Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

I know this is a Rickenbacker forum, but do you know the procedure for resetting a Beatle bass neck? If not could you point me in the direction of someone that does?

Joe: This would be also be a very good question for Don Butler under the Talk To The Toneman" topic in this forum. Just in passing, any subject connected to The Beatles is surely relevant in The Beatles' Forum.

Hello Joe, I don't have the technical terms for what type of neck joint a Beatle bass has, but I do know that it is a very simple joint and the procedure to reset one is also pretty simple. I actually did a reset on a Hofner Club 50 one time so if I can do that it has to be pretty simple! In that reset, the neck was already off the guitar when I bought it so it was just a matter of gluing and clamping the neck and letting it dry. I do know the originals use what is called liquid-hyde glue and that's the way to go as when it is heated it turns back to liquid and the neck is easily removed. Permanent glues are not good because if you ever need another neck reset down the road it makes it very difficult. Last time I heard, the cost of a neck reset on a Hofner was around $150. I know several people/places that can do that with no problem. If you e-mail me at [email protected] I'll connect you with some very capable people.

Larry; did or does your Club 50 have the hole for the dowel going through the body into the neck heel? Some 500/1 basses have this and other don't. Hofner used a metal rod/dowel sometimes between the body and neck as a guide pin and for re-inforcement. Just was wondering if they did this on the Club's or was mainly on the basses. My thinking is they did this only on the basses to strenghten the neck joint against the extra string tension. Hofner guitars aren't something I see often out here. Basses I see all the time.
Thanks!

Don the Toneman, I've got four Hofner guitars and they are all from the late 50's. I've checked them and none of them have the dowels into the neck heel. The Club 50 I did the neck reset on was also late 50's with no dowel, I remember this well because my talents are small when it comes to this stuff and I would never have been able to handle the neck reset with that dowel. I don't believe the early basses had a dowel either but possibly by the mid-60's they were using a dowel. Maybe somebody out there with a mid-60's Hofner violin bass can check their's to see if it has a dowel?

Larry; Yes, most of the one's I've seen with the dowel/ pin were mid sixties. Thanks for the info cause I was wondering if the Club's or even the guitars at all had the dowels. Oddly enough though, it seems to be a feature that wasn't always installed even in the mid sixties.