Hey all, I realized I never came back to report the solution to this problem. Last summer, I took the guitar to a local luthier (Mike Lull, who unfortunately recently passed away), who recommended moving the neck-side strap button from the back of the body to a position at the base of the neck. Photo attached - you can see the hole where the button was originally. This change, along with connecting the bridge-side of the strap to the tail piece with metal ring, allows for a very natural playing position by virtue of the natural placement of my right forearm and hand.
Hofners seem oriented to pickers, who probably wouldn’t have had the problems I discussed above, but I’m basically a plucker and use the neck pickup as a thumb rest. With these changes, it’s a comfortable and fun bass!
Thanks, Tim