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I have 2 Iginition basses. Had the one on the left for about 4 yrs. Gigged with it alot and it's never let me down. Got the blue one as a stupid deal of the day from Musicians Friend maybe a yr ago now,maybe a little longer. I liked the color. With it I did have to replace the tuners because one stripped out. Which Grover Sta-tites are almost direct drop in replacements btw. Have to drill out the bottom holes because the backing plates are just slightly longer. Anyway,I went/still am in a Beatles faze myself. Plates the Ignition at GC one day and it had the tone I wanted minus the horrible rounds that came on it. Those this were atrocious. Put some Beatle Bass flats on it and it came to life. I'd like to try a German one one day just to compare.
One of the main assets to the Hofner bass besides the tone, is the weight. I can literally play it for hours without fatigue. Also love the short scale.
Hi did you get it? I am thinking of it and play country (lucinda) and rock...what is your experience if you got the ignition? Thank you
If you are talking about hoffner, I kind of want a new bass, never had a new bass, all shiny, etc. my fender is from 80's japan, hard to beat, but need something lighter but play hard sometimes and wondered if hoffner can rock OUT!
They can, but they don't take being thrashed very well. They're light weight because they're a small, hollow body bass, and yes, they kinda are built like a violin - especially the German Hofners. But, if you keep that in mind, they will last a long time. Sir Paul's certainly had his for...quite a while, now. However...
- Violin basses are not the best choice for some kinds of music. Sorry, but that's just a fact. Yes, you can make one work - sorta - with lots of amp fussing and fiddling, but - while they aren't exactly a one trick pony, they certainly ain't the whole herd, either. They work fine in classic Country, Vintage/Classic Rock, some Blues, and even Folk; but IMO, that's about it. And that's what I play with both of mine. For anything else, their suitability ranges from Barely Adequate to Oh, Hell No... So, if Death Metal or Punk is your thing? Don't get a violin bass. It won't work well at all, and people will laugh at you...
- They can be hard to play. The necks are thin and very narrow, with minimal string spacing. That can take some getting used to, and so can the short scale. And, the floating bridge can give you fits. Yes, you can play hard enough to move the bridge. If you like to thrash your bass, one of these probably ain't for you. Very embarrassing when you play so hard, the bridge falls off - and the pieces disappear somewhere...
- That bridge can also be very hard to get intonated, too. Mainly because they're relics from a time when a bass player didn't really have to worry about intonation much. Since playing above the 12th fret was something you almost never did (I know I didn't - just never had to), if the bass was in tune, and the intonation was "close enough"? You were good to go... If you work at it, you can get them to intonate "perfectly" - my Rogue VB-100 will - but, they can be very fussy about what strings they'll do it with. My Rogue, for example, has only done it with Roto 88 Tapes. Some other other strings I tried would come close, and some? Forget about it... And,
- Yes, they are - technically - neck heavy. The Hofner CT might not be, since it's got a tone block in it and is really a semi-hollow bass; but the other violin basses usually are. Mine are, but they only weigh about 5 lbs. or so, and it isn't really all that hard to hold up a neck that, on a strap, weighs about as much as a double cheeseburger. Not for me, anyway...
So, yeah, get one if you want one. Just understand that it's a relic from a time before a lot of music that's around now, hadn't been invented yet, and treat it like what it is - and you'll have fun with it.
Love the way my Ignition BB w/flats sounds, looks and plays. I started playing bass in the 60's on a Framus Wyman Star Bass (149) the Ignition reminds me of it. Light , SS and thumpy.
A Hofner Ignition BB would work for any song in Lucinda's catalog, with flats or Tapewounds. Flats will wake it up and you will hear McCartney every time you play it
They can, but they don't take being thrashed very well. They're light weight because they're a small, hollow body bass, and yes, they kinda are built like a violin - especially the German Hofners. But, if you keep that in mind, they will last a long time. Sir Paul's certainly had his for...quite a while, now. However...
- Violin basses are not the best choice for some kinds of music. Sorry, but that's just a fact. Yes, you can make one work - sorta - with lots of amp fussing and fiddling, but - while they aren't exactly a one trick pony, they certainly ain't the whole herd, either. They work fine in classic Country, Vintage/Classic Rock, some Blues, and even Folk; but IMO, that's about it. And that's what I play with both of mine. For anything else, their suitability ranges from Barely Adequate to Oh, Hell No... So, if Death Metal or Punk is your thing? Don't get a violin bass. It won't work well at all, and people will laugh at you...
- They can be hard to play. The necks are thin and very narrow, with minimal string spacing. That can take some getting used to, and so can the short scale. And, the floating bridge can give you fits. Yes, you can play hard enough to move the bridge. If you like to thrash your bass, one of these probably ain't for you. Very embarrassing when you play so hard, the bridge falls off - and the pieces disappear somewhere...
- That bridge can also be very hard to get intonated, too. Mainly because they're relics from a time when a bass player didn't really have to worry about intonation much. Since playing above the 12th fret was something you almost never did (I know I didn't - just never had to), if the bass was in tune, and the intonation was "close enough"? You were good to go... If you work at it, you can get them to intonate "perfectly" - my Rogue VB-100 will - but, they can be very fussy about what strings they'll do it with. My Rogue, for example, has only done it with Roto 88 Tapes. Some other other strings I tried would come close, and some? Forget about it... And,
- Yes, they are - technically - neck heavy. The Hofner CT might not be, since it's got a tone block in it and is really a semi-hollow bass; but the other violin basses usually are. Mine are, but they only weigh about 5 lbs. or so, and it isn't really all that hard to hold up a neck that, on a strap, weighs about as much as a double cheeseburger. Not for me, anyway...
So, yeah, get one if you want one. Just understand that it's a relic from a time before a lot of music that's around now, hadn't been invented yet, and treat it like what it is - and you'll have fun with it.
Thank you for such a thoughtful and thorough response, I really appreciate it. I like to play hard sometimes and don't want things falling off! But may get one for the country stuff and Lucinda ballad type stuff...thanks again
Thank you for such a thoughtful and thorough response, I really appreciate it. I like to play hard sometimes and don't want things falling off! But may get one for the country stuff and Lucinda ballad type stuff...thanks again
