Höfner HCT-J17 question!

**yiorgoszach** · 11-24-2010, 11:21 AM

Hi everyone,

Im a beginner in jazz and im thinking of getting an affordable archtop. I saw hofner hct j17 on line for 550e and it is within my badget.
I live in Greece and i cant find one in a shop, so i have no idea what it sounds like.Im going for the warm mellow Wes sound.
Do you think its a good choise?
Anyone ever played one? Is it easy to play?(i have two 'tennnis elbows'!!).

Please tell me what you think!
Thanks

**spiral** · 11-24-2010, 12:49 PM

I am a fan of the German made Hofners, but i don't think the Asian made ones feel or sound very good at all. I played both the Korean and Chinese ones and thought they felt really stiff and the sound was pretty meh.

If budget is your main concern, why not an Ibanez Artcore or Epiphone Emperor? They should be readily available and the Artcore that i played (AF105F) felt really good and was built beautifully (the pickup sucked but that is easier to remedy). I know there is some love for Artcores around here as well ... plus you get a wider range of guitar styles to choose from. Unless you live in the middle of nowhere i would recommend trying to play one at a store, or order from a place that will let you return it.

**holgit** · 11-25-2010, 02:33 PM

Originally Posted by spiral

... and the Artcore that i played (AF105F) was felt really good and was built beautifully (the pickup sucked but that is easier to remedy).

I have the Ibanez Artcore AF105F too. What do you mean with "the pickup sucked"? And how could you remedy it?

**spiral** · 11-26-2010, 08:25 PM

Originally Posted by holgit

I have the Ibanez Artcore AF105F too. What do you mean with "the pickup sucked"? And how could you remedy it?

By "sucked" I mean it sounded bad. I didn't remedy it because I ended up selling the guitar--I thought the acoustic sound would have been a bit better ... I just didn't get the point of having a floating pickup if the guitar didn't sound good acoustically. I learned my lesson. But it was a great feeling and playing guitar as an electric.

I thought the pickup was really dull / muddy / not articulate enough. If I was to remedy it I probably would have tried a Shadow Zoller AZ48 or Kent Armstrong humbucker (the one with w/ the ebonized body and no poles).

**Night Jet Trails** · 11-26-2010, 11:27 PM

ive played the Hct j17 a number of times,
and i have to say im quite impressed by it! its alot of guitar for the money and the ebony finishes on it are particularly nice.
to my mind it has a bit more character than the equivalent ibanez artcore, and if your happy with its size i would definitely take it over the Godin 5th ave.
I found the neck to be very comfortable, and whilst the Pickup is a bit nondescript, its something that id say will be indicative of the price range

if you do wish to consider ibanez, id personally recommend trying to stretch to the Pm35, which i believe has a super 58' in the neck.
hope that helps!

**holgit** · 11-27-2010, 03:05 PM

Originally Posted by spiral

By "sucked" I mean it sounded bad. I didn't remedy it because I ended up selling the guitar--I thought the acoustic sound would have been a bit better ... I just didn't get the point of having a floating pickup if the guitar didn't sound good acoustically. I learned my lesson. But it was a great feeling and playing guitar as an electric.

Ah, ok. Thanks! I would agree. It is a really good guitar as an electric. But the acoustic sound isn't as well.

Originally Posted by spiral

I thought the pickup was really dull / muddy / not articulate enough. If I was to remedy it I probably would have tried a Shadow Zoller AZ48 or Kent Armstrong humbucker (the one with w/ the ebonized body and no poles).

Yes the sound of the floating pickup is not very warm and strong. It is difficult to get a good sound while playing with other musicians. I am planning to change the pickup. The Shadow Zoller AZ 48 may be the right choice.

**spiral** · 11-27-2010, 03:58 PM

Originally Posted by holgit

Yes the sound of the floating pickup is not very warm and strong. It is difficult to get a good sound while playing with other musicians. I am planning to change the pickup. The Shadow Zoller AZ 48 may be the right choice.

Your guitar sound, is of course highly personal, but i think nearly any after-market pickup will sound good compared to stock: handmade kent armstring, shadow, benedetto, schaller, etc. Actually hearing what one sounds like and trying it for yourself is the hard part.

**holgit** · 11-28-2010, 05:54 AM

Originally Posted by spiral

Your guitar sound, is of course highly personal, but i think nearly any after-market pickup will sound good compared to stock: handmade kent armstring, shadow, benedetto, schaller, etc. Actually hearing what one sounds like and trying it for yourself is the hard part.

For now I don't know how to decide between the pickups. Probably I have to read testimonials and then to ask an experienced luthier, who will get the job to change the pickup. Because the thin e-string has a distinctly lower sound as the other strings I will search for an pickup with adjustable polepieces.
spiral, thanks for your tips!

**yiorgoszach** · 11-28-2010, 06:23 AM

Thanks for your replies guys.
Can you recoment a floating pickup for the jct? A real warm and mellow one, if possible?

**IbanezAS100** · 11-30-2010, 04:56 AM

Yiorgo kalimera,

You probably can't go wrong with a Kent Armstrong mini humbucker (the stock choice for many manufacturers) or maybe a Seymour Duncan Antiquity. It might be worth playing the guitar stock for a while though and experimenting with amp settings, strings etc. before you swap.

Good luck

Themis

**Night Jet Trails** · 11-30-2010, 09:09 AM

Originally Posted by IbanezAS100

Yiorgo kalimera,

You probably can't go wrong with a Kent Armstrong mini humbucker (the stock choice for many manufacturers) or maybe a Seymour Duncan Antiquity. It might be worth playing the guitar stock for a while though and experimenting with amp settings, strings etc. before you swap.

Good luck

Themis

+1

the stock p'up is perfectly fine, i certainly wouldnt rip it out instantly.

**yiorgoszach** · 12-02-2010, 09:43 AM

Originally Posted by IbanezAS100

Yiorgo kalimera,

You probably can't go wrong with a Kent Armstrong mini humbucker (the stock choice for many manufacturers) or maybe a Seymour Duncan Antiquity. It might be worth playing the guitar stock for a while though and experimenting with amp settings, strings etc. before you swap.

Good luck

Themis

Kalispera!

Thanks for your reply Themi!
I will keep that in mind!

**gkorm** · 12-12-2010, 10:48 PM

Anyone get a chance to compare the HCT-J17 to the earlier version, the HJ-5?

**spiral** · 12-12-2010, 11:25 PM

Originally Posted by gkorm

Anyone get a chance to compare the HCT-J17 to the earlier version, the HJ-5?

Yes. I posted about this earlier in the thread:

Originally Posted by spiral

I am a fan of the German made Hofners, but i don't think the Asian made ones feel or sound very good at all. I played both the Korean and Chinese ones and thought they felt really stiff and the sound was pretty meh.

German mad hofners are great. They are trying to compete in the lower end with these Asian made instruments but I don't think they are a better value than an Artcore or Epiphone. This may be different in Europe where hofner is a bigger brand, but for the price in the US of the Asian hofners, I wasn't blown away by value or quality.

**gkorm** · 12-12-2010, 11:37 PM

Originally Posted by spiral

Yes. I posted about this earlier in the thread:

German mad hofners are great. They are trying to compete in the lower end with these Asian made instruments but I don't think they are a better value than an Artcore or Epiphone. This may be different in Europe where hofner is a bigger brand, but for the price in the US of the Asian hofners, I wasn't blown away by value or quality.

Sorry I meant the HI-J-5 also an Asian made Hofner -- the previous incarnation of the HCT-J17. Anyone compared that one to the HCT-J17?

**gkorm** · 12-12-2010, 11:39 PM

By the way, I have a German made Hofner Verythin Standard. Great guitar. Needed a bit of work, but now is really nice. -- kind of off topic I suppose, being a different beast than a full hollow body archtop.
; )

**spiral** · 12-12-2010, 11:58 PM

Originally Posted by gkorm

Sorry I meant the HI-J-5 also an Asian made Hofner -- the previous incarnation of the HCT-J17. Anyone compared that one to the HCT-J17?

Yes. HIJ5 = Korea. HCTJ17 = China. I compared them. I bought the HIJ5 and returned it, and played the HCT17 at the shop. They were of similar quality. See my previous comments. Both were with floating pickup.

**gkorm** · 12-13-2010, 12:20 AM

Originally Posted by spiral

Yes. HIJ5 = Korea. HCTJ17 = China. I compared them. I bought the HIJ5 and returned it, and played the HCT17 at the shop. They were of similar quality. See my previous comments. Both were with floating pickup.

Oh yes, you did indeed. I went back to reread your earlier posts for an answer to my question. Thanks!

Best wishes,
George

**Mikomamanga** · 01-15-2012, 04:46 PM

I recenttly bought a HCT J17, China made, from Thomann Musikhaus in germany. The quality was actually really bad! the stringholder was broken, and there was a bulky area in the cutaway, as if the plywood was separating. Bad quality check both at the factory and at the retailer. Sorry to say that I can´t recommend it at all.

**ChrisDowning** · 01-27-2013, 07:23 AM

i'd take an Epiphone and fix the elecetrics post delivery. Budget to changeout all the pots and pickups for Seymour Duncan or something similar, and go with that set up. Ibanez would probably be the same. You are never going to get great acoustic sound from a budget jazz guitar so itsnall about the electrics. So concentrate in the shop ln gett a guitar that can play well - doesn't mean it will be well set up in the shop - but look for itspotential to be well set up. Then fix the circuitary, you're done!

**rockrink** · 01-27-2013, 07:53 AM

I have the HIJ5 (floater), an Ibanez As75, Ibanez AS93 and a Godin 5th Avenue Kingpin. It might be this particular unit, but the Hofner beats the others hands down. All are strung with 12 guage flatwounds.

The Hofner feels better and sounds better than the others.

I compared it to the GB10 a friend has, and the GB10 is better -- of course, it costs substantially more.