I currently use a CIJ Mustang as my main bass and am very happy with it. I would not mind something with a different flavour to compliment it though. I have a late 80s Washburn P copy as a backup (that I almost never use due to the 34" scale length). I also intend to build a straight up medium scale P out of Warmoth parts in the near future, but that's a thread for another day. I have played both Danelectros and Hofners in store and enjoyed the sound (and feel of both) but never in a band setting. Given that both meet my goal of being very light and playable and are roughly the same cost...which is more likely to fit nicely into the mix of more rock/roots/vintage pop songs? I am open to either longhorn/U2 shapes and violin/club shapes respectively. I should also mention that I tried a friend's Jay Turser violin bass recently and it was surprisingly good as well. I figured this is a great place to ask after getting so many informative replies in my recent GK amp thread. Thanks TB'ers!
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Hofner or Danelectro?
- Thread starter kjp360
- Start date
I don't think you can miss w/either really, but for roots, the look of the Longhorn is very cool indeed!
GT
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I have the Hofner Ignition Club and an modded early '60s Silvertone Model 1444 (by Danelectro). I use both frequently for all genres I play but the duo I'm now in plays more jazzy type of stuff.
I like the default sound and look of the Dano Longhorns.
But, if you're into tinkering with basses, you could get the Hofner and swap out the pickups for a set of aftermarket ones and get very close the to classic Hofner sound.
But both would work for the style you mentioned. They were both integral parts of those eras.
Also anyone who says that Hofners are only good for Beatles songs forgets that both Robbie Shakespeare and Tina Weymouth both played them.
But, if you're into tinkering with basses, you could get the Hofner and swap out the pickups for a set of aftermarket ones and get very close the to classic Hofner sound.
But both would work for the style you mentioned. They were both integral parts of those eras.
Also anyone who says that Hofners are only good for Beatles songs forgets that both Robbie Shakespeare and Tina Weymouth both played them.
I find the Longhorn to be a much more usable and versatile instrument than Hofners.
I'm definitely into tinkering. In fact I have already tinkered with my Club bass by converting it to VVT controls. What pickups for the Hofner are you referring to? Got a link?
I'm afraid I'll have to agree. Nice as Hofners are, they come with some baggage that Danos don't have:
1. Hofners can be (and often are) picky about strings. They basically like strings designed just for Hofners - strings that are really medium scale length; with small ball ends; and with very long tuner ends. Danos aren't nearly so picky...
2. Even if you can find medium scale, non Hofner-specific strings that'll work on your Hofner? The string pool you'll be fishing in, is mighty small... Dano Longhorns take regular short scale strings; a much bigger pond to fish in...
Violin basses - or any bass - with a floating bridge, can be really picky about which strings it will tune up and intonate with. Sometimes you get lucky, and there's no problem. Sometimes it'll tune up OK, but it'll only intonate the E ang G string - with a lot of fussing around. And, sometimes, with that set of strings you have your heart set on? It won't intonate at all... Danos? They can be fussy, too, sometimes; but not nearly as much. And,
if you want, you can replace the bridge with one that will intonate just fine...3. The Hofner's controls are... well, I just think of them as Germany's revenge for losing WWII. Danelectro controls are just simple stacked pots...
One good thing about a Hofner, though, is that they're available with a case; Longhorns are not. However... don't tell anyone, but
a Longhorn fits perfectly in an Epiphone ES-339 guitar case...
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Coincidentally, I have guitar GAS for an Epi or Gibby 339 so that I can retire or sell my vintage 335
This is something that I hadn't considered in my own comparisons. Does anyone else have an opinion on this?? I do love the LaBella DT Flats on my Mustang...the Washburn has some very old dead Chromes that I can deal with but definitely prefer the LaBella feel.
I can't imagine wanting to put rounds either a Hofner or Danelectro. If I wanted to do that I would probably grab an EB-0. One of my BL's has an old Kalamazoo branded short scale with a Mudbucker in it and it sounds great with slightly dead rounds on it. Easy to play with the slim neck. If an EB-0 was lighter I would already have one.
I don't think either of them will sound as good as the Mustang, Hofners are cool but fussy as others have said, I've never owned a Dano but they don't seem to offer a whole variety of tones from what I've heard on records, videos etc. Danos are a lot more clear though and they sound great with flatwounds and still cut through which has never been a Hofner's strong point, actually they sound a lot like a Fender with flats. If I had to choose out of the two, I'd go with a Danelectro.
In my foray into medium scales, the Dan Electro Longhorn (Korean made with what looks like aluminium bridge) was a keeper, and I like them strung with any medlight nickle roundwounds for a kicking midrange that cuts and more sustain than flats Or you can roll it off for dubtones. The Longhorn has enough low end so my usual amp eq doesn't need to be changed. The Other med scale I kept was the Epi Allan Woody (which needs roundwounds too, IMO)
Thanks for mentioning this. Looks like an interesting bass and I've not seen one in person. Not crazy about the red finish but I could live with it. The pickup placement is different. What are the approx. weight of these?
"3. The Hofner's controls are... well, I just think of them as Germany's revenge for losing WWII." And the first WW.
As a retired electronics engineer to me the Hofner controls are a bit of an overcomplicated solution to a simple issue. That's why I switched my main Hofner to what I consider more elegantly simple VVT controls which are easier and more instinctive for me to use. I also found that my Hofner "woke up" sonically after the switch to VVT, it just sounds better to me.
Someone might know...sweetwater weighs guitars...the epiAW it isn't light as a feather like the DanElectro which is made out of particleboard and hockey stick Tape, but it is chambered, so lighter than solid, but enough mass for good sustain vs scale and the hardware isn't lightweight either. The neck is fabulous (that mass helps here) and the sound is unique in the mids because of the 2 pu positioned near the neck, so it was designed for rounds (although it sounds great with the one P position pu used also, resembles EBO mud using just the neck pu).
If weight is paramount issue the increased low end and sustain of the allan woody isn't worth it because the Dan Electro ain't bad, and it does it with a different system than solid body bases. My Violin shaped bass got traded away because it need too much of an adjustment at the amp, actually needed a parametric eq to get rid of some crank frequencies above the low mids...the Beatles bass sound and Robbie Shakespear--that's rolled off the highs almost totally
Since when have Danelectros been made of particleboard?
BTW, I just donated my Epi AW body to the son of a coworker of my wife who wants to learn how to build guitars and basses. I stripped all the hardware from the body and it's quite light.
So you just made up that Danelectros are made of particleboard?
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No, is there a problem here? it's part of the hyperbole surrounding Dan Electro probably stemming from the use of Masonite, a kind of particle board (as far as I know, a formula for using waste wood (benefit) perhaps some Masonite is just hardwood). I don't know which guitars may have used Masonite, but some did, probably when it was available or trending.
