well. Fret work is always needed on these Chinese guitars it seems, so that and a good set up will be the first thing on the hit list.

[@BackbeatVintage]

I use 1000 grit emery paper and sand the entire surface all in one direction. Then switch to the 1500 emery and then use a polish so shine it up. Sounds like a good plan.

[@kosmikcharlie6637]

Great video.I am doing these upgrades to my ignition bass and was wondering if you could provide a link to the zero fret in case I purchase the wrong one.thank you.

[@BackbeatVintage]

You want the ZS-18. goldtonemusicgroup.com/zeroglide/products/zs-18

[@kosmikcharlie6637]

@@BackbeatVintage Thank you so much

[@CoolDaddyYo]

How much is it for those upgrades to make it sound like the german hofner? I had one of it bought at guitar center. Thank you

[@jonb4498]

Could I get nearer the true Hofner tone by just changing the control to the Hofner control set and changing strings? Some people say changing the controler is what makes the big difference more than anything. I've also listened to the cavern version and it seems to have a much better tone straight off before any mods.

[@BackbeatVintage]

Hi, yes changing the control unit and using either labella deep talking flats or pyramids will put it right where it should be tone wise. Like the german beatle warm woody tone. The cavern bass with both pickups up by the neck will always sound more bassy do to the pickup locations. They too sound even better once upgraded. Thx!

[@fanwtn5124]

I hate that roughly cut edge pick guard so much, it drive me crazy

[@niallchurch2679]

Thinking of getting an ignition, but, would maybe get the parts , for the control plate and solder them in myself! Yes I know you can get a fully assemble control plate!)

[@MattCaffell]

I am enjoying your content, but am finding it hard at times due to the clicking sound that is in most video's when a bass is plugged in, is this common with Cavern style instrument's?

[@BackbeatVintage]

Hi, thanks for mentioning that. Its not there in my finished videos but seems to appear after uploading to youtube. Im not sure why that is. May be due to youtube compressing the file..???

[@jenniferdzierzawski-walter5873]

Every time that Hofner touches something I cringe I want that so bad... but I'm broke so...

[@GlenMoyer]

I just bought an Ignition Cavern model (it arrives in a couple days) and already own an Ignition 500/1. I want to specifically make two of the mods shown here, but… Two questions. 1) what size ZeroGlide nut/fret did you use? 2)I’m truly perplexed by you (and others) dropping a German control panel in and it fitting! North Coast Music says they don’t fit and indeed the plate on my Ignition (current one that’s a few years old, can’t speak to the new one yet) matched the dimensions they list where the Ignition plate is at least 1/4” longer and wider than the German control plate. Indeed the control plate on my HCT is identical (to my knowledge) to the German and it is noticeably smaller than my Ignition plate. Can you clarify please EJ? Is there a part # for the plate you used? I can’t possibly see a German control panel fitting my Ignition and I don’t want to drop $200 for nothing. Thanks!

[@BackbeatVintage]

Hi, I used the zero glide kit ZS-18. In the kit there are various frets to pick from. You need to use the highest one. The zero fret needs to be slightly taller that the rest of the frets. Watch my latest video to explain this. You can swop them out and try the various frets. Once you find the right one then drop two small drops of ca glue on the fret and drop it in it position. I know it will fit but it does take some fitting and shaping. I suggest that you pickup the german control and put it in the hct. That will be a noticable difference for that bass. Then use the hct control in the ignition. German and hct controls are a noticable tone difference. There is some fitting needed to put it in the ignition. Remove the knobs and then loosen the two volume nuts so there is a little movement on the plastic plate. Drop it into the ignition slot and see what is needed. The control unit can be slighly tweaked or curved to contour to the body. Some wood shaving might be needed. The hct or german plate will cover the four holes already in the bass. The trick is getting very thin screws (much thinner that what was use) and predrill the new holes in the limited area in the wood. The area for the new screws and hole is very slim so be careful. Again check out my latest video where I did this to a cavern ignition bass. EJ

[@GlenMoyer]

@@BackbeatVintage Thank EJ! I just opened up my Ignition and HCT and some shocking surprise. My Ignition control is NOT a printed circuit board as in your video. It is 2pots directly wired to the 3 switches. My HCT control is same. There is no way the HCT plate (or German presumably) will fit my Ignition. While it might cover lengthwise, plate is 4” and center to center of screw holes is 4” BUT the width of Ignition hole is near 1 3/8 inches while HCT plate is only 1-1/4” at best! A full 1/8” too narrow! I’d love to send you pics to verify but my Ignition definitely does not have circuit board control panel and HCT plate will not cover the hole. I’ll be curious to see how my Cavern Ignition compares to my 500/1 Ignition when it arrives on Monday or Tuesday.

[@GlenMoyer]

As a follow up - I pulled out a spare Ignition control I just purchased last week. It IS th circuit board wiring and it IS the same size as my CT set. Something is definitely different about my Ignition!

[@bobstar76]

Steam powered camera? what is that putting sound? It disappears half way thru

[@91dodgespiritrt]

What was the nut on McCartney's Hofner made out of? I can't find any information about it online. Great video thanks for posting.

[@BackbeatVintage]

Hofner w/b/w hofner plastic nut blank H73/11 part number. You can get it at theviolinbass.com

[@91dodgespiritrt]

@@BackbeatVintage Thanks so much again for responding. Much appreciated.

[@stephencastro1437]

Great video. Thank you. I have wanted to do the same mods, but did not think of the zero fret. I was also going to swap out to the German made pick-ups as well. One question. The finishes are different though. Poly vs. lacquer. I would think that would affect the tone somewhat.

[@BackbeatVintage]

Hi, It does but not that noticable. I favor aged lacquer. Poly is super glossy and doesnt age well but at the same time is much tougher.

[@stephencastro1437]

@@BackbeatVintage I prefer lacquer as well., and use it whenever i'm refinishing. The curing time sucks though. I have had some success, when converting or modding these type of guitars, with fine sanding as much of the poly finish down to get it as thin as you can, then doing a rub out! The difference is night and day.

[@stephencastro1437]

By the way, I wanted to do the same with a budget Hoffner. Which model would you suggest. I haven't watched the rest of your videos yet. But I subscribed.

[@philandgayelynnbethel5380]

Great stuff. Thanks

[@gazfunk]

Have you tried the Epiphone version? I wonder how they compare. I think they are around the same price point.

[@richardisley9063]

I've played the Epiphone version, and it's incredibly out of balance with the neck being heavy. Not a bass most people would want to gig with compared to any other Beatle bass copies, as you would have to keep your hand on the neck between songs just to keep it from tilting to the floor. Stick with the Hofner.

[@BackbeatVintage]

Hi, i’m sorry i havent work on one . Sorry for the slow response.

[@swanker63]

Are the ignition and HCT tailpieces the same size as the German tailpiece?

[@niclasg.5281]

Hi there, happy new year to you! I'm currently considering to buy the Höfner Ignition bass myself, so this video has helped a lot; thank you for that. There's only one thing left that you might be able to help me with: As far as I've been able to research into it, the screws of the original "Höfner H65/37 Truss Rod Cover" don't match with where they're placed on the Ignition bass. Could you perhaps let me know which cover you've used for the replacement or, in case you used the original one mentioned above, how you've managed to bring it on? Again, thanks a lot for the detailed walk-through; it would be lovely to hear from you about this. All the best, N.

[@BackbeatVintage]

Hi, there are very few parts (if any) from the german made hofner bass or the hct hofner that can be interchanged with the ignition bass. Maybe the bridge and the tail piece at most. You would be best to use the truss cover that came with that bass. If there is any writing or logo on the truss cover sand it off with 1500 grit emery paper and then repolish it. Best to you and thanks! EJ

[@niclasg.5281]

Thanks so much for your quick response; I'll definitely try that. Keep up the great work!

[@mattiacodato4193]

They bouth sound great IMHO. To my ears the ignition is slightly more focused on the mids, while the german appear to sound fuller in the mid/bass spectrum. What kind of flatwounds did you mount on both ?

[@BackbeatVintage]

Hi, they were labella deep talkn flat wounds.

[@BillyinRetroNola]

Beautiful job! I just recently bought a Hofner that is made in Indonesia. I didn't find the quality of the craftsmenship (on mine) to be a bad as some of the things you found on yours. The one thing I don't like is the tailpiece. I don't like that floating style tailpiece at all. It does appear an actual German tailpiece, is much thicker & sturdier. It would help keep it in tune! What did you end up doing to the tailpiece, tack welded, brazed or soldered back on?

[@BackbeatVintage]

Hi, i believe I changed it out for the german or hct version. Check out the second part video. Thanks! kzbin.info/www/bejne/gGqrlJ6wi9l0jKc

[@BurkeBurnett]

Thanks so much for doing these videos on the Ignition upgrades - they are really helpful and have inspired me to do the same with mine. One question. Where did you get your replacement truss rod cover?

[@BackbeatVintage]

Hi, used a 1000 grit paper and then buffed it back up again. Over on my instagram site I did a short reel on how to do that.

[@BurkeBurnett]

@@BackbeatVintage Mahalo! You have really saved us all a lot of time and grief trying to figure all this stuff out - not the truss cover specifically, but for all of this modding/upgrading (and probably making some grievous errors in the process).

[@EmmanuelGracianTV]

Hi! do you was replace the original pickups wiring ? Or only install the new electronic control panel with same wires? Thanks!!!

[@BackbeatVintage]

Hi, i used the same pu wire coming out of each pu’s. Use a german 63,64 schematic and attach them accordingly. Thx!

[@jshdllrd]

How did you remove the copy from the truss rod cover?

[@BackbeatVintage]

Josh Dillard hi, 1000 grit paper. Then 1500 grit. I left it dull looking but after 1500 grit u could polish . Thx!

[@jshdllrd]

Backbeat Vintage thanks!

[@crpat]

@@jshdllrd also try isopropyl alocohol - rubs straight off.

[@davetuttle9701]

Excellent video! I'm looking to do what you did on a Club Ignition. Do you have a parts number list of what you used? Maybe a link to where you got the parts from? Thanks

[@BackbeatVintage]

Thanks! Heres a link www.voxshowroom.com/northcoast/hofner/main/index.html

[@Snowdog216]

Thanks for the video. Great info. It appears you rotated the bridge pick up 180 degrees (that would be your only option, lol), from the factory set up. See at 4:52, for the bridge pick up the screws are closest to the bridge. After your mods the screws are towards the neck. On other blogs I have seen comments were users rotate the bridge pick up right when they get the bass. They said that position sounds better. Not sure why. 1. Why would someone do that? Why do they think it sounds better that way. 2. did you do that on purpose or just by accident. Thanks.

[@BackbeatVintage]

Hi, in my case they were mounted like that just for a rough fit....no real reason. On guitars some folks wire them so they are out of phase. Not sure on these basses that would change much. I usually try to stick to the vintage hofner sound. Checkout wiring guitars out of phase. My strat was wired so it was normal or out of phase in a certain switch position with a five position switch.

[@ROCKINGMAN]

Excellent alterations tp bring up to a Hofner model and sound.

[@ROCKINGMAN]

I can buy an Ignition model, made in China for £295 ( sounds not typical but has roundwound strings) or a Hofner 500/1 made in Germany for £1795. Q: Should I buy the Ignition and change the strings to flatwound or buy the more expensive bass with the sound I already want.

[@fyrfox2000]

What zero nut model did you use? What control panel and pickguard came from what year??

[@BackbeatVintage]

I use zero glide ZS-18. Which fret I use from the options they send depends on the height of the frets on the bass. Always want it to be higher than the existing frets.

[@ETKinger]

Hey, great videos and excellent work. I recently purchased an ignition bass and you’ve inspired me to make some of the same changes. In regards to the control panel, would this be the Höfner Switchpanel HA2B-PC?

[@BackbeatVintage]

Yes it is. Thanks!

[@ETKinger]

@@BackbeatVintage thanks a lot. ONE more question: when you switched to the German control panel, why did you choose to drill 2 extra holes in the bass, instead of drilling through the control panel? I’m about to make these adaptations on my ignition and wondering what’s the best route: drill more holes in the bass, or through the plastic control. Thanks a lot for your help

[@BackbeatVintage]

You might want to use the four existing holes. When using just two it requires a much smaller/thin screw. Fyi…mccartneys is screwed in using four screws.

[@ETKinger]

@@BackbeatVintage cheers thanks.

[@erichartman1696]

Brilliant

[@farragoth]

Awesome upgrade. I´m surprised that many changed you did to your ignition, I already did it as well to mine I changed the tailpiece for a german one and although it leaves a very little space between the edge of the neck and the E string, It works well. I have a question for you: Do you think it is possible to replace the ignition pickups for the 1965-1967 staple pickups with tabs like the ones that have the Hofner that you repaired in the latest video? Thank you

[@BackbeatVintage]

farragoth hi, anything is possible but the ignition pickups are smaller than those pickups. I found nothing wrong with the stock pickups. If u do have a problem with feedback or squealing then pot them in wax. Be careful if u do..also the mounts on the german pu are much larger. If u r referring to the no mount pu like a 63,64 hofner u might have to do some alterations. I havent done that so im not totally sure. Thx!

[@gregjarvis3288]

How weird is this...I just came across your site and guess what..I currently have on my wall in no particular order...Brohadcaster, John Lennon Rickenbacker, Gibson lp, Hendrix SG, Telecaster and Thinline. All assembled by myself with various mods. Mainly on the electronics plus using all upgraded hardware. The Hendrix with three humbuckers has ten way switching but it looks standard..no rows of toggle switches!!

[@twistdmojo]

My Ignition came with La Bella flats. Not all that happy with the tone though. And I love flatwounds.

[@BackbeatVintage]

Maybe a bridge upgrade might help. That is if it isnt resignating or producing good tone. Check all areas that contact the strings and body. I recall the bridges being soft wood and thats a negative. Thx!

[@venderstrat]

Changing too many parts at the same time. How do we know which change was the most effective?

[@BackbeatVintage]

Good point...some were just plain changes due to inferior parts and others tone. Thanks Frank. EJ