Just as McCartney III was coming out in December, this column's 1967 Hofner 500/1 violin bass came into the shop. And to amplify the kismet, the Beatles were playing on the sound system when the bass' now-former owner brought it in to sell.
This model wouldn't be so iconic if McCartney could've afforded a Fender back in 1961, when the Beatles were literally getting their act together playing clubs in Hamburg. But his first Hofner was only $45. That one was stolen, and in '63 Hofner gave him a replacement, which is the bass we all know and love to hear.
Pardon my grunge: The control panel—three EQ sliders and two volume dials—shows some grit and dirt, well-earned from years in smoky clubs.
The Hofner violin bass dates back to 1955, when Walter Hofner designed the prototype. The small, hollow body and violin shape made it easy to carry and play—especially in comparison to Fender's Precision. The tone aimed for qualities that would appeal to both acoustic upright bass players and the expanding electric bass market—and with flatwound strings, it did just that, creating a fat, thumpy voice the amplified the sound so familiar on pop and jazz records of the '40s, '50s, and early '60s.
Most of what's changed about the Hofner 500/1 over the decades is the electronics, while the maple body, spruce top, rosewood fretboard, and dot inlays have remained a staple. The neck and bridge pickups had many iterations in the '50s and '60s. Originally, Hofner called them wide-spaced pickups, because they were located far apart, as close to the neck and bridge as workable. By '57, the bridge pickup was moved closer to the neck, to about mid-top. And in 1960, the black bar pickups Hofner used were replaced with toaster-style examples. A year later—and on McCartney's '61—the so-called twin-coil Cavern pickups arrived, along with the replacement of the tortoiseshell pickguard with a cream pearloid version. But '62 brought another shift, to diamond logo pickups, called that because of the diamond engraved on their covers. And a year later those were gone—nudged aside by staple pickups. In 1963, two-piece necks were also used on some 500/1s, and the two-on-a-strip tuners began to be replaced by standalone versions.
Here's a close-up look at the '67s neck-slot blade-style single-coil pickup—the seventh pickup variation for the 500/1 model.
But wait! There's more! The year of our Hofner, 1967, marked the introduction of single-coil blade pickups in the 500/1. Until this point, all of the aforementioned changes did little to alter the sound of the instrument. But the blades are different—hotter and more gainy. These pickups have two magnets on each side of a center blade, and they are ceramic, not alnico like earlier Hofner pickups. Their louder, more-forward tone is perfect for recording, and takes to digital tracking and mixing very well. The control set had slight variations over the years, but in 1967 was a sleek array of two volume dials and three responsive tone switches marked rhythm, bass, and treble.
Our 500/1 has an ebony two-piece floating bridge, and the fret saddle inserts have been removed to emulate the mod supposedly made by McCartney to get a more thuddy and muted sound. (A reissue version of the original bridge assembly is available.) The tuners on this bass were replaced with closed-back Grovers, which are a lot easier to turn than the small-button versions that came standard in '67.
Beneath its elegant, curved top, our 500/1's headstock has Grover replacements for the small-button OEM tuners, which went from two-to-a-strip to standalones in 1967.
This bass has been played a lot, and it shows in the finish wear and checking on its body. Plugging in made me want to start banging out some McCartney-style bass melodies and explore those loping, rich tones that were such an important element of the Beatles' sound. In the 1967 Hofner catalog, the 500/1 was listed at $345. Our example is tagged at $2,500. I hope this very collectable bass ends up with a musician who loves the Beatles as much as I do and puts it to work for at least another half-century.
It’s a misconception that a vintage bass requires a lot of maintenance and repair. The fact is, vintage basses require no more and no less bench time than modern ones—and you can do a lot yourself with less than $20 worth of tools: a flathead screwdriver, a medium and a slightly larger Phillips screwdriver, and a small screwdriver with changeable tips and wire cutters. Remember when using tools on your bass to use your fingertips, not the palms of your hands, to grasp the tools: you can over-torque and do damage. If you’re not sure of what you are doing with a particular repair, save it for a professional. Okay, let’s get started! 
Tuners: All tuners get hard to turn after years of use. All you have to do is put a drop of any common hardware store oil on the worm gear and turn it a few times. While you’re there, tighten loose screws on the base plate and butterfly wings.
Bridges: I use toothpicks to clean the screw heads and barrel threads of any bridge. A filthy bass may not have proper metal-to-metal contact. This could result in a softer tone and slightly “off” intonation. If the bridge needs adjustment, always do this after the neck adjustment. If the bridge does need to be adjusted to lower the action, always turn the adjustment screw back up after adjustment is complete. This will help prevent the bridge from lowering itself. Never use thread sealant on bridge screws.
Pots: With a very annoying crackle or sudden drop in volume, odds are your pots are dirty. This is one of the easiest fixes. All you need is TV-tuner cleaner or a potentiometer cleaner sold at any electronics shack or the many online guitar parts places. Using the straw, shoot some cleaner into the gap on the side of the pot above the wire prongs. Turn your knobs and repeat if necessary. Shield against overspray.
Truss Rods: The big warning here: if you’re not sure how to do this, don’t do anything. Never force your truss rod. Especially on Rickenbackers and Gibsons, do not improvise with tools. My personal rule of thumb: if your rod needs more then 1/3 of a full twist in either direction, see your luthier. Bound, tight, or overly loose truss rods should be an easy repair for a professional.
Finishes: In the past three to five years, major strides have taken place regarding finish maintenance. Quite a few manufacturers have come out with 2- to 5-stage systems for finish care that can be found in just about any catalog. I admit I was skeptical, but I had a ‘63 P-Bass with a chalky finish and used a series of products… my bass went from a 7.1 to an 8.3 out of 10 condition. Use only products meant for instruments: I’ve seen terrific results with furniture polish, but I’ve also seen it cloud up a perfect finish.
Frets: They should not be green, and they should not be coated in sludge or toxic waste. Try cleaning your frets with guitar polish to remove the gunk. Next, mask off the surrounding fretboard. Aluminum fretboard shields are sold at luthier supplies, or use a light adhesive tape, like masking tape. Use 0000 grade steel wool and go across the fret wire. Your frets will be amazingly cleaner.
Fretboards: I’ve seen fretboards that look like a Superfund site—to the point I needed rubber gloves to work on the bass. Most fretboards are slightly dirty and need to be cleaned. This process is quite easy, and everyone makes a fretboard cleaning solution and wood conditioner. Read the directions and make sure the product is compatible.
Screw holes: Never use a larger screw then the original size. Rather than using a bigger screw, use a smaller hole. The best filler available is a wood toothpick. One toothpick offers three sizes of filler. If a pickguard screw is spinning loose, put a toothpick in the hole, point down. Measure, remove, and cut to size. Wire cutters work great. Now insert point facing up and replace the screw. If the screw falls out of a pickguard, use the toothpick tip inserted down in the hole. For slipping or spinning neck or bridge plate screws, cut the tip off the toothpick, insert, measure and use the shaft of the toothpick without either tip.
Pickguards: Never use a power screwdriver on your bass, especially on your pickguard. You will crack it. Most cracks are caused by shrinkage. Unless a piece is going to fall off, I never repair my guards. If you must glue it and the guard can easily be removed, try to glue the back side. Use a glue dropper or tooth pick to get the cement into the crack.
Strings: I do a ton of repairs that are nothing more then incorrect, mis-wound or improperly installed strings. Make sure you’re using the correct gauge string. In 99 percent of vintage applications, 40–100, 45–100, or 105 gauge strings work perfectly. Before you install, check the string windings for overwinding or gaps. When you install your string, you should have enough excess to wrap around the tuner post 2-1/2 to 3 times. Remember to wind down the post, getting as close to the ferrule as you can. Big vintage tip: if you have to back off the string to tune it, turn the tuner back to tighten it, to prevent slippage.
The Lowdown Wrap-up
Remember to use the correct tools. Following directions and being patient will yield a good result. Until next time, drop the gig bag and bring the cannolis!