uber hofner bass

[igor kondur]

Hi)
Is any information about this bass?
thanks)

[igor kondur]

add pic.

[igor kondur]

Is it China made bass or not?
They ask 1700$.incl soft case and Spyrocore
Is it good?

[MIKMAN]

Most of the new generation Hoefners come from China. Is it a hybrid or a fully carved bass?

[michaeln]

It has the same ugly tuning machines that came on my Shen SB90. They work fine, but man are they ugly.

[Steve Swan]

It's to bad that Hofner is confusing its brand in the marketplace by having basses made in both Germany and China. The Hofner bases made in Germany are qyuite good in sound and workmanship

[E.P. Miller]

It must certainly be a Chinese bass at that price. However it may be a great sounding/playing bass at an excellent value. I've played a few Chinese instruments that were exceptional in this way.

The real question that must be answered: was the wood properly cured before it was used to make the instrument? An otherwise good sounding/playing instrument that develops a new crack every couple of months will lead to expensive trips to a luthier. That "excellent value" suddenly becomes an expensive problem. This problem is well documented here on TalkBass. Like anything, one must separate the good from the bad...

[rosskratter]

It does say "Made in Germany" on the label inside...

[michaeln]

Originally Posted by rosskratter

It does say "Made in Germany" on the label inside...

Wow, then it's surprising to me they'd put those tacky tuning machines on it, being in the land of Rubner and all.

[michaeln]

Originally Posted by Trix Miller

The real question that must be answered: was the wood properly cured before it was used to make the instrument?

That's a great question, but for a prospective buyer is there really any way to know the answer?

[Steve Swan]

This bass doesn't look like any german-made Hofner that I've ever seen.

[michaeln]

You can barely read the "Made in Germany" on the photo of the label through the F hole, but anyone can write anything they want on a label and paste it in.

[MIKMAN]

I have three Hoefner hybrids in front of me, bought in the seventies and made in Germany, and they have no relation with this instrument. The German Hoefners are very good instruments, featuring excellent spruce tops with vert resonant laminate ribs and backs. Thiw instrument is definitely something else, probably a good one, as Hoefner takes care of its brand name.

[E.P. Miller]

Originally Posted by michaeln

That's a great question, but for a prospective buyer is there really any way to know the answer?

Yes. You call the luthier and ask.

I don't know why anyone would buy a new solid wood bass they could not first play before they buy, and also have some meaningful dialogue with the luthier that made it.

Of course there are some Chinese basses like Shen that have earned a good reputation and reputable instrument sellers can perhaps attest to the quality of the craftsmanship and materials used.

Igor, why not send these photos directly to Hofner to get more info?

[michaeln]

Originally Posted by Trix Miller

Yes. You call the luthier and ask.

You think that if they use wood that isn't fully dried and suitable for instrument use they'll tell you that?

In a practical sense, you aren't going to find out from the maker of a factory bass.

As you pointed out, mfgs like Shen that have a long good track record you can believe in... but then in that case you already have your answer and don't need to ask them.

[drurb]

Originally Posted by Trix Miller

I don't know why anyone would buy a new solid wood bass they could not first play before they buy, and also have some meaningful dialogue with the luthier that made it.

I sure do agree with your sentiment. Play before you buy for sure-- especially with a carved DB. Let's face it though, it's difficult and rare to have a meaningful dialogue with the maker of many mid- to low-priced carved basses. As you point out, Shen has a good reputation and so do several of the European makers. I'm sure MIKMAN can speak authoritatively to that. You gotta be careful for sure, do your homework, and learn all you can about the maker (if you cant speak with him/her/them) before dropping the cash.

Originally Posted by michaeln

You think that if they use wood that isn't fully dried and suitable for instrument use they'll tell you that?

In a practical sense, you aren't going to find out from the maker of a factory bass.

As you pointed out, mfgs like Shen that have a long good track record you can believe in... but then in that case you already have your answer and don't need to ask them.

For sure, any luthier/builder with whom you can speak directly is not likely at all to have used "green wood." You're right-- if he/she did, then he/she probably isn't going to tell you and also probably won't earn much of a decent reputation. I think it's a bit more nuanced than that, though. Different luthiers may have differing opinions about what constitutes "dry" and what's appropriate for where the DB will live. The dryness of the wood isn't the only reason to speak to a luthier/builder though. There's so much more one can learn about the process used by and design-philosophy of that individual by having a conversation. That's not likely to happen too easily with all but the higher priced instruments but there are exceptions.

In the end, I agree, much comes down to reputation.

[E.P. Miller]

Originally Posted by michaeln

You think that if they use wood that isn't fully dried and suitable for instrument use they'll tell you that?

No, I don't. You have to know who you're buying the bass from. That's where the meaningful dialogue part comes in.

I've been introduced to and spoken to a factory bass maker in the past. And I got more information than I ever wanted.

But, as drurb said, you have to do the homework. I think the OP needs to go directly to Hofner at this point, especially since others have shown a lack of familiarity with this bass as a Hofner product.

[igor kondur]

This bass come to me from Israel(cost in local shop ab 3000 $)
not plywood but fully carved

[igor kondur]

Hi Trix)
Thanks for helpful information!
so what is hofner web?
www.hofner.com?

[igor kondur]

[quote=Trix Miller;10315702]It must certainly be a Chinese bass at that price.
It costed more then 3k in Tel-Aviv music shop,but now I can take it for 1700$