Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Geoffrey,To help date her.When you are ready...take off the Knobs .Or just one.You'll need a very small screwdriver, flathead if screws are original. Or a dental mirror. Then do not take em off. Look inside the F-Hole for the tiny #'s.
If the pot say 348 (hope they all match -there are three pots), it is 34th week of 1968, it would be a 68 Hofner bass.If the pots say 239, 23rd week it is a 69. ETC ETC...it is the last number of the three.
Other people may try to date it by the blades , which first appeared at the end of 66 .Others say 68. I have had a 66 'blade' bass.I go by that.
Some say a SN .I would go with the former method, since Hofner has no SN system in place. Just production # approximates.
Similar to checking a control panel if it had one.
Is there a stamp on the back of the headstock?
Does the tail/endpiece say 'Made in Germany'...or 'West Gremany'?

Greg, Thanks for the info. The bass is nice but it has some issues to be dealt with. The action is a bit high and the nut is broken by the E string. Its not putting out much volume and the volume control is noisy and the tone controls dont seem to do a whole lot. The tailpiece is pretty tarnished/gunky feeling. The jack has a plate around it which I'm sure hides a previous damage to that area I'm sure after 20 plus years of sitting in its case the controls need major cleaning (if not replacing) Possibly the pickups need rewinding? The body of the bass is in good shape and I like the chunky neck on it. Its going to need some doctoring but it should be nice when its done. Greg, what does the electronic issues sound like to you? Typical for something thats sat around for a long time? The case definitely has a musty smell so who knows where this thing sat all those years.

Call me..email for number Geoff

I took the Hofner to a Luthier and the electronics and neck are going to be looked at. The decorative plate around the jack doesnt look bad and it will problably stay in place. I removed the screws that hold it in place and the damage below appears to be a small circle size area not much bigger than the original hole. I can live with the plate as it strengthens the area. I'm 42 and the lady that owns the repair shop is who I've used since I was 14. She does good work and I'm looking forward to getting the Hofner back after its "check up" I'll give you a call sometime Greg if I run into any more problems with it.

Greg, When I get around to replacing the hardcase for this bass what company do you suggest that has one suitable for it? The one that came with it is deteriorating along the top(splitting along the hinge side) and the musty smell would knock a buzzard off a sh#twagon. I like to keep things original but wherever it was stored was not in ideal conditions. Also, what do you suggest for cleaning the tailpiece. The piece by the strapbutton is more pitted while the rest of the tailpiece feels funky like it has a film on it. Thanks

Got the bass back--The action is great on it! The neck pickup puts out good volume after having the connections cleaned but the bridge pickup is pretty weak. Also the tone controls cut the sound completely and do nothing tonewise. The lady working on it said the pots were enclosed type with some sort of resistor below them? I get lost in electronic talk so I may have misunderstood her. I could feel the magnetic pull of the pickup by the neck when the e string was pushed down to it but not much when doing the same with the bridge pickup. Greg ,does this sound like the tone pots need replacing and a rewind for the bridge pickup? I'd like the bridge pickup to sound as good as the neck pickup and would like to think the tone controls would offer some function other than on/off switches. What should my next step be?

Re: "What should my next step be?"

Why don't you just call him as he suggested three posts back.

http://www.pittsburghguitars.com/hofner.html

I'd rather have one of these

Best suggestion yet, Brian!

I've got one of those. Love the neck, love the sound. Glad it doesn't look like the other hofners, finish wise. Feel bad paying nearly as much as for a V64 for it.

Why, oh why won't Rick make a 3/4 size semi- hollow bass, like a 325 bass? I like small scale basses.

A bass with a 20 3/4" scale? It'd need 1/4" diameter strings...

Well, I didn't mean quite as small as a 325, simply a short scale bass. Though 1/4 inch strings might be easier to aim for when one has had a bit too much of the old pilsner.