Hohner B2 - Repair and review

Here's one that was on the list for a long time, but I was hesitant. I wish I was more hesitant.

[@fanbladeinstruments]

Update: With these reviews I'll try to film most of the video, then take the bass to play a show with it and see how it actually performs on stage. Then I'll film the outro jam section and come to a proper conclusion. I didn't have a chance to play this one live until after the video was done so I didn't have the full picture, but now I do. I can confirm that it's still a little unbalanced (easily fixed with a strap compensating attachment) but it sounds so utterly fantastic at high volume that the neck size became only a minor complaint, it took a few songs to get used to it but I begrudgingly began to enjoy myself and by the end of the show I was tearing about on it like it was an old friend. It really does take some getting used to but it absolutely blew away my expectations and I realized I had incorrectly prejudged it. It's still weird, the neck is still huge, but the sheer girth of tone is undeniably inspiring. I am a convert. My friend filmed a few songs, here's the bass in action: facebook.com/signofthefirebird/videos/3677194015855534

[@RainerH.-nz9ez]

Thinking about is an good idea. Good sound and even killer sound one cannot ignore. Paddle was strange to play in the 80ties and it is still now. But you will arrange with the strange things if you really want to. I made a decision and bought one yesterday (wonderful condition just as new in red with original hardsuitcase) and I cannot wait until the postman will come....😂 And if it wasn' t the best idea I will hang it on a wall as a sculpture.....

[@MegaTerryNutkins]

Project series where you strip the paint, profile the neck to a nicer shape, plane a few mm off the front and put a nicer top on there?

[@fanbladeinstruments]

I'll go one better: use the bridge and build a whole new bass. I actually do want to install the pickups in the Les Paul as the stock ones have always lacked a little clarity, then I can take the Steinberger bridge and build a more attractive bass around it with my own pickups. That way I'm only borrowing parts rather than butchering a vintage bass which I just can't bring myself to do.

[@springy-2112]

I currently have six of these and have owned 15 or more. I have b2s b2as, fretless b2as , the jack professional, later spirits etc.The flappy stand thing is available from the USA. I tend to harvest parts from many spares ones I've collected. I'm a hohner b2 fanatic! I find it completely normal to play, I guess you just get used to things. The strap position I've fixed with an extender knocked up on the lathe. A lot of my love for them is Geddy, Sting, Kurt Smith etc in the 80s . They caught my attention. 👍✌️♥️

[@fanbladeinstruments]

How are the necks though? Do they taper in thickness as well as width? It seems to me that what I have is a very early one and I can't see how they'd have kept that neck profile and maintained their popularity. I played a Spirit in a shop not that long ago and didn't notice anything wrong with the neck, but this early one is so absurd it's literally the first thing I noticed when I unpacked it.

[@springy-2112]

I think they must have changed the neck shape. My earliest is 88 . I have a modern spirit and the shape is almost identical from the 88 hohner to the 2015 ish spirit. So sometime between 85 and 88 they must have shaved them down somewhat. They are still chunky compared to my fender jazz or jaguar . My fretless hohner b2 I think is 90s and I stripped that back to the maple. And lost abut 2mm on the width and 1mm depth of finish . There is a huge paint thickness on the hohners. It's also explosive! if you use a heat gun to strip it🫣 👍❤️✌️

[@dDoOyYoOuUtTuUbBeE]

I had an Hohner DB2A, active and detuner on E. Never had issues with double ball strings, there are several choices, and I never had to remove the saddles to change the strings. Which is done really quickly on these basses. Unfortunately, the neck got twisted. You still have this part of the journey to travel.

[@ianbennett5245]

I have the active version in black, with no balanced output. Same chunky neck, which I don't dislike. Pickups are branded as Hohner. Used, it cost me £80 UK in around 1994, with the original padded bag. I love it.

[@JasDarc]

Absolutely grew to loathe mine, so happy to sell it and play a "proper" bass again!

[@glennhynes5263]

Hahahah. That was my very....2nd bass. Iirc, I used to take off the top bridge plate to pop the ball ends out. The neck has a piece of 6061 aluminum that supports the neck and houses the truss rod. Very stiff. Also, I think the pickup are like mini P bass pickups. Sound just ok. Yours sounds considerably better than I remember.

[@andydavis3494]

I have a Steinberger Spirit bass and have fitted the any string adapter, mainly because D’Addario don’t make their half round strings with a double ball end - they work a treat!

[@RainerH.-nz9ez]

You inspired me to buy one. I paid 300 € for a b2 passive with emg's. For better playing upright position steinberger built a hook extender. You can make it easy from a piece of steel (flat steel about 15 cm long) and mount it on the backside. Look for examples in the internet. Effect: strap pin will be extended about 10 cm to the right. Playing position should be improved and way better. I will do so....

[@fanbladeinstruments]

Indeed, I have made similar extenders for other basses, I use lengths of round steel and cut threads so I can screw them in and out rather than permanently attach them, shifts the bass into a more comfortable position and eliminates neck dive - not that neck dive is a problem on this bass🤣

[@chriswareham]

I used to own a Hohner Jack bass, which is their headless with a more conventional body. It had quite a narrow neck with a lot less taper than your B2, and is one of the most comfortable basses I've ever played. I foolishly sold it because the band I was in at the time complained it looked "too 1980s". I regretted parting with it the moment it was sold in an online auction, so I included a letter in the case when I sent it to the new owner asking that he please give me first refusal if he ever wants to sell it. So far he's hanging onto it!

[@fanbladeinstruments]

That's just the thing - a smaller neck and a more conventional body + that sound it makes...that sounds like a winning combination in every way, sorry you had to let it go. I have a couple out there that I'd jump at the chance to get back - although I did eventually get my '95 German Warwick back and it's never leaving me again, I still need to do the video telling that whole story, it's a bit nuts where that bass has been.

[@casanovafunkenstein5090]

I think that the taper on the string would have more influence on intonation than sound quality. Having a lower diameter on the string at the bridge means that it can bend and flex more easily. Specifically; the radius around which the string can bend would be lower, meaning that the line between the saddle and the fretted note is more direct than it might be. With a thicker string you can sometimes have an issue where the string leaves the saddle and takes a short distance to flex enough to create that direct line to the fretted note, which affects both the vibrating length of the string and its overall tension. In extreme cases can make the actual fretting of notes in the upper register harder by increasing the action slightly as the string is depressed. These strings would in theory have a lower overall tension than if they were wound normally, but the extra wrapping (and potentially a thicker gauge of core wire to compensate) would stiffen the string and prevent it from feeling floppy and loose. The lower gauge at the bridge end also allows the saddle to be raised higher, meaning that the line between the saddle and nut is closer to parallel with the trajectory of the neck overall. This is part of why short scale basses have a reputation for poor intonation: when you combine the lower margin for error in where the frets are placed with thick strings to compensate for the lower tension you tend to get issues like what I described and some manufacturers will even design sets for short scale basses that have been engineered to reduce the issues caused by this phenomenon.

[@ChrisHopkinsBass]

They only used passive pickups in these basses, when people say "they come with EMGs" they mean the "EMG Select" passive pickups.

[@MegaTerryNutkins]

Yeah EMG Select licensed pickups in those, same as other Korean Corts.

[@fanbladeinstruments]

Aha, that sounds about right. I think the Hohners were also make in Korea by Cortek so that makes total sense.

[@MegaTerryNutkins]

@@fanbladeinstruments I have a Hohner JJ Pro (Korean Cort) with EMG Select Jazz pickups, I never liked them tbh and swapped them out for some Duncan Designed wired passive I got cheap. It had the same preamp as the B2A with the little LED so maybe it was that I didn't like as the pickups seem to be well thought of, the humbuckers in yours sound good.

[@chf4486]

Very nice! You could use old school luster terminals to secure the strings on the saddle. I have played a couple of those basses, they all had the same chunky neck.

[@glennhynes5263]

I like the thick upper neck. Makes for a more stable neck, plus there is, apparently, no money up there for a bass player. I also remember that tuning was ridiculously solid and rarely detuned.

[@fanbladeinstruments]

This one's gone a bit flat over the 3 days since I filmed the outro jam piece, but that's almost certainly the new strings settling in. It certainly feels like a very solid and stable instrument - sometimes you pick something up and it just feels like a toy - this one feels like a quality instrument in every way, even aside from all the oddness.

[@TjByers369]

My guitar teacher swore by Steinbergers. The best ergonomics for guitar is as little guitar as possible. Also very travel friendly. As I get older, I care less & less about looks. My baritone Steinberger is quickly becoming my favorite guitar.

[@salvatoresorrentino6279]

WOOOOOOO, geoff got a hohner!!! they're great travel basses. I take mine to and from my university. Mine is the active version with the quilt maple on top and I swapped out the EMGs for bartolinis. 5 string too...

[@fanbladeinstruments]

Now, that's something I should've touched on, the sheer tiny size for travelling light, very useful for vast numbers of people I'm sure. I don't personally have a problem with bulky gear, I own a station wagon and regularly gig with a mountainous bass/keyboard rig so I'm not phased by carting large instruments about, but that is a luxury that not everyone enjoys. Did the EMGs in your one have their proprietary connectors to the preamp? Or were you able to wire in the Barts like any other bass? I'd love to hear that actually, Bartolini Classic Series are always my first choice when I'm pickup shopping. Cheers

[@stereoroid]

I used to have the B2V 5-string version, and never had that problem getting the strings out. Edit: I see you found the problem with the bridgepieces. The pickups were nondescript humbuckers, definitely not EMGs. I don't believe EMG even made or licensed passive pickups at all when I got mine (1988 IIRC). My biggest complaint was the low B, and eventually went to High C with some custom sets from Status Graphite.

[@michaelplaysbass]

Not sure what your plans are with that bass, but if you think you want to keep it, and aren't worried about re-sale value... I'd consider re-shaping the neck! Even though my main bass is an 80's Rickenbacker with a fully-finished neck (and shockingly doesn't get sticky after hours of play), I've always loved a bare wood finish on a neck. Let it play/feel as good as it sounds! That tone really reminds me of a Thunderbird.

[@fanbladeinstruments]

Rather than futzing about with the Hohner I'm going to replace the pickups in the Les Paul to really supercharge that bass, then use the Steinberger bridge to build a whole new bass with my own pickups. I'm not really worried about resale value but I simply can't bring myself to hack up a vintage bass. Even if I'm never going to use it for anything I'm sure it'll have some intrinsic historical value to someone.

[@michaelplaysbass]

That's a solid plan! I wouldn't have considered building a bass around a bridge, but then, I suppose that's why you have a YT channel building basses, and I do not. Lol. Out of curiosity, how many basses are in the herd now?

[@DrNoClu]

I had a spirit which I made a pivot plate and retrofitted some EMGs, I took the battery out one day and the G string didn't work, I ended up selling it.

[@peterstephen1562]

I think that you'll find that the piano end wound strings require a lot less compensation length at the saddle.

[@naznomad635]

Why not just take the top-plate off the bridge to change strings and leave the saddles in place?

[@M_EvoBass]

😆 I had to look again and yup

[@fanbladeinstruments]

You shouldn't have to do that and it turns out you don't need to, the bass was just very poorly set up when it arrived.

[@nigellacey559]

I had one. It wouldnt hang properly on the strap and didnt sound like a steinberger. I bought a real steinberger in the end.

[@darrenhawe]

I, too, vote you make this bass your own. Shave down the neck, and make it something you’re going to want to play more. I wonder if there is a way to mount the back of that bridge in a way you can take the top plate off. That way you don’t have to ruin the intonation at every string change.

[@fanbladeinstruments]

I've solved the intonation issue, it turns out the bridge was very poorly setup when it arrived. I'm actually going to follow through on my plan to put those pickups in the Les Paul as the stock ones don't quite sparkle the way I'd like them to, and then I'll use the Steinberger bridge to make a whole new bass with my own pickups. Then the body is still all original and intact for when someone needs it.

[@bschir]

As a kid, after the rick i got a spirit #rushlove. Wish I still had my 4001. Ah, being a kid. Was fun to play... like being is space, just floating

[@jenibond]

We made few honner clone, just for testing different necks profiles and pickups our diy cnc can make them in around a 1 1/2 hour We do it just as quick ruff test as never the same on the screen as real life and nice wood is so expensive so we use softwood to play around with Think it's time you made your own but with modern bridge that requires single end strings and easier tuning I maybe wrong but i sure seen bar that fits in place of button that's extends the button over few inches ( I am sure you could make some ugly just to test this ) One of the things we are playing around with ultra short scale length 25 inch and smaller (i've got quit small hands) but try and help the balance and neck sticking out to the side Ps There Even worse if you got boobs Love jeni xxxx

[@heldmusic]

Can I ask a side question: with the ultra short scale, what strings do you use? My dad has an ultra short scale kit bass he built back in the '60s but I've never been able to figure out properly what to string it with.

[@jenibond]

@@heldmusic Depends how short We are play with Cali 4 clone that's only 16.6 inch scale with that we using 6 string pack and just dumping the two thickest as that almost the same as the cali ones 32, 45, 65, 85, 105, 135 but for 27 inch to can use anything I just look at light 4 string set , but it's all about your taste not mine if you find the strings too loose go light (maybe try 5 string kit) Sorry i cant really help not big enough experat just playing around with stuff

[@heldmusic]

@@jenibond Thanks for the help!

[@freednighthawk]

I kinda wanna try one classical guitar style. stick a strap lock out at the head...less? stock.... I dunno the stubby end. Anyway, sling it up like Willie.

[@fanbladeinstruments]

I can do that, the string block I made is perfect to tie something around. You know I'm pulling out a shoelace to try that right now, standby... ... Ok, it kinda works but the body wants to slide down to the right, if you're careful you can keep in in one place and play it but it really wants to move around. We've discovered the inverse of Neck Dive: Body Slide🤣

[@Mike_Hoffmann]

Hey what if a guitar maker made a new neck........ Just a thought.

[@fanbladeinstruments]

Or used the bridge and made a whole new instrument around it😉 Been thinking about it all week.

[@Mike_Hoffmann]

Don't you hate when that happens, pity you're hibernating now.

[@M_EvoBass]

Sounded great but so so ugly 😅

[@karstensteuernagel9983]

Its your bass, shape the neck and make a Video

[@theoforde-stiegler]

I am so confused. You have such obvious skill - why wouldn't you just shape the neck to your liking?

[@fanbladeinstruments]

Because it's not quite that simple. Reshaping the neck would require first stripping it, and as it's a neck through there's no way to do that cleanly without stripping and later refinishing the entire thing. I just don't love it enough to put that much work into it, I'd rather just build a whole new bass that hangs properly and doesn't look like a cricket bat. Also it's one of the earliest examples of that model so it's got some historical value that I'm in no hurry to ruin.

[@theoforde-stiegler]

@@fanbladeinstruments gotcha. I didn't realize it was neck-through. That makes complete sense.