Yes? And what about this?
Go buy an Hofner, then we will be able to discuss of it.
Go buy an Hofner, then we will be able to discuss of it.
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Hofner basses.....not worth it?
- Thread starter 74rickbass
- Start date
Anyone who says, "I hope I don't offend anyone, but I think the bass you play looks like crap." is really not an honest person. Because you really DO mean to offend them!
Can you imagine walking up to someone and saying, "I really don't mean to offend you, but your wife looks like crap."
Come on! How disingenuous!
Is that really your comparison? :scowl:
If someone said that about my No. 1 bass, I'd say "I know for a fact it's better than whatever you're playing, especially if it's a Hofner".
If it was said about my wife the speaker would have a sore face before the end of their sentence.
And I'd say I know for a fact you're wrong. It's nice for you to think you know for a fact what is "better", but the only motivation in trying to turn something so subjective into facts is to to make you feel self satisfied
I hear what you're saying. But as ashamed I am of my Hofner I thank God everyday I'm not forced to own a Gibson bass.
They were nothing like what Paul used. Actually they were a nice instrument. I have some pictures somewhere. The craftsmanship was excellent and it was more in line with the Gibson EB-1 only thinner and of course all the appointments were different,but it was a violin bass and had a solid body.
I have a great book on these directly from the author in the UK. Has some great history and pictures of all the vintage Hofner basses.
Hofner should give Paul 50% of all their revenues. As Paul says."It's light and you can move around "
I have a great book on these directly from the author in the UK. Has some great history and pictures of all the vintage Hofner basses.
Hofner should give Paul 50% of all their revenues. As Paul says."It's light and you can move around "
Good points. I also have that book,but they weren't solid body basses. Whey they were referring to was the basses were first built using a solid spruce top as opposed to laminated spruce flamed tops that they switched to to make the bass lighter construction. They were always hollow body.
I'll jump in here with my meaningless 2 cents. First of all, I gotta believe that oyy3 is a youngster. Secondly, owning a Hofner CT myself, I can tell you with the controls, sustain block, and a choice of bright strings, you can get a variety of sounds out of it. I'm not a slapper, but I can see where that may not be an option for the Hofner, but I do believe the CT is a lot more versatile than one might think or believe.
Jack
Jack
Code:
Hofner basses.....not worth it?Maybe I should say something about the difference in price between German Hofners on the European and the U.S. market.
(This was pointed out to me by the shopkeeper that sold a Cavern to me)
Europeans pay about 2 thirds of the price for a German Hofner in comparison with U.S. customers. There are several explanations for this
difference. First is the U.S. import tax, combined with the transport costs to the U.S..
Second is the U.S. market, the shopkeeper said that the demand for genuine Hofners is much higher in the States than it is in Europe.
That's why the U.S. prices are higher.
The shopkeeper put it this way; if you take your Cavern to the U.S.A. and sell it there you'll always have a profit.
I guess it's comparable with the price that people pay for Harley's here,
for half of what you pay for a Harley here you'll get a more reliable
Japanese bike with similar features, still the majority insist on Harley.
In addition to that it could be worth mentioning that some acoustic guitar players pay more than twice the price of a German Hofner for an acoustic guitar that's just as sturdy.
Good point. I think this happens with Rickenbackers when sold in Europe, but the other way around, ie a Rick is more expensive in Europe than in the USA.
I find they feel too fragile in my hands. There is much more usable basses out there for $1000-2500 than a 55/1 IMO.
P.S. I hope the Hofner company prays every night to Saint Paul. IMO they owe everything to him playing his old violin bass.
P.S. I hope the Hofner company prays every night to Saint Paul. IMO they owe everything to him playing his old violin bass.
I have the Chinese version. Sounds OK. It's fun to play, but it's not my main bass. Nice if you have a backache!
To each his own.
I recently did a recording session using my Fender P bass. The next session I brought my Hofner Icon bass just to show around. We plugged it in and recorded with it. The guy engineering asked me to bring it back and re do all the bass parts, the Hofner just sounded killer in the mix! Mind you, it does help that the Hofner sounds right with the music we play. But it does sound warmer, fatter, and have more presence than the Fender.
All you Hofner haters out there, stop
and send all your Hofner basses to me!!
To each his own.
All you Hofner haters out there, stop
Some potty politicly correct pretenders expressed their Hofner hate in the eighties like this; 'You fascist, get an American sounding instrument'.
Quite over the top.
Being a Beatles nut, I am very familiar with the idea that after Paul got some more money around, he got his RIC 4001 and used that in the studio after the Beatles decided to stop touring. Most people were not very aware at the time but it is evident in "Magical Mystery Tour" (the movie). Later on in Wings and his solo career, he kept using Rickenbackers. It wasn't until Elvis Costello (in the later 80's) told him to dust off that Hofner and play it a bit more. Because that Hofner is an icon for Paul and the Beatles, he continues to use it since then when he goes on tour.
He did buy the Hofner because it was cheap back in the day, he kept using it because it turned into an icon along with the rest of the band, and that's where the inflated price of Hofners comes from.
With that said, I have never played any of the "nice" reissues, although I have played the Hofner Icon ($300) model and figured I'd be happier with either a P or J solid body bass guitar. I definitely understand the Hofner Icon is made in China (or wherever) and is not actually a Hofner, but I am aware of the kinds of sounds you could be making with a violin bass like that and I don't care for the sound. It being light is a nice touch though.
IMO, everybody should rush out and get Rickenbackers (if they haven't already) because Paul used 4001's on all the good Beatles albums (except Let It Be) starting in 1965(ish). But since the RIC wasn't emphasized enough with Paul with the Beatles, it still has a somewhat normal price tag because of the other artists that have made accomplishments with them.
My numbers might be a little off but you get the idea...
$0.02
He did buy the Hofner because it was cheap back in the day, he kept using it because it turned into an icon along with the rest of the band, and that's where the inflated price of Hofners comes from.
With that said, I have never played any of the "nice" reissues, although I have played the Hofner Icon ($300) model and figured I'd be happier with either a P or J solid body bass guitar. I definitely understand the Hofner Icon is made in China (or wherever) and is not actually a Hofner, but I am aware of the kinds of sounds you could be making with a violin bass like that and I don't care for the sound. It being light is a nice touch though.
IMO, everybody should rush out and get Rickenbackers (if they haven't already) because Paul used 4001's on all the good Beatles albums (except Let It Be) starting in 1965(ish). But since the RIC wasn't emphasized enough with Paul with the Beatles, it still has a somewhat normal price tag because of the other artists that have made accomplishments with them.
My numbers might be a little off but you get the idea...
$0.02
