Making a Hofner sound like an upright bass

[stratovani]

I have a Hofner Icon violin bass, and I've been experimenting with making it sound as close as I can make it sound to an upright bass. Of course it'll never sound exactly like a true upright, but you can get it pretty close. It's actually pretty simple, just stick a piece of foam about 3/4 inches thick just far enough under the bridge pickup, and be sure to adjust it so the foam will mute the strings without making the intonation go out of whack. Play through the neck pickup, and set your amp's EQ settings to favor the bass and low mids, and cut back on the treble some. Now, when playing play with your thumb, and play simpler bass lines, in other words play like you were playing an instrument that's as tall as you are, with high action and big strings. You should get a warm, deep, resonant bass sound with a fairly quick note decay, not unlike an upright bass.

[J. Crawford]

Scofield Medeski Martin & Wood - Chank - YouTube

The fingers have something to do with it, too!

[stratovani]

Originally Posted by J. Crawford

Scofield Medeski Martin & Wood - Chank - YouTube

The fingers have something to do with it, too!

Thanks for the video. It confirms what I've always suspected, that the Hofner violin bass makes an excellent bass for jazz. Myself, I've always had a bit of trouble playing a Hofner fingerstyle, because of the narrow string spacing, so I usually play it with a pick.

[odysseios]

You can use a Wedgie rubber pick: it will sound just like the fingers.

[Stick_Player]

Fretless Hofner - Garry Goodman playing.