• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Hofner-(not just Beatle Basses)-Group Part 2

#2,582
Hi folks. Looking into sunburst colour short scale basses that have a wider than 1.5"/38mm nut and not super expensive and a Hofner Ignition Club bass meets that criteria.
Hofner-Club-Bass-Ignition-Series-Full.jpg

A questions if I may. I don't use standard tuning. Given the non-slotted, small diameter tuning posts on the Club and the tail piece, am I going to run into a problem with a larger gauged string for D in standard tuning.
 
Last edited:
#2,583
Prodigus Filius said:
Hi folks. Looking into sunburst colour short scale basses that have a wider than 1.5"/38mm nut and not super expensive and a Hofner Ignition Club bass meets that criteria. View attachment 5295325
A questions if I may. I don't use standard tuning. Given the non-slotted, small diameter tuning posts on the Club and the tail piece, am I going to run into a problem with a larger gauged string for D in standard tuning.
Click to expand...

Could be. I can't recall what my D string is, bit E strings for Hofners are usually 100s or 95s. The Gs 40s or 45s.
 
#2,586
I did come across this on TB, the last post mentions some mods for BEAD that appear to have satisfied the poster https://www.talkbass.com/threads/b-e-a-d-strings-on-hofner-violin-bass.1060200/page-2
a shorter tailpiece was swapped in. I assume for using long scale strings for more string options.
Reggae is one of the genres I like, and I am therefore aware of the place the violin bass has had in Reggae music. But I prefer the shape/aesthetic of the Club bass. Am I right that the Club bass is a violin bass with a different shaped body?
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Doctor Intrepid
#2,587
Prodigus Filius said:
I did come across this on TB, the last post mentions some mods for BEAD that appear to have satisfied the poster https://www.talkbass.com/threads/b-e-a-d-strings-on-hofner-violin-bass.1060200/page-2
a shorter tailpiece was swapped in. I assume for using long scale strings for more string options.
Reggae is one of the genres I like, and I am therefore aware of the place the violin bass has had in Reggae music. But I prefer the shape/aesthetic of the Club bass. Am I right that the Club bass is a violin bass with a different shaped body?
Click to expand...
I would say so, but some say they sound different. I really the two distinct models offered by Hofner are the Cavern spec and the normal spec. Check out some Club players and see what you think. Also, Dale Davis. He plays Hofners and switches between the Violin and Club models.
 
#2,588
Doctor Intrepid said:
I would say so, but some say they sound different. I really the two distinct models offered by Hofner are the Cavern spec and the normal spec. Check out some Club players and see what you think. Also, Dale Davis. He plays Hofners and switches between the Violin and Club models.
Click to expand...
Ok cheers.
I think I got it wrong about the 'shorter' tailpiece in the link I posted. The poster still used medium scale strings as you mentioned is the norm, so I don't get what the shorter tailpiece is all about. Intonation for the non standard large B string or something. Anyhow, The Club is a very handsome looking bass.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Doctor Intrepid
#2,591
Does anyone have one of those aluminium bullet cases they want to sell? Also would you trust it to fly with?

i was have a fairly vintage hard case that i wouldn't trust to fly with but it does just fit in my skb bass safe so maybe that is best? But it is very heavy when combined.
 
#2,594
BPE said:
What I am TOTALLY in awe about is that video on page 125 showing the guy cut the fret slots. How in the world does he do that, and do it accurately?

I'm sorry, I just cannot believe what I saw!
Click to expand...

If nobody has answered this yet, I'll give it a go. If you notice, just prior to cutting the fret slots, the worker lays a board on the fingerboard and presses down on it quickly. My guess is there are blades on the underside of that board that make an impression or a slice at the fret locations and he uses that as his guide.
 
#2,595
Prodigus Filius said:
I've seen these Hofner Shorty violin bass in this thread. Didn't know there was a violin shaped solid body by Hofner. Piqued my interest, given that it comes in sunburst Shorty Violin Bass Sunburst Anyone have one? Is the bridge spacing 19mm?
Click to expand...
I have a violin Shorty. I like it, but the neck is wide and a bit chunky. I am not into that, so I don't play it much. Also, it does neck dive.

If you are interested in a solid body check the HCT, of Contemporary, line. They have a sound block inside which, in my eyes, turns the bass into a solid body. They have both Violin and Club HCTs.
 
#2,596
DrSteve said:
There's also a Shorty Violin thread. Short read / 2 pages:
https://www.talkbass.com/threads/hofner-shorty-violin.1538930/

I'd be interested too, but the neck gets wide at the top. I would like to try one before I made the purchase. But of course, I haven't seen one anywhere nearby.
Click to expand...
I'm in the same position. Closest one to me is a 300km round trip to Sydney and back. Thanks for link.
Doctor Intrepid said:
I have a violin Shorty. I like it, but the neck is wide and a bit chunky. I am not into that, so I don't play it much. Also, it does neck dive.

If you are interested in a solid body check the HCT, of Contemporary, line. They have a sound block inside which, in my eyes, turns the bass into a solid body. They have both Violin and Club HCTs.
Click to expand...
I actually like a chunky neck, so that would be ok. I'm down to two long scale basses now after selling one and I gifted my fretless Mikro, which was great for travelling. Hence the interest in the Shorty violin bass. I will check out the ones you mentioned with the block in them. I guess that makes them semi-hollow right? Cheers
 
  • Like
Reactions: KLINCOLNS and Doctor Intrepid
#2,598
Prodigus Filius said:
I'm in the same position. Closest one to me is a 300km round trip to Sydney and back. Thanks for link.

I actually like a chunky neck, so that would be ok. I'm down to two long scale basses now after selling one and I gifted my fretless Mikro, which was great for travelling. Hence the interest in the Shorty violin bass. I will check out the ones you mentioned with the block in them. I guess that makes them semi-hollow right? Cheers
Click to expand...

Hard to say about the semi-hollow. Some say the standard Hofners, which are hollow, are semi-hollow because they don't have F-holes. If the HCTs are different from those, since they have sound blocks, then one could say they are solid body basses. Folks like to debate these things and claim the HCTs are semi-hollow because of the sound block. So it is all a bit confusing. In my eyes, the HCTs are solid bodies and the traditional Hofners are semi-hollow.

Either way, you should know the HCTs have narrow necks. Some of the more recent Ignitions have wider necks.

The Shorty basses would also be a good platform for modes I think, if one is so inclined.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back