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

[steve_rolfeca]

Has anyone ever tried to stuff a Hofner Club into the Violin bass gig bag?

I don't really want a hardshell case for my Ignition, but I can't find any Club-specific, or even Club-proportioned bags out there. Everything is either too wide, too short, or both.

 

[DavesnothereCA]

Has anyone ever tried to stuff a Hofner Club into the Violin bass gig bag?

I don't really want a hardshell case for my Ignition, but I can't find any Club-specific, or even Club-proportioned bags out there. Everything is either too wide, too short, or both.

~
I've not yet tried it, but consider a bag made for a Jazzmaster guitar, which I recently noticed while looking for bags for other short scale basses which I own.

Gator offers one and Amazon.ca carries them.

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B074WGHJ9K/

And check the measurements of some bags intended for Les Paul guitars, as a HSC for a Les Paul almost fit my Ignition Club, slightly short at the head stock, and a bag might have some flex there.

If you [or other readers] do look at hard cases :

My Ignition Club is currently residing in a Yorkville Jack Casady HSC which I chose for it, which of course is waaaayy oversized in all dimensions.

I believe that it would also have fit with less slack into a Yorkville HSC meant for a Gibson 335 guitar, IF I had been willing to rip out the support for the heel of that instrument from a brand new case, we determined while performing the Cinderella ritual at an L&M store in Ottawa.

After I got home, I thought of something else which did not occur to me nor the sales guys at L&M.

It might fit into a hard case meant for a typical Martin dreadnought guitar.

Just some thoughts....
~

 

[Berndizzle440]

Here’s my ‘82 187 “shorty” I kind of just happened upon it and at the time really didn’t know much about Höfners. For the price though it was just absurd not to get it. It even has its original vinyl carry case! I’ve actually been looking to post some questions on how much it may be worth. I haven’t been able to find too much info on them and this seemed the best place to ask

 

[Doctor Intrepid]

View attachment 4693583Here’s my ‘82 187 “shorty” I kind of just happened upon it and at the time really didn’t know much about Höfners. For the price though it was just absurd not to get it. It even has its original vinyl carry case! I’ve actually been looking to post some questions on how much it may be worth. I haven’t been able to find too much info on them and this seemed the best place to ask

These are not as popular that the 500/1s and 500/2s. So I am guessing you might get 700 USD on Reverb. They might be a bit higher now, as everything is.

 

[cornfarmer]

I played a Verythin the other day (Contemporary/reissue/whatever) and thought it was pretty nice. Are these really Chinesium? It felt more like something Korean/Indonesian, the quality was surprising. Trying not to think about it too much, I don't need another gdamn bass....

 

[Doctor Intrepid]

I played a Verythin the other day (Contemporary/reissue/whatever) and thought it was pretty nice. Are these really Chinesium? It felt more like something Korean/Indonesian, the quality was surprising. Trying not to think about it too much, I don't need another gdamn bass....

The Contemporary series is made in China, but in a Hofner factory. That is why the quality is higher.

 

[nattiep]

I ended up switching to the Pyramid set with the 100 E. Made the difference. Less rattle, more stable tuning. One I want to change these I'll try the 100 set La Bella's again.

 

[DavesnothereCA]

I ended up switching to the Pyramid set with the 100 E. Made the difference. Less rattle, more stable tuning.
When I want to change these, I'll try the 100 set La Bella's again.

~
Glad to read that you resolved things, AND that it was the strings, rather than the bass !

I've never tried Pyramid bass strings, however some folks here say that they really like them.

You might want to get that zero fret recrowned or replaced though.

BTW, my first BASS was a Pyramid, but I think that it had some other brand of strings on it, and the two companies of that name may not have been related anyway.
~

 

[cryh4v0k]

So, I came across a used German Hofner 500/2 Club Bass at Guitar Center locally. Played it, fell in love with it, and brought it home against my better financial judgment. With that said, I figured I'd post it here and see what everyone thinks of this model. I haven't been able to find much information about them. They seem to undergo some sort of relic process with the violin department at Hofner to appear aged? The model number is H500/2-RLC-0 and I can't seem to find a whole lot of examples of it online, which makes me a little nervous.

It plays absolutely beautifully. As a result, it became the first relic bass I've ever bought.

 

[Doctor Intrepid]

So, I came across a used German Hofner 500/2 Club Bass at Guitar Center locally. Played it, fell in love with it, and brought it home against my better financial judgment. With that said, I figured I'd post it here and see what everyone thinks of this model. I haven't been able to find much information about them. They seem to undergo some sort of relic process with the violin department at Hofner to appear aged? The model number is H500/2-RLC-0 and I can't seem to find a whole lot of examples of it online, which makes me a little nervous.

It plays absolutely beautifully. As a result, it became the first relic bass I've ever bought.

What a beauty! Congrats! The relic finish is a popular seller for Hofner now. It is their most expensive model. They were told they cannot use the name 'relic' any longer. I guess it is copyrighted by another instrument company. So now it is called the vintage finish.

 

[DavesnothereCA]

So, I came across a used German Hofner 500/2 Club Bass at Guitar Center locally. Played it, fell in love with it, and brought it home against my better financial judgment. With that said, I figured I'd post it here and see what everyone thinks of this model. I haven't been able to find much information about them. They seem to undergo some sort of relic process with the violin department at Hofner to appear aged? The model number is H500/2-RLC-0 and I can't seem to find a whole lot of examples of it online, which makes me a little nervous.

It plays absolutely beautifully. As a result, it became the first relic bass I've ever bought.

~
The burst and the bindings look wonderful !

That said, I am NOT a fan of 'relic-ing'.

If they made the same grade and finish of bass without that 'feature', I would show more interest in owning one, IF of course I could justify spending whatever it costed.

And is there a chance that you would post one more pic - a full frontal - as there is something which I can only verify in such a view.

Has anyone else noticed what I think I have ?
~

 

[cryh4v0k]

~
The burst and the bindings look wonderful !

That said, I am NOT a fan of 'relic-ing'.

If they made the same grade and finish of bass without that 'feature', I would show more interest in owning one, IF of course I could justify spending whatever it costed.

And is there a chance that you would post one more pic - a full frontal - as there is something which I can only verify in such a view.

Has anyone else noticed what I think I have ?
~

Yeah, I have generally not been a fan and it put me off at first, but I couldn’t put it down.

You mean this sort of full frontal?

 

[cryh4v0k]

~
The burst and the bindings look wonderful !

That said, I am NOT a fan of 'relic-ing'.

If they made the same grade and finish of bass without that 'feature', I would show more interest in owning one, IF of course I could justify spending whatever it costed.

And is there a chance that you would post one more pic - a full frontal - as there is something which I can only verify in such a view.

Has anyone else noticed what I think I have ?
~

So what is it that you noticed?

 

[steve_rolfeca]

Funny.

I despise Fender Road Worn basses, even though every one I've ever picked up has played, sounded and felt exceptional. I can't get past the turnoff of knowing that they all have the same rub marks in the same places.

But dayum, that Hofner makes me want to whip out my credit card. I think it's the finish more than the flaking plating on the neck pickup, which I could actually do without. Does it play and feel like it looks?

 

[cryh4v0k]

Funny.

I despise Fender Road Worn basses, even though every one I've ever picked up has played, sounded and felt exceptional. I can't get past the turnoff of knowing that they all have the same rub marks in the same places.

But dayum, that Hofner makes me want to whip out my credit card. I think it's the finish more than the flaking plating on the neck pickup, which I could actually do without. Does it play and feel like it looks?

Yeah, I honestly have avoided relic basses up until this point, but it played so well I had to look past it. It is pretty tasteful, and from the few pictures I've seen of other examples, I don't think they are all the same. It both plays and feels great.

 

[Doctor Intrepid]

Yeah, I honestly have avoided relic basses up until this point, but it played so well I had to look past it. It is pretty tasteful, and from the few pictures I've seen of other examples, I don't think they are all the same. It both plays and feels great.

Yes, each one is unique. I think the finish is applied by hand. So that makes each one unique. I think it is the same finish they use for the string instruments.

 

[steve_rolfeca]

I gigged the Ignition Club last night.

TBH, it was a bit underwhelming. The string-to-string response was uneven, with the A string seeming to resonate more than the others, and the E string a little weak.

I had trouble cutting through the mix, which is fine if you’d rather lay down a less distinct, punchy bottom end. But I didn’t find it particularly punchy either. The dynamic range wasn’t very satisfying, especially after I pushed my Diamond compressor a little harder to try and even out the response.

IME, you can’t tune out these sorts of shortcomings with surgical EQ. The instrument either has it, or it doesn’t.

Ironically, it plays in tune now, and sounds pretty much spot on for Beatles tones. Trouble is, I don’t want to go through life playing tracks off Revolver!

The last Epiphone Viola project bass I put together, actually worked better for me, and that wasn’t a keeper either.

Happily, a good friend whose ears I trust, was on a business trip to Ottawa last week, and checked out a D’Angelico EX at a consignment shop. It was a 2016, pretty much mint, and had been set up and Plekked by a good shop. The EX is a thinline, fully hollow body instrument, and was discontinued along with the other D’Angelico basses.

According to my buddy, the EX sustained longer than the Hofner, felt great, and had a surprisingly wide range of P through J tones with a nice hollow-body bloom. The 32.25” scale gave it better string tension, to boot.

He has been jonesing for an Epiphone Jack Casady, and said that the D’Angelico wiped the floor with all the Casadys he has tried. Right around 7lb even, which is considerably lighter than most Epiphone and Ibanez semi-hollows.

After a bit of haggling, I managed to get it shipped with the TKL hard shell case for considerably less than a new 500CT.

 

[Pet Sounds]

@steve_rolfeca, you won't have to go through life playing songs from Revolver unless you buy a Rickenbacker.

 

[steve_rolfeca]

@steve_rolfeca, you won't have to go through life playing songs from Revolver unless you buy a Rickenbacker.

I’d better hand in my Macca fan club badge- I was mixing albums up!

 

[Aceonbass]

@steve_rolfeca, you won't have to go through life playing songs from Revolver unless you buy a Rickenbacker.

You're kidding, right?