Hi Everyone -
I'm new here as a forum member, although I lurk now and then. Been playing bass for about forty years, or since dinosaurs ruled the Earth....I can't remember. I've recently been playing some violin "Beatle" basses and I thought I'd pass along what I learned.
The first one I got was a Hofner Hi-Series B Bass...these instruments are now called the Ignition series. I picked it up on eBay pretty cheap. You can get them new with case for $349. Then I found an Epiphone VS Viola (not violin) bass in a pawn shop. I don't think it had ever been played. They list for $300 with no case. Having fooled around with these two I then got a date with their more swanky cousin, the Hofner Contemporary. They're about $850 with case. I got mine on eBay for considerably less than list. There's also a handmade Hofner that goes for about $2800...an authentic reproduction of the original made by little elves in an elf workshop somewhere in elf land. I don't know about these. Too rich for my tastes.
Here's my observations about their commonalities and differences, good and bad.
All three are short scale 30" instruments and are pretty much identically sized. All three basses needed some neck tension and bridge adjustment to make them playable (at least for me). I guess the previous owners just played them as-is. This is no big deal. I expect any consumer instrument to require some tweaking out of the box. I have medium to large hands but I find I really enjoy the smaller neck. I've got a five string Jazz bass and the neck is a real ironing board. I can get around on it well enough but it sure is easier to play the smaller ones. I don't find it difficult to switch back and forth.
The Contemporary has "designed in Germany" proudly stenciled on the back of the headstock. I assume it was made elsewhere. There's some sticker residue on the Icon that presumably told of its origin. The Epiphone is equally reluctant to divulge its heritage. My guess is they hail from Indonesia or China, as do many consumer-grade instruments. I figure there's a giant factory somewhere where trees go in one end and guitars come out the other. Before they go in boxes different names get sprayed on them. I mean, how many places in the world really make these things?
They're all slightly prone to head diving, but nothing I can't live with. I keep my right arm on the body and it stays put. It's a very natural pose and I don't even think about it anymore.
The bridge is a primitive, quirky affair. They're not attached to the body and can be bumped out of position. If you remove all of the strings at once the bridge will fall and hide under the sofa. I tried a dab of rubber cement on the Icon and so far it seems to be holding the bridge in place without marring the finish. Even if it does gunk up the finish, who cares, its under the bridge.
I play with a pick and keep my hand right on the bridge for palm muting. The outer corners of the bridge are sharp and dig into my hand. A gentle rounding with a fine file fixed that. A close examination of the saddles shows they are little snips of fret wire. Kewl...leftovers put to good use. They fit into four little grooves and can be moved around if desired. The bridge has basic height adjustments on each side. As far as I know there are no modern after-market alternatives.
The Epiphone comes with three-knobs: neck volume / master tone / bridge volume. I modified this to master volume / blend / master tone. To me this is a very useful, intuitive control set for a two-pickup instrument. A three-position switch is OK, too. The Hofners have a two-knob, three switch config that fell out of some acid-fueled alternate dimension. I still don't know what its supposed to do. I'll be playing and want to make an adjustment and have no freakin' idea what button to touch. I do IT stuff for a living so I'm not afraid of gadgets and such but seriously, ***? There's a volume knob for each pickup but the tone controls are switches (at least I think they're tone controls) and they're either on or off...no gradations at all. You can actually flip the switches so that NO sound comes out. Argh!
I removed the control plate from the Ignition, cut a replacement from an old pick guard and installed my favorite volume / blend / master tone. I'll do the same to the Contemporary. I'll keep the old control plates in case I ever sell them. Take that, funky control panel! I banish thee!
I don't have any real opinions about the pickups. They do what they're supposed to do and I can get a sound I like. I don't obsess over pickups. There aren't many aftermarket alternatives (if any). The bridge pickup is very bright to my tastes so I mostly use the neck. The Epiphone has smooth metal covers and the Hofners have "staple" pickups.
The tuners on the Hofners are old-school open types, meaning you can see the gears. The Ignition tuners felt flimsy although they always held tune. I may yet update them. The Contemporary tuners feel more solid. The Epiphone tuners are a modern, sealed design.
The Epiphone and the Contemporary both have a zero fret; the Ignition does not. If you don't know zero fret, ask Google, he knows everything.
I use flat wound strings on all of them although some people use rounds. La Bella makes a very nice set that's gauged .050 .065 .080 .100. They're made specifically for the violin bass, meaning that they're all the right length and the taped parts came out even. I don't think short scale strings are long enough even though these are short scale basses. The bridge configuration adds some length.
I hadn't played flats in years and I find that I really like them. In the 80's I had a Rick 4001 and I really wanted to be Chris Squire (turns out someone else already had that job). I was all about treble and rattle and grind and growl and turning Japanese I really think so. Not so much anymore. Everyone talks about flats being well, flat, as in dead. I disagree. There's treble there if you want it. If you never tried flats, consider getting some. No finger squeaks, either.
These basses are not so good for finger snapping, popping or slapping. I don't play like this so it doesn't matter to me. If you want to be Victor Wooten, keep looking (but be aware that someone already has that job, too).
Thirty inches is probably about the lower limit for a conventionally strung bass. Shorter than that and the low notes start to flop around. I have a five string with 35" scale and it makes the low B a little tighter, so size does matter. I have no complaints with the low notes on any of these.
Finish on all three was pretty nice. I gather that some Hofner enthusiasts are very concerned about period-correct finish and hardware. This doesn't interest me so I can't comment on it. The Hofner Ignition is a sunburst, the Epiphone is a lighter color with a very subtle sunburst (no pickguard, either) and the Contemporary is solid black with white trim and a white pearl pickguard. I love this tuxedo styling. I made a Frankencaster a while back with the same look. You wouldn't be embarrassed to be seen with any of them but the black Contemporary is really quite the looker. Grrrrr! They make the Icon in what's listed as "trans black" so I assume the grain shows through.
There's no fancy wood to be had here. "Old growth virgin plywood" sounds about right. If you need an instrument made from logs that have been on the bottom of Lake Baikal since the last ice age, these are not for you.
They all fit in the same cases. Musician's Gear got fitted cases for $50 shipped and they had a sale a while back for $40. Not much room for other stuff, though....a strap and a cord is about it. Maybe a burrito would fit but you'd have to squish it flat.
How do they sound? As I said before the bridge pickup is very bright and the neck is quite mellow. I play everything though a Sans Amp RBI / power amp combo. I love my Sans Amp. How did I ever get by without it? I've got several in case there's a zombie apocalypse ('cause the zombies might want to jam). The downside of this particular preamp is that it tends to homogenize your instruments; make them sound a bit the same. I'm OK with this since I love the tone. But the personality of the hollow body tends to get a bit lost. YMMV. I wouldn't play any of them without the Sans Amp but that's true for any bass.
The Icon (being a real hollow body) is the lightest at 5.3 lbs. The Epiphone is in the middle at 6.4 and the Contemporary is the heaviest at 7.3. These two have a post through the middle and thus are semi-hollow. They all feel light to me. The two heavier ones have a bit more sustain than the Icon and feel more like a "real" bass. You can wear the Icon all night and not notice it.
There's been copies of these things since forever (the Epiphone is a copy, fer cryin' out loud). You can get a new Rogue-branded instrument from Musician's Friend for under $200. I'd bet a dollar it's made in the same factory as the Ignition. There's unfinished kits on eBay for even less. If you really want a violin bass, there's cheap ones to be had.
Does the price reflect "goodness"? Is the $800 bass better than the $350 bass? Tough question. I've done gigs with all of them. They all required setup to make them playable. They all play the notes I ask them to. Icon is the most different of the three because its a true hollowbody. The Epiphone is a lot like the Contemporary except that it doesn't say "Hofner" and it lacks a pickguard. Start off with a cheap one and work your way up, I suppose. I know, I didn't answer the question, sorry.
Would I recommend one? Heck yeah. They're funky and quirky and suit my style of playing. Like I said before, these probably aren't for finger snappers but maybe I'm wrong. I've never been a gear snob...in fact I like being a bottom feeder. I usually end up drilling holes in my guitars and forcing them do something unnatural, so I don't buy expensive instruments. If you gotta have the most expensive thing anyone makes, these are not for you. If you need aged walnut with bubinga inlay, these are not got you. Ditto high tech...if there's any carbon fiber or Bluetooth here, it's well hidden. If you want to try something different, this is it. If you're five feet tall and have small hands, give one a try.
We still have violin basses because Paul McCartney played one back in the day. Thanks, Paul. I'm happy they're still around.
I'm new here as a forum member, although I lurk now and then. Been playing bass for about forty years, or since dinosaurs ruled the Earth....I can't remember. I've recently been playing some violin "Beatle" basses and I thought I'd pass along what I learned.
The first one I got was a Hofner Hi-Series B Bass...these instruments are now called the Ignition series. I picked it up on eBay pretty cheap. You can get them new with case for $349. Then I found an Epiphone VS Viola (not violin) bass in a pawn shop. I don't think it had ever been played. They list for $300 with no case. Having fooled around with these two I then got a date with their more swanky cousin, the Hofner Contemporary. They're about $850 with case. I got mine on eBay for considerably less than list. There's also a handmade Hofner that goes for about $2800...an authentic reproduction of the original made by little elves in an elf workshop somewhere in elf land. I don't know about these. Too rich for my tastes.
Here's my observations about their commonalities and differences, good and bad.
All three are short scale 30" instruments and are pretty much identically sized. All three basses needed some neck tension and bridge adjustment to make them playable (at least for me). I guess the previous owners just played them as-is. This is no big deal. I expect any consumer instrument to require some tweaking out of the box. I have medium to large hands but I find I really enjoy the smaller neck. I've got a five string Jazz bass and the neck is a real ironing board. I can get around on it well enough but it sure is easier to play the smaller ones. I don't find it difficult to switch back and forth.
The Contemporary has "designed in Germany" proudly stenciled on the back of the headstock. I assume it was made elsewhere. There's some sticker residue on the Icon that presumably told of its origin. The Epiphone is equally reluctant to divulge its heritage. My guess is they hail from Indonesia or China, as do many consumer-grade instruments. I figure there's a giant factory somewhere where trees go in one end and guitars come out the other. Before they go in boxes different names get sprayed on them. I mean, how many places in the world really make these things?
They're all slightly prone to head diving, but nothing I can't live with. I keep my right arm on the body and it stays put. It's a very natural pose and I don't even think about it anymore.
The bridge is a primitive, quirky affair. They're not attached to the body and can be bumped out of position. If you remove all of the strings at once the bridge will fall and hide under the sofa. I tried a dab of rubber cement on the Icon and so far it seems to be holding the bridge in place without marring the finish. Even if it does gunk up the finish, who cares, its under the bridge.
I play with a pick and keep my hand right on the bridge for palm muting. The outer corners of the bridge are sharp and dig into my hand. A gentle rounding with a fine file fixed that. A close examination of the saddles shows they are little snips of fret wire. Kewl...leftovers put to good use. They fit into four little grooves and can be moved around if desired. The bridge has basic height adjustments on each side. As far as I know there are no modern after-market alternatives.
The Epiphone comes with three-knobs: neck volume / master tone / bridge volume. I modified this to master volume / blend / master tone. To me this is a very useful, intuitive control set for a two-pickup instrument. A three-position switch is OK, too. The Hofners have a two-knob, three switch config that fell out of some acid-fueled alternate dimension. I still don't know what its supposed to do. I'll be playing and want to make an adjustment and have no freakin' idea what button to touch. I do IT stuff for a living so I'm not afraid of gadgets and such but seriously, ***? There's a volume knob for each pickup but the tone controls are switches (at least I think they're tone controls) and they're either on or off...no gradations at all. You can actually flip the switches so that NO sound comes out. Argh!
I removed the control plate from the Ignition, cut a replacement from an old pick guard and installed my favorite volume / blend / master tone. I'll do the same to the Contemporary. I'll keep the old control plates in case I ever sell them. Take that, funky control panel! I banish thee!
I don't have any real opinions about the pickups. They do what they're supposed to do and I can get a sound I like. I don't obsess over pickups. There aren't many aftermarket alternatives (if any). The bridge pickup is very bright to my tastes so I mostly use the neck. The Epiphone has smooth metal covers and the Hofners have "staple" pickups.
The tuners on the Hofners are old-school open types, meaning you can see the gears. The Ignition tuners felt flimsy although they always held tune. I may yet update them. The Contemporary tuners feel more solid. The Epiphone tuners are a modern, sealed design.
The Epiphone and the Contemporary both have a zero fret; the Ignition does not. If you don't know zero fret, ask Google, he knows everything.
I use flat wound strings on all of them although some people use rounds. La Bella makes a very nice set that's gauged .050 .065 .080 .100. They're made specifically for the violin bass, meaning that they're all the right length and the taped parts came out even. I don't think short scale strings are long enough even though these are short scale basses. The bridge configuration adds some length.
I hadn't played flats in years and I find that I really like them. In the 80's I had a Rick 4001 and I really wanted to be Chris Squire (turns out someone else already had that job). I was all about treble and rattle and grind and growl and turning Japanese I really think so. Not so much anymore. Everyone talks about flats being well, flat, as in dead. I disagree. There's treble there if you want it. If you never tried flats, consider getting some. No finger squeaks, either.
These basses are not so good for finger snapping, popping or slapping. I don't play like this so it doesn't matter to me. If you want to be Victor Wooten, keep looking (but be aware that someone already has that job, too).
Thirty inches is probably about the lower limit for a conventionally strung bass. Shorter than that and the low notes start to flop around. I have a five string with 35" scale and it makes the low B a little tighter, so size does matter. I have no complaints with the low notes on any of these.
Finish on all three was pretty nice. I gather that some Hofner enthusiasts are very concerned about period-correct finish and hardware. This doesn't interest me so I can't comment on it. The Hofner Ignition is a sunburst, the Epiphone is a lighter color with a very subtle sunburst (no pickguard, either) and the Contemporary is solid black with white trim and a white pearl pickguard. I love this tuxedo styling. I made a Frankencaster a while back with the same look. You wouldn't be embarrassed to be seen with any of them but the black Contemporary is really quite the looker. Grrrrr! They make the Icon in what's listed as "trans black" so I assume the grain shows through.
There's no fancy wood to be had here. "Old growth virgin plywood" sounds about right. If you need an instrument made from logs that have been on the bottom of Lake Baikal since the last ice age, these are not for you.
They all fit in the same cases. Musician's Gear got fitted cases for $50 shipped and they had a sale a while back for $40. Not much room for other stuff, though....a strap and a cord is about it. Maybe a burrito would fit but you'd have to squish it flat.
How do they sound? As I said before the bridge pickup is very bright and the neck is quite mellow. I play everything though a Sans Amp RBI / power amp combo. I love my Sans Amp. How did I ever get by without it? I've got several in case there's a zombie apocalypse ('cause the zombies might want to jam). The downside of this particular preamp is that it tends to homogenize your instruments; make them sound a bit the same. I'm OK with this since I love the tone. But the personality of the hollow body tends to get a bit lost. YMMV. I wouldn't play any of them without the Sans Amp but that's true for any bass.
The Icon (being a real hollow body) is the lightest at 5.3 lbs. The Epiphone is in the middle at 6.4 and the Contemporary is the heaviest at 7.3. These two have a post through the middle and thus are semi-hollow. They all feel light to me. The two heavier ones have a bit more sustain than the Icon and feel more like a "real" bass. You can wear the Icon all night and not notice it.
There's been copies of these things since forever (the Epiphone is a copy, fer cryin' out loud). You can get a new Rogue-branded instrument from Musician's Friend for under $200. I'd bet a dollar it's made in the same factory as the Ignition. There's unfinished kits on eBay for even less. If you really want a violin bass, there's cheap ones to be had.
Does the price reflect "goodness"? Is the $800 bass better than the $350 bass? Tough question. I've done gigs with all of them. They all required setup to make them playable. They all play the notes I ask them to. Icon is the most different of the three because its a true hollowbody. The Epiphone is a lot like the Contemporary except that it doesn't say "Hofner" and it lacks a pickguard. Start off with a cheap one and work your way up, I suppose. I know, I didn't answer the question, sorry.
Would I recommend one? Heck yeah. They're funky and quirky and suit my style of playing. Like I said before, these probably aren't for finger snappers but maybe I'm wrong. I've never been a gear snob...in fact I like being a bottom feeder. I usually end up drilling holes in my guitars and forcing them do something unnatural, so I don't buy expensive instruments. If you gotta have the most expensive thing anyone makes, these are not for you. If you need aged walnut with bubinga inlay, these are not got you. Ditto high tech...if there's any carbon fiber or Bluetooth here, it's well hidden. If you want to try something different, this is it. If you're five feet tall and have small hands, give one a try.
We still have violin basses because Paul McCartney played one back in the day. Thanks, Paul. I'm happy they're still around.
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