Author Topic: Pimp my Hobner ! All input appreciated ! (Read 14023 times)

close2u · « **Reply #25 on:** September 03, 2017, 08:03:22 pm »

Great story.

Better suited to Roadcases section so allow me to move it there for you.

Joerfe · « **Reply #26 on:** September 03, 2017, 08:20:06 pm »

Love your story, Troy. There definately is plenty of material in there for a song or two!

I very much agree with you on the low cost guitars even though my own are from "recognized brands".

DavidP · « **Reply #27 on:** September 03, 2017, 08:32:26 pm »

Troy,

Don't just tell us ... show us. Play us a song on that Hobner ... what better way to end this chapter of the tale.

DarrellW · « **Reply #28 on:** September 04, 2017, 11:54:19 am »

I remember the 6W WEM amp both in its Valve driven variant and the Solid state; I had its bigger cousin the Westminster - now that was lovely!!! - like this one:
http://www.vintagehofner.co.uk/britamps/watkins/westminster/west15.html
Here you go, a bit of info on the 5W:
http://www.vintagehofner.co.uk/britamps/watkins/clubman.html

troy · « **Reply #29 on:** September 09, 2017, 02:17:36 am »

Kate Stables out of This is The Kit (reluctant future wife I'm now realising) sets her WEM Clubman amp to the max here !

Just the beginning bit. "I'll turn it up to three !" . Three on a 6 watt amp !! FFS !
What's that ? 1.5 watts ? I've got a 100 watt Fender so surely I'm a 100 times better ! I wish.

Updates on the Hobner coming soon.......

DavidP · « **Reply #30 on:** September 11, 2017, 06:37:08 am »

Thanks Troy

I do enjoy that song ...

troy · « **Reply #31 on:** September 15, 2017, 12:18:07 am »

So... what's been happening......

Now as the country's newest and most foremost expert on the Hobner 265 guitar I'd been thinking about setting up an owners club ! Obviously Kate (out of This is The Kit) would be member No1 and I would be No2. I'm not sure there would be many more though ? I've kept the Ebay alert on and not come across another one yet ! You would be, of course, be free to join if you can prove Hobner ownership !

What's it like ? Well, I'm obviously horridly biased but I really like it. It's a very light guitar. I was somewhat surprised by it's weight which feels much much lighter then The Ibanez, which, thinking about it, is obviously going to be the case as it has been designed as an acoustic, whereas The Ibanez wasn't. The Ibanez feels kind of digital in the hand, expertly machined by robots, quality, precise. A truly brilliant guitar don't get me wrong. Something that Kraftwerk would really appreciate !

The Hobner is none of these.

Up close it's rough and ready ! An analogue throwback in a digital world. Made of Basswood (what the hell is that ?) and based on a 60 year old design. The binding isn't even binding as it's just a thick layer of creme paint around the f holes and edges. Effective from a distance though. The label inside does state it's of Hobner Musik quality so I am slightly reassured ! The very same label can be seen in Kates Hobner in the above videos if you're vigilant.

A Zero fret..... Very Hofner !

It's not a Hofner. Honest Guv !!

If this is their "Export Quality" I hate to think what the home market guitars are like

The tuners are kind of cute and I'll be keeping them. They even have a little scrolled "h" cast into the plastic.

And I have issues with the bridge. Luckily enough I know somebody who has plenty to play around with !

Despite the bent posts it still played OK !

The bridge is awful though. That'll be going.

Witness the "Hobner Compensator Tailpiece" A work of art ! With the legend "Hobner" scratched in !

I've now stripped it down. The pickup and electrics have been ordered, and it's soon to be transformed from ugly duckling ! The black is very boring so I'm looking to liven that up a bit.

I'll have to learn "Moonshine Freeze" and post it here for your critique !

DavidP · « **Reply #32 on:** September 15, 2017, 06:40:37 am »

Hey Troy

Thanks for another post written in your own inimitable style ... I always finish with a broad smile on my face.

Can't offer much input on the "pimping" ... playing is enough challenge for me without getting into setting up, swapping out etc ...

And now I am eagerly awaiting your cover of Moonshine Freeze!

DarrellW · « **Reply #33 on:** September 15, 2017, 07:49:28 am »

^^^^^^^^^^
Yup, can't wait

Johan217 · « **Reply #34 on:** September 15, 2017, 08:13:57 am »

Troy I truly enjoy your writing!

Quote from: DarrellW on September 03, 2017, 10:36:20 am

Looking at that last video and seeing the other guitarist with a Fender Jazzmaster it looks like Kate has the same P90 as the Jazzmaster which would explain the sound.

Jazzmaster pickups are not P90s, though they look similar on the outside.
Short story long: https://mmguitarbar.com/2013/07/23/demystifying-the-fender-jazzmaster-and-jaguar-pt-4-pickup-lines/

DarrellW · « **Reply #35 on:** September 15, 2017, 08:36:46 am »

Thanks for clarifying that, that possibly explains why I've always thought a Jazzmaster sounds a bit tame to something like a LP goldtop P90, I always put it down to the wood!
Interesting article that!

troy · « **Reply #36 on:** September 21, 2017, 11:33:50 pm »

Hot Hobner News !.

There are now THREE members of the Hobner Owners Club !

Very hard to believe I think you'll agree, but new members of the club are, quite literally, not queuing up around the block to join.

# 1. We've got Kate Stables (aka... This is The Kit) as our honorary life member and president (Not Hofner President!) , which is fair enough to be honest, as anyone who is prepared to tour one of these guitars around is a very brave person indeed.

# 2. Me !

And newest unaware member.............

# 3. American Hillbilly Hobo ! (New Recruit and Probationary member)

American Hillbilly Hobo hasn't paid his subs but is in the club purely because of his dedication to all things Hobner. So, as membership secretary I say he's in !

Here he is with the wunderguitar in hand......

Praise enough as he does declare it plays "pretty nice".

If you watch the vid from the beginning, I can't say, as a bridge expert, his apricot/walnut ? home fashioned piece of sh#t bridge is doing it for me but from about 2 minutes 30 he can really rock that Hobner !

For a £50 archtop I reckon he's a shoe-in for Hobner immortality.

I've still got the Ebay and Gumtree alerts on for these and I'll fight you for them . Be aware that I set my automatic bidding limit to £2000 !

troy · « **Reply #37 on:** October 10, 2017, 11:35:33 pm »

Another Hobner update !

In which I have to apologise profusely to our Indian cousins

.

Having stripped the Hobner down to it's component parts it's clearly evident that it is indeed "bound" around the body and f holes, in a creme plastic, which in an earlier post I thought was just creme paint ! So I'm very sorry to have besmirched the guitar building skills of India. That said, it's still pretty bloody rough !

So, the Hobners been in rehab of late as the cruddy black finish was truly horrible and not really the manufacturers finest hour. After a comprehensive ding repair program, rub down, repaint and lacquer it's now looking considerably better.

And with "The Ibanez"

I've not painted a guitar before but it came out pretty well ! I've done plenty of cars though so not a novice but, all the same, I was pleased. Now resplendent in Ford Pepper Red available at auto shops near you no doubt with a slight pearlecent shimmer. The hardest part was keeping the Hobner logo on the body as it was obviously on black, but the whole front of the guitar had to be painted red before the black sunburst was reapplied so it was a bit of a masking nightmare to say the least !

The f holes caused no end of problems to mask properly. In the end it involved pushing half a car washing sponge into each hole, fiddling cardboard into the f holes which had to be held up against the underside of the top by the sponge to blank off the holes. Clear silicone sealer was then pumped on top of the card in the recess of the f hole to mask the binding. It worked OK though, once the paint was dry I just pushed the card covered in silicon back into the guitar to give a clean line and then fished it all back out.

I was going to fit volume and tone knobs but as you can see I haven't yet. I'm a bit undecided at the moment about this as I usually play with everything set to full blast on the guitar anyway ?? Whats the point?

Another nightmare was the pickup. I had to cut a hole at the base of the neck for it which wasn't so bad until I realised there was a cross brace running under that exact spot ! A bit of whittling soon sorted that out though. On the upside I now know what "Basswood" is ! In the guitar spec it says it's made of Basswood which I mentioned in an earlier post as I had no idea what it was. Well, it turns out that the term "Basswood" is Indian for "Plywood" and I've seen enough of it in my time to know what it looks like. Glad we've cleared that one up !

So, I've just whacked an Artec P90 on the neck and connected it directly to the socket.

That's all for now but I will update shortly !

MrBumble · « **Reply #38 on:** October 11, 2017, 09:04:45 am »

Nice work!

I had been waiting for the next installment of this riveting serial.

I look forward to hearing it soon. (I'm inclined to agree that "on-board" controls are probably rather redundant).

Joerfe · « **Reply #39 on:** October 11, 2017, 12:55:16 pm »

Quote from: MrBumble on October 11, 2017, 09:04:45 am

(I'm inclined to agree that "on-board" controls are probably rather redundant).

Sometime in the future you may find that they are indeed quite useful. I especially use the volume knob to clean up the sound when needed. My clean setting on my amp is on the dirty side when the guitar volume is at 10, but rolling that down to 7'ish I get a nice clean sound.

Watch Joe Bonamassa tell you about it here:
https://www.google.dk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwjI04quwejWAhVII1AKHeTCAikQtwIIJjAA&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DZkGCvLstPrE&usg=AOvVaw02o3F6anQJUEbXupinfD1f

DavidP · « **Reply #40 on:** October 11, 2017, 07:50:15 pm »

Guitar looks magnificent, Troy ... you are clearly quite the handyman.

Now ... when will we get see you playing and hear tbe tones, covering one of her tunes?

troy · « **Reply #41 on:** October 17, 2017, 11:17:29 am »

Not much of a Hobner Update this time . Plenty of Kate Stables (out of This is The Kit) updates however with another live viewing and a Twitter conversation !!

Also, maybe, a fitting end to this thread

We'll see later!

Hobner Update.

The Hobner has now bedded in and settled down what with the new strings, a complete strip and repaint and it's playing better. It's a whole world of difference to The Ibanez mind with it's clinical precision and cosy warm humbuckers. This thing is really RAW and hard to tame with a P90 on the neck. It'll wail like a banshee with feedback if you don't get it right and show up pretty much any flaw in playing technique. That said, for a £38 guitar, paint was about £12, Artec P90 and socket came in at under £8, D'Addario ECG23's at £12 and all in we are looking at about £70 . Best money I've spent in many a year.

You guys were right about the P90 and I'm glad I went that route. When you get the Hobner on the edge of breaking up with just a little distortion, to my ears it is perfect and what I was after from the very start of this thread. Ace advise.

Kate Stables Update.

Before they took off to the States this month they were playing in Bristol again but in a much larger venue at The Colston Hall. Celebrating 150 years of The Colston it was open from 4pm in the afternoon till 3am featuring about 40 different acts all for the princely sum of £13, so it would have been rude NOT to attend. This is The Kit were on at the more reasonable time of 10pm so it was also more daughter friendly. The X Factor was on so the wife stayed at home.

Unfortunately a less familiar encounter with Kate this time however the Hobner was sounding REALLY good through her familiar WEM amp and a full concert hall PA although I did note she was also not immune to the odd feedback issue !

Twitter Update.

Or, why you should never have a few drinks whilst on Twitter more like. Anyway, less said and make you're own mind up.

https://twitter.com/beendeep/status/919302746880299008

At least I got a reply ! Wowzers! Amazing! . So very Kate. She could let me back her Hobner up with my Hobner any time she bloody well likes ! There is something satisfyingly rude about the word "Hobner".

A Fitting End to This Thread Update.

Or, I know you people would never let me get away with it. So I've just slapped up my own acoustic version of Moonshine Freeze loosely based on this performance by Kate .......About 8 minutes 50 seconds in.

About 8.50 in

It can't be stressed enough how much I DIDN'T want to do this ! 18 months after starting the BC here . I don't play publicly that much and NEVER sing. You'll have to forgive a few timing issues and singing issues but I thought the Hobner sounded OK. It felt like it got better as I settled in. Kate makes it look so easy and I can assure you it isn't ! This was the second take. I hope you're all satisfied now and you're ears bleed !!

https://soundcloud.com/troy-wells-750203780/moonshine-freeze

THE END ?

DarrellW · « **Reply #42 on:** October 17, 2017, 01:44:44 pm »

That was pretty good, well done - the Hobner rocks!!!

DavidP · « **Reply #43 on:** October 19, 2017, 11:19:18 am »

Troy,

Wonderfully entertaining post, up to your normal high standards.

You did a great job performing Moonshine Freeze. Got the Kate/This Is The Kit feel.

After reading the tweets ... have you commenced hunting for another Hobner to restore, pimp and offer to Kate ... what might that be worth (not just thinking monetary value

)? You can be her Hobner Guitar Tech

As for THE END?

I say NO WAY ...

You are still alive, loving music and guitar ... as far as I can tell ... so this is just the old proverbial end of a beginning ...

More adventures lie ahead

And your playing and singing should be heard, at least here in JG Community ... with or without the Band.

And your story-telling is top drawer ...

So I await the next episode with eager anticipation

troy · « **Reply #44 on:** October 19, 2017, 10:26:54 pm »

It's funny.

I think it's down to you guys Darrel and David I had the courage to just say, oh feck it, and enter into the whole spirit. Throughout my ramblings you've been nothing less than encouraging and even though my "Moonshine Freeze" is a work in progress you've never failed to be 100% there (obviously through gritted teeth). Thanks for that and there is NO WAY I would have put it out there where it not for you two ! A fitting end to this thread I think.

It's been a laugh for me and no doubt we'll meet on other threads, but I'm signing out from this one for the time being unless I get to finally marry Kate. At which point I will gladly update this thread and invite you to the wedding !

Cheers

DavidP · « **Reply #45 on:** October 20, 2017, 07:04:13 am »

Thanks Troy

That is also my experience in this Community ... incredible unconditional, non-judgmental support and encouragement for all who are taking this journey to learn to play.

So can only say as LB would say KEEP ROCKING !!

DarrellW · « **Reply #46 on:** October 20, 2017, 10:49:27 am »

Troy, it's been a pleasure so please carry on here you're fun and that's definitely what's needed!!!

troy · « **Reply #47 on:** November 18, 2017, 02:42:43 pm »

SHOCK AND OUTRAGE ON THE UK'S ONLY DEDICATED HOBNER THREAD

Kate Stables (aka This is the Kit) Claims her Hobner is made of a "cardboard-y material" !!!!!!!!!! Surely this is an insult to cardboard !

This is the first time I've seen her talk about her Hobner and retells the story I told (scooped !) you all on this thread some time ago about it's bootsale heritage.

Read and listen along to the interview here.....

https://www.thecurrent.org/feature/2017/11/15/the-current-guitar-collection-kate-stables-this-is-the-kit-hobner-guitar-zither-banjo

Cardboard-y ! How dare she ! The nerve of the woman denigrating my fine handcrafted (in India) instrument. That's her off the Christmas card list.

On a sidenote I'm now bass-ing with another band. Here we are playing a sell out show in someones front room.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1pcLtsuEjPHtaswqmmJNf3Byz_V0Kg4Kt/view?usp=sharing

It's all a bit bluegrass and the BLACK SABBATH Yamaha is looking a little out of place here I think so, me being me, I've sort of gone and bought a different bass guitar.

I'll update with pics when it arrives as you wouldn't have heard of this one either ! A few clues to be going on with...... It's Dutch and about as old as I am. It will be a miracle if it's playable !

TBC

DavidP · « **Reply #48 on:** November 18, 2017, 02:51:57 pm »

Good to hear from you again, Troy ... such is the fickleness of like ... easy Kate is go

Enjoyed that front room sell out performance ... sounding good.

Barend · « **Reply #49 on:** November 19, 2017, 06:02:11 pm »

Quote from: troy on November 18, 2017, 02:42:43 pm

SHOCK AND OUTRAGE ON THE UK'S ONLY DEDICATED HOBNER THREAD

Kate Stables (aka This is the Kit) Claims her Hobner is made of a "cardboard-y material" !!!!!!!!!! Surely this is an insult to cardboard !

This is the first time I've seen her talk about her Hobner and retells the story I told (scooped !) you all on this thread some time ago about it's bootsale heritage.

Read and listen along to the interview here.....

https://www.thecurrent.org/feature/2017/11/15/the-current-guitar-collection-kate-stables-this-is-the-kit-hobner-guitar-zither-banjo

Cardboard-y ! How dare she ! The nerve of the woman denigrating my fine handcrafted (in India) instrument. That's her off the Christmas card list.

On a sidenote I'm now bass-ing with another band. Here we are playing a sell out show in someones front room.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1pcLtsuEjPHtaswqmmJNf3Byz_V0Kg4Kt/view?usp=sharing

It's all a bit bluegrass and the BLACK SABBATH Yamaha is looking a little out of place here I think so, me being me, I've sort of gone and bought a different bass guitar.

I'll update with pics when it arrives as you wouldn't have heard of this one either ! A few clues to be going on with...... It's Dutch and about as old as I am. It will be a miracle if it's playable !

TBC

This is a fun read Troy. Tx!!!