I bought the bass second-hand in 1970 from Melbourne Pianos (later
Unisound) in Kilburn High Road, London. It had no case and it went on the road
for 6 to 12 months, just being put loose into the van without any real damage. I
stopped playing it around 1971 and it remained in the background for years until
I decided that it would make a lovely looking electric 6 string. I took it to
Luton to Ges Reeve who was about to cut its neck down when another of his
customers saw it and stopped him, explaining that he thought it might be a rare
beast.
So it came home and lived in the back of a wardrobe with the Verithin for a few
more years until eventually I keyed Hofner into a search engine. At around this
time, (2000/01) I had been trying to buy an acoustic bass but the only one I
liked (Ovation Celebrity) was difficult to source and the thought of having the
Hofner restored came to me. Therefore, it went back to Luton to Ges and Mick
Berendrecht, together with the Verithin. We decided that the restorations should be as
close to original as possible but not overly cosmetic i.e. identifiable previous
alterations should be reversed and damage corrected, but they should look their
age and reflect their use.
As for the bass, a new scratchplate was made, a dent on the head repaired, a
plastic plate around the input jack removed and the pick-ups rewound. It plays
beautifully. We did search assiduously for a serial number but we can't find it
under the archtop near the f-holes and we could not date it via the large pot
either.
I have known the Verithin (s/n 744) again since 1970 when our guitarist in the
band used it. (I have old black & white photos of the two being played
together in 1970.) When our guitarist came to sell it around 1971, I could not
afford it but I introduced him to another friend who bought it but did not use
it very much at all. Some years later, I bought it from him (?about 1974?)
When it came for restoration, I was certain that it had originally sported a Bigsby tremolo and that I had received this with the guitar as a spare part. However, a long and thorough search of every part of my home failed to turn it up so we bought a new one and fitted that. We thought the bridge was original but when I read your message, it rang a bell that Bob (1970 owner) had said that he fitted a Gibson "Sonomatic" bridge, a claim I had not treated seriously at that time. Again, the pick-ups have been rewound and the sound has captivated all who have played it - it really plays well and it is ideal for just taking off the wall (both Hofners are displayed on the wall of our lounge) and playing acoustically while watching TV.
Colin's 1962 Hofner Verithin (Serial No. 744) referred to in above account. (NB. Bigsby and bridge are not originals.)