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Hofner outselling Fender

#141
HolmeBass said:
Is the purpose of a post on Talkbass to get the most clicks, or to share and discuss relevant information? If your headline had included “on Reverb” at the end of the threat title this thread would be much cleaner and more meaningful.

It’s not a headline, this isn’t a news paper. It’s a thread title, this is a discussion board.
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I don't think your ethical assessment applies. It is a discussion thread about bass. Threads get posted here for a variety of reasons. You, and others, may think you can legitimately judge what the topics should be and how those topics should be named, but I don't think so. This is really entertainment, which is what music really is isn't it? It is for leisure.

No one was harmed in the making of this thread and no intrinsic rights were violated ...
 
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#143
Doctor Intrepid said:
I don't think your ethical assessment applies. It is a discussion thread about bass. Threads get posted here for a variety of reasons. You, and others, may think you can legitimately judge what the topics should be and how those topics should be named, but I don't think so. This is really entertainment, which is what music really is isn't it? It is for leisure.

No one was harmed in the making of this thread and no intrinsic rights were violated ...
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Exactly,!
Just take a look at some of the threads that guy jd56hawk posts. I mean, sure, he tries to help people but, man, he's got an attitude bigger than a Bulgemobile!
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#144
It’s weird about the Hofner/Paul thing. Just a look, AFAIK. And restricted to Paul. He got it cause it was cheap and could be flipped over to left handed easily enough.

He made his best bass sounds on the Rick, though, and I think the Jazz for Come Together. I don’t remember there being a particular good bass sound out of Paul on the Hofner. And nobody else was known for sounding good on a Hofner. I guess it works okay, but just a thing to look like Paul.

Maybe a “short scale hollow body with flats sound” could be interesting.
 
#145
Doug4321 said:
It’s weird about the Hofner/Paul thing. Just a look, AFAIK. And restricted to Paul. He got it cause it was cheap and could be flipped over to left handed easily enough.

He made his best bass sounds on the Rick, though, and I think the Jazz for Come Together. I don’t remember there being a particular good bass sound out of Paul on the Hofner. And nobody else was known for sounding good on a Hofner. I guess it works okay, but just a thing to look like Paul.

Maybe a “short scale hollow body with flats sound” could be interesting.
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You ever heard of The Wood Brothers? Flying High Again by Ozzy? Listen to any of Tom Perry's solo albums? The Talking Heads maybe? Tame Impala?

Just a small sample of Hofner bass sounds.
 
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#148
Doug4321 said:
It’s weird about the Hofner/Paul thing. Just a look, AFAIK. And restricted to Paul. He got it cause it was cheap and could be flipped over to left handed easily enough.

He made his best bass sounds on the Rick, though, and I think the Jazz for Come Together. I don’t remember there being a particular good bass sound out of Paul on the Hofner. And nobody else was known for sounding good on a Hofner. I guess it works okay, but just a thing to look like Paul.
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1) English musicians had lots of exposure to Hofner guitars from other performers in the late 1950s and early 1960s.There were very few American made instruments in GB, or Europe at that time. John and George each had a Hofner guitar. Their first bass player, Stu, had a large Hofner bass.
2) Paul's violin bass was ordered by him, in Hamburg, because he was left-handed and he wanted a properly made left handed version, which Hofner would make for him. It was probably the first left handed violin bass that they made.
3) Many of McCartney's casual comments, over the years, about his instruments are not exactly accurate, and often glib or made in a joking manner.
4) As to what his "best" bass sound might be, that is debatable. However, he did better than most recording artists and performers with his Hofner bass.
5) For a very wealthy guy who could afford any bass he wanted, it's interesting that he still uses it. I know he has at least 3 Hofner basses.
 
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#149
Doug4321 said:
It’s weird about the Hofner/Paul thing. Just a look, AFAIK. And restricted to Paul. He got it cause it was cheap and could be flipped over to left handed easily enough.

He made his best bass sounds on the Rick, though, and I think the Jazz for Come Together. I don’t remember there being a particular good bass sound out of Paul on the Hofner. And nobody else was known for sounding good on a Hofner. I guess it works okay, but just a thing to look like Paul.

Maybe a “short scale hollow body with flats sound” could be interesting.
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Seeing him strum his Hofner and compose "Get Back" was pretty damn inspiring.
 
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#152
jd56hawk said:
No one's done more for a particular bass than Paul McCartney's done for the 500/1.
Before anyone even thought of making a signature bass, the Hofner was known as the Beatle bass.
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Right, you either buy a Hofner to look like Paul, or you don’t buy a Hofner because you don’t want people to think you’re trying to look like Paul! :woot:

I remember a semi famous old school English bassist saying in an interview he switched from an EB-3 to a Fender because he thought people were like, “what, you think you’re Jack Bruce?”
 
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#153
Doug4321 said:
It’s weird about the Hofner/Paul thing. Just a look, AFAIK. And restricted to Paul. He got it cause it was cheap and could be flipped over to left handed easily enough.

He made his best bass sounds on the Rick, though, and I think the Jazz for Come Together. I don’t remember there being a particular good bass sound out of Paul on the Hofner. And nobody else was known for sounding good on a Hofner. I guess it works okay, but just a thing to look like Paul.

Maybe a “short scale hollow body with flats sound” could be interesting.
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Oh well, I guess I have to get rid of my P bass, don't want to look like Pino and gonna have to buy a jazz bass but don't want to look like John Paul Jones. So it's back to my Hofners but at least they're Hofner Club basses, wouldn't want to look like Paul. So Paul went on for decades playing Hofners because it was the only one he could afford... oh boy. I think I'll buy me a Hofner violin bass I love the tone. Maybe a different color, would hate for people to think I want to look like Paul
 
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#155

Sorry - I don’t agree and anyone who understands the size of the market and rules of accurate sales reporting wouldn’t either. If you’re a Hofner fan, that’s fine, but don’t think these widely disparate “reports” mean that the world is buying them in a big way.
 
#159
Just a head-sup for Hofner nerds: with the availability of Hofner parts having to come from overseas in either direction while freighters are being held up 100's at a time at the Los Angeles ports in an obvious embargo to make scarcity a 'thing' might want to avail of the close-out sale Chris at The Violin Bass store is offering as he's closing his store.

I'm not affiliated with the store just want to help things out.

Link Removed


VIOLINBASSSTORE ANNOUNCEMENT - Copy.png
 
#160
skycruiser said:
All those Hofner bass owners figured out this is their best chance of getting rid of that violin bass they haven't touched in 10 years.:laugh:
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I'm resurrecting my old '70's Hofner.

Then I stumble upon this clip posted on the forum in another thread.

Serendipitously he's playing the same model/pickups that are my '70's Hofner.

Question: Did Ron use that exact guitar on the track? You can see him on stage with a Jazz bass.

This clip of an icon player/song deserves peppering throughout the forum. Rinse and repeat.

 
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