Höfner 184, 1976

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Instrument: The 184s were built only briefly between 1974 and 1980, at a time when Höfner and... more
Höfner 184, 1976

Instrument:
The 184s were built only briefly between 1974 and 1980, at a time when Höfner and all other German manufacturers were concentrating on copying the successful instruments of American manufacturers to fight the threatening decline in sales. Despite the excellent quality, nobody wanted German instruments at that time, it was almost embarrassing to show up to band practice with such a Höfner bass. In fact, in the end, only Höfner survived the disaster. The production numbers were correspondingly low, and to this day not many 184s have survived in top condition. Ours is from 1976.

Material:
The bass is a lightweight at 3 kg, thanks to the body made of featherweight Abachi wood. A veneer of subtly flamed maple is glued on both the top and bottom. The one-piece, clear lacquered neck is made of maple. It has a rosewood fingerboard with pearloid dot inlays in eight frets. High quality Schaller encapsulated single tuners, solid hardware, two-ply pickguard.

Electrics:
The basis are two type 513 B single coil pickups with double magnets built by Franz Pix. The "Blades" were perhaps Pix's best and were used for almost 30 years. They are the longest used Höfner pickups of all time. Each has its own on-off switch and tone control, plus there is a master volume control. It's simple, intuitive, and perfectly adequate for a wide variety of bass sounds.

Instruments history:
Mostly unknown. We took over the bass in 2022 as part of a small Höfner collection. There it stood unplayed for about the last ten years. Before that, however, it might have experienced more, a few traces of playing prove this.

Restoration work:
Complete cleaning, all lacquer surfaces were elaborately bale polished. Various scratches and small dents, especially on the edges, we carefully retouched and sealed. The rather dirty fingerboard was stripped and oiled, the frets were polished. We also polished the hardware and removed decades-old finger dirt from the controls using ultrasound and soapy water. We overhauled the electrics and restored the previously sluggish and slightly resinous controls to top condition. Finally, a basic setup, and that's it.

Current condition:
Above all, the 184 impresses with its foolproof playability, modern handling and great sound. It is in complete original condition with a bit of nice patina. The varnish has 2-3 minor cracks in the front, some dents and scratches on the edges, and on the back of the neck you can see darker stains, probably the varnish reacted here with a bass stand. But all this is completely harmless, only superficial and overall also little for 46 years of bass life. Everything else is in top condition. Fingerboard and frets are like new, as is the hardware. The electrics also work flawlessly with no scratching, buzzing or hissing. Both pickups are as new with full power. A lot of bassists consider the Pix-Blades pickups to be the best Höfner has ever made anyway. This makes it a nice, original collector's item, but most of all a fantastic player with great sound that would love to add some punch in a band again.

Measures:
Overall length 42.1”/107 cm; body length 19.3”/49 cm; lower bout width 13.4”/34 cm; waist width 8.8”/22,5 cm; upper bout width 11.4”/29 cm; body depth 1.4”/3,5 cm; scale length 30”/76 cm (nut to saddle); fingerboard width 1.7”/4,3 cm at nut, 2”/5 cm at 12th fret; overall weight 3.080 g, string action on 12th fret 0.08”/2 mm (adjustable).

Purchase and payment:
Just send us an email to info@german-vintage-guitar.com and you will receive your invoice immediately. Or simply order here through the shop.

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