I recently bought my second Hohner B2A in a couple of years. I sold the other one at the beginning of this year because, though I liked its lightness and slim neck, I didn't find its sound to be entirely convincing, especially in active mode; but this one was a real bargain and at that price I saw it as an opportunity to have a cheap workhorse to use for a fretless project I had in mind.
Having had and used a Steinberger Synapse for a couple of months now (and being a very satisfied owner of it, I must add), I find the Hohner to have an unnatural playing position in comparison, with the neck moved to the left and the first frets looking so far. It would be great to have a replacement strap hook like the one used on the Synapse, but these seem to be impossible to find, so I decided to build my own strap hook.
Here is my solution, for anyone having the same problem with Hohner B2's and Steinberger Spirits (which are virtually identical).
The first way I found was through an online metal cutting service. I prepared a vector file of the Synapse hook, but when I submitted it to the service, the resulting price (with 6mm steel) was definitely too high for me, around 40 Euros including shipment, so I had to find another method.
While working at home with an angle grinder I noticed that the pin wrench had a similar shape and metal thickness as the Steinberger strap hook, so I bought one in a DIY store.
The model I bought is the Bosch #1607950043, here is how it looks:
This tool is on sale on Amazon, I paid 5 Euros for it though prices may differ.
With a Dremel with cutting disc I cut off one of the pin sides, made three holes for the screws and the strap button, and here is the result:
Painted black with matt spray paint after sanding it:
And here it is on the bass body:
Of course straplocks buttons can be used. The bracket position doesn't interfere with the hand movement, because it stays at a good distance from the back of the neck.
As said the total cost is very low and it just took a couple of hours to have the work finished, with no particular skills required, although these tools are made with a very hard metal.
It would be nice if some guitar accessories producers may put on sale a similar part, in the meantime I hope someone can find this solution helpful.
Augusto
Having had and used a Steinberger Synapse for a couple of months now (and being a very satisfied owner of it, I must add), I find the Hohner to have an unnatural playing position in comparison, with the neck moved to the left and the first frets looking so far. It would be great to have a replacement strap hook like the one used on the Synapse, but these seem to be impossible to find, so I decided to build my own strap hook.
Here is my solution, for anyone having the same problem with Hohner B2's and Steinberger Spirits (which are virtually identical).
The first way I found was through an online metal cutting service. I prepared a vector file of the Synapse hook, but when I submitted it to the service, the resulting price (with 6mm steel) was definitely too high for me, around 40 Euros including shipment, so I had to find another method.
While working at home with an angle grinder I noticed that the pin wrench had a similar shape and metal thickness as the Steinberger strap hook, so I bought one in a DIY store.
The model I bought is the Bosch #1607950043, here is how it looks:
This tool is on sale on Amazon, I paid 5 Euros for it though prices may differ.
With a Dremel with cutting disc I cut off one of the pin sides, made three holes for the screws and the strap button, and here is the result:
Painted black with matt spray paint after sanding it:
And here it is on the bass body:
Of course straplocks buttons can be used. The bracket position doesn't interfere with the hand movement, because it stays at a good distance from the back of the neck.
As said the total cost is very low and it just took a couple of hours to have the work finished, with no particular skills required, although these tools are made with a very hard metal.
It would be nice if some guitar accessories producers may put on sale a similar part, in the meantime I hope someone can find this solution helpful.
Augusto
) tool will help
