Vintage Hofner 173 Reboot: Part Three

Part Three: Electronics

Quick Links:    Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four | Part Five

So far, we've looked at the External Features and Hardware of this vintage sunburst Hofner 173 electric guitar. Now it's time to evaluate the electronics. Underneath the pickguard lies a maze of cruddy wiring, which takes quite a while to figure out. 

I'm glad to say that I've finally determined what's connected to what; and what it is that I'm looking at. And if you click the last picture of this post, you'll see a circuit diagram of sorts; courtesy of yours truly and MS Paint.

The set up is basically three H513 single-coil pickups wired to a trio of DPDT ON/OFF slide switches. Up is OFF, and down is ON. Did I say "single-coil"? Yes, I did. There's only one coil, wrapped around the blade. The faux "polepiece" screws don't have anything wrapped around them at all.

It's intriguing indeed; but way beyond my level of expertise. So we'll leave it at that. In any case, you'd be able to get two more sounds than say; a stock Fender Strat. I mean, imagine the how cool it would be to pair the Neck and Bridge pickups, or all three together? Yes, this Hofner 173 would be able to do just that; were it in working condition.

From the switch unit, the signal from each pickup is fed to a dedicated 100K Log (Audio Taper) pot; hooked up to a 0.033uF ITT MPT-1 tone cap. After passing through the Tone pots, the signal ends up at a 220K Lin (Linear Taper) Master Volume pot; which controls the output to the mono jack socket.

The DPDT switches are still functioning, but the same cannot be said for the pots or jack socket. These would have to be replaced, should the owner decide to proceed with repairs. Meanwhile, the only working pickup is the Neck (Bass). The DCR reading is a healthy 7.14K. Poor Discant (Middle) and Treble (Bridge) have gone open circuit; it would seem. 

I actually opened up the Treble (Bridge) pickup, and measured the DCR off the coil itself; but to no avail ~ it was most certainly shorted out or broken deep within. On the plus side, at least I got to examine the innards of an H513 and confirm that these babies are indeed single-coils. With that, I bid you adieu. Thanks for visiting, and I'll see you again soon. Stay safe, stay healthy, and God bless :)

 

Hofner 173 Wiring Diagram

 

Vintage Hofner 173 Reboot: Part Two

Part Two: Hardware

Quick Links:    Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four | Part Five

The previous post highlighted the main external features of this vintage sunburst Hofner 173 electric guitar. Now, in this entry, I'd like to share with you what I found in the course of disassembling the guitar; hardware-wise. Of course; dirt, grime, crud, dust and corrosion are the order of the day. 'Nuff said, then. Let's look at some pics :)

 

Vintage Hofner 173 Reboot: Part One

Part One: External Features

Quick Links:    Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four | Part Five

Preamble
Yes, this is a vintage made-in-Germany guitar; no less. It was sent in for a thorough evaluation by the owner's son. As the story goes, Dad used to play this Hofner 173 while backing none other than the legendary P. Ramlee himself onstage during the legend's heyday. However, as one can see from the pictures below, this instrument is currently in terrible shape. It does not work any more, period. Everything seems to be stock except for the high E, B and G tuning pegs.

I've been given carte blanche to take this Hofner apart and see if there's any way to get it working again. As observed, these are the most pertinent features of the 173:

01.    Dark sunburst plywood body
02.    22-fret rosewood fretboard
03.    Bigsby-style vibrato unit
04.    Three Hofner H513 single-coil blade pickups (Bass/Discant/Treble)
05.    Three On/Off slide switches
06.    Master Volume
07.    Three Tone Controls (one for each pickup)
08.    Spoke wheel truss rod adjustment nut
09.    Fixed metal bridge with translucent saddles

Further Reading

Hofner Blade Pick-Up H513

Hofner Guitar Pickups

Höfner 173 from the Sixties, "Blades" Pickups

Hofner 173 Solid Guitar ~ 1968 Sunburst

Ibanez RG350EXZ Restoration: Part Three

Related Posts   

Part One | Part Two | Part Three

Howdy folks :) This is the third and concluding post on a black Ibanez RG350EXZ that was sent in to be restored to gigworthiness. The guitar was strung with Ernie Ball RPS Slinkys (009-042) and set up. I must say that setting up the Edge Zero II double locking tremolo system was a relatively painless experience; thanks to the ZPS3Fe "counter-tension tuning stabilizer system." Turning a large knurled thumbwheel sure beats messing with screwdrivers and wooden blocks any day of the week. With that, I take my leave. Thanks for checking in, and do enjoy the pics :)

 

 

Ibanez RG350EXZ Restoration: Part Two

Quick Links:    Part One | Part Two | Part Three

In Part One, we examined the main features of the Ibanez RG350EXZ. Now, in this post, I'll talk about what was done to restore this guitar. We'll begin with the electronics, then. The pickups were in working condition; albeit a little cruddy. The control cavity components were totally shot, however. 

As can be seen in the pics, the pots, switch and output jack were either rusty, corroded, encrusted in salt; or a combination of all three. This being the case, the pickups were cleaned and polished to best of my ability; with extra care taken so as not to rub off the silk-screened characters. Following this, new Alpha A500K pots, five-way switch, poly 0.033uF cap and Neutrik/Rean NYS229 jack socket were wired in.

As for the Edge Zero II and ZPS3Fe, both were covered in grime; crud and dust. The entire tremolo system was dismantled, and serviced separately. The Edge Zero II was first subjected to electrolysis in a sodium bicarbonate bath, and after a close encounter with a heat gun; disassembled, lubed, and reassembled. The ZPS3Fe was taken apart, cleaned and lubed component by component; and finally put together again.

Basically all the hardware components were given a good cleaning, lube job and polish; as they were in a pitiful state. The objective was to save as many of the original components as possible. Sad to say, none of the pickguard or trem cavity screws were retained; as they were too corroded to be of any use.

Well, folks, that's about it for this post. Thanks for dropping by, and hope to see you again real soon. Stay safe, stay healthy; and God bless :)

 

 

Ibanez RG350EXZ Restoration: Part One

Quick Links:    Part One | Part Two | Part Three

Folks, here's another fine example of how not to treat your guitar. It's an Indonesian-made Ibanez RG350EXZ, sent in for a major restoration. According to the Ibanez Wiki, this model was introduced in 2011 as a replacement for the RG350EX. Its main distinguishing feature is the Edge Zero II double locking tremolo system with the ZPS3Fe "counter-tension tuning stabilizer system." Here are some specs for your perusal:

Body: Basswood
Finish: BK (Black)
Neck: Wizard III/three-piece maple
Fretboard: Bound rosewood/24 jumbo frets/Sharktooth inlays
Neck Pickup: INF3 Humbucker
Middle Pickup: INFS3 Single-Coil
Bridge Pickup: INF4 Humbucker
Bridge: Edge Zero II/ZPS3Fe
Hardware Color: Cosmo Black
Pickguard: Aluminium