Diagnose my old hofner bass

[StrummersOfThunder]

Anyone wanna take a stab?

I did a post about this bass yeeeeeeaaars ago

I bought it online from Japan while I was trying to negotiate on another guitar. In the background was a pile of stuff including what appeared to be a hofner 500/1 painted black and all taken apart. I made him an offer of $300 nzd for the bass and forgot about the other guitar.
It got shipped to me and i spent weeks removing brush painted on house paint.

Now it has staple pickups, and unbound neck, raised logo and a bridge that says west germany.
It comes with a warranty from the Taniguchi Musical Instrument company

The pots are weird looking but say CTS on the side then have a four numeral code. The electronics look 80s rather than earlier, but im just guessing.
the four digit pot code makse me think year 78 week 47 therefore the 47th week of 1978?

My best guess is its a made in germany bass for a specific japanese dealer and sold maybe in the 80s? (before David Hasselhoff tore down the Berlin wall in 1990 any way.

Any how I got it out to clean up and resrting and I thought Id make a post about it at the same time.

[StrummersOfThunder]

Actually hold the phone I might have just answred my own question:

This reverb listing has a 1978 that looks identical roght down to the week of manufacture
https://reverb.com/item/53876267-1978-h ... ckups-case

[StrummersOfThunder]

Mines stinkier tho

[jeremyb]

My guess was gonna be 78 based on the pot, interestingly that warranty card, under the serial number is the kanji for year month day but they're not written there...

[StrummersOfThunder]

My guess was gonna be 78 based on the pot, interestingly that warranty card, under the serial number is the kanji for year month day but they're not written there...

Yeh I tried google translate on it …

Yep pot for the win

Quite cool as I thought it was late 80s
And olderer is gooderer right ?

[robthemac]

My guess was gonna be 78 based on the pot, interestingly that warranty card, under the serial number is the kanji for year month day but they're not written there...

Yeh I tried google translate on it …

Yep pot for the win

Quite cool as I thought it was late 80s
And olderer is gooderer right ?

Given this is a dating thread, I'm unconvinced.

[Tricksta]

I dunno, what does it like doing?

[StrummersOfThunder]

Definitely a frankfurter in the Hamburg cavern

[StrummersOfThunder]

Wondering about some wiring diagnostics now.

This thing has a very strange control set up. The first switch 'rhyth,/solo' is on/off to the neck pickup
The middle switch 'Bass' is on and off to the bridge pickup.
The Treble switch appears to do nothing. WMaaaybe i detect a sligth increase in output with it selected 'on' (per the other switches)
The tea cup volumes unsurprisngly control volume to each pickup. But weirdly to the opposite one youd expect....

[StrummersOfThunder]

This treble switch is the one with the two resistors.

[StrummersOfThunder]

i suspect the panel might be on back to front....

[Jay]

I trust this wiring schematic more than yours: E2

https://www.talkbass.com/threads/hofner ... am.119951/

[StrummersOfThunder]

I trust this wiring schematic more than yours: E2

https://www.talkbass.com/threads/hofner ... am.119951/

Yes and that does confirm that the plate is on back to front!

[JustMatt]

We order our pots direct from CTS, and they all come with the date code stamped on them, as what I believe is year (78) day (4) month (7).

In saying that, ours are only ever four digit, so those last two numbers may mean something else entirely.

That likely dates the bass as any time after that date. It couls still be 80s if the pots sat on a shelf for a while, which is quite reasonable to expect.

[StrummersOfThunder]

We order our pots direct from CTS, and they all come with the date code stamped on them, as what I believe is year (78) day (4) month (7).

In saying that, ours are only ever four digit, so those last two numbers may mean something else entirely.

That likely dates the bass as any time after that date. It couls still be 80s if the pots sat on a shelf for a while, which is quite reasonable to expect.

Agree re date any time from 78 to whenever. Doesnt really matter too much tbh honest. Just out of interest
Cheers