Hofner?

[MikeBass]

Michael, you never fail to crack me up! I HAVE to party with you someday Bro...

Brother from another Mother...

Wow, I haven't had another guy call me Michael since I was in prison.....

 

[Mr. Mig]

Wait, that changes everything. Get the Hofner. You've got "versatile" covered, now you need "unique".

+1

Also, I myself have a 2 Hofner's both are HCT 500/1 models and they do have quite a kick to them. They are very underrated in how much of a kick they have. And again these are the HCT models. love both of them.

 

[So Low Bass]

I used to own Klira. She REALLY sang up high.

The Hofner is a short string instrument. (Technically, so is a Ric). It has a totally different sound than a P or J. Flats or tape strings are usually associated with these types of instruments.

I hope that you or anyone else is buying an instrument for the sound, and not just to look cool.

 

[Ric5]

Fender Jazz - A versatile proven design. Rock solid. Many different tones. This bass can do pretty much any kind of music.

Hofner - A fragile bass that is prone to intonation errors. This bass is cool looking but not versatile. Its best usage is Beatles tribute bands. Even then a Rickenbacker would work better for that.

 

[Spinal Tapper]

My guitarist friend picked up an original late 60's Hofner (for a STEAL) on Ebay, and we just plugged her in yesterday...

It has amazingly loud presence and tone - sounds very much like his 66 P bass to be honest...the only thing that got me was the incredibly narrow string spacing - something to consider...

If you're used to guitar necks, this one feels about as wide as one...I have smaller hands and I found it difficult to make my way around the narrow spacing.

GREAT sound though!

 

[Mr. Mig]

I wonder why no one has started a Hofner club yet here on TB? Maybe not enough intrest?

 

[mccartneyman]

There's a reason Paul started playing a Rick...

Hofner's are cool, but they pretty much have *one* tone.

The "old" Beatle tone of the Hofner is neck pickup only. If you run both PUPs and play with a pick, it has a surprisingly Jazz-like tone. Listen to "Only Mama Knows" from "Memory Almost Full." Lots of bite. I have to think Paul's running both PUPS now although he originally ran just the neck PUP.

 

[toomanybasses]

If you have the P bass, go for the Hofner.

+1

I put on a set of TI Jazz flats on mine it and now the thing has great punch!

 

[lomo]

There's a reason Paul started playing a Rick...

Hofner's are cool, but they pretty much have *one* tone.

I agree. Great sound, but one sound.

 

[MikeBass]

I actually run round wound strings on mine. It roars with those.
Sure, intonation is sketchy up high, but hey, who cares!!!


WOW!!!
His old Hoff is rippin'!!!:
Mac's killin Hoff

 

[D Bopp]

The Hofner is great, and I have a Club Bass. But I think for the music you are describing, a jazz will be better. If you are playing with your fingers then definitely a Jazz bass because the string spacing on the Hofner is tight. If you move around a lot you might miss a lot of notes.

 

[MikeBass]

The Hofner is great, and I have a Club Bass. But I think for the music you are describing, a jazz will be better. If you are playing with your fingers then definitely a Jazz bass because the string spacing on the Hofner is tight. If you move around a lot you might miss a lot of notes.

I disagree.
I pulled out my Club Bass tonight (because of this thread) and pretty much just played the snot out of it like any other bass I own.

 

[rcarraher]

i know a Jazz will be way more versatile and i'd be able to use it more, but i'm really liking the Hofner. Plus the Hofner's cheaper.

I actually have two Hofners, a 69 and an 04 Deluxe as well as a Jay Turser Beatle Bass. They are fun basses to play, and I love them for jazz, 60's rock, some country bules. But don't think you are going to get that growly bite that a jazz will get you. I can'r imagine playing most Zepplin with the Hofner uless you can get the rest of the band to change a bit the way the songs are delivered. I'm trying to imagine some Nirvanna and can't I guess I need to go put an album on....I do use the Hofner for most Doors stuff, course they usually didn't have a basses except in the studio, so no one knows too much to expect Another thing to remember, is the older Hofners (and the Jay Turser) are true hollow bodys and tend to feed back at high volume. I think the Deluxe has a block running through the body to counter act this, but you are probably looking at one of the Icons or Contemorarues, right?

 

[rcarraher]

I disagree.
I pulled out my Club Bass tonight (because of this thread) and pretty much just played the snot out of it like any other bass I own.

Same here, I play both a Hofner and a couple of Jazz basses and don't notice a difference in string spacing at all. And, actually, the 30" to 34" scale isn't that hard to switch back and forth. Maybe if you were just starting out it would bother you, but after 34 years....who can tell

 

[dave-chaulk]

1: don't play Nirvana, hah. Just kidding, play what you like.
2: I own a Hofner 500/1, or, as the "un-learned" call it, "Beatle bass", and a Jazz.
for these styles, I would recommend a Jazz with flatwounds - probably D'addario Chromes.

 

[Jkaz]

If you plan to keep your current bass, then definitely go for the Hofner, or any other Beatle Bass copy. Think twice before you make this your only bass.

I can only speak for the Jay Turser brand, but it can be difficult to play. I had to resort to a pick when I play this bass. Also with the light weight body, I think its very difficult to get the strings low to the frets without buzzing.

Probably not by design, but this bass works better for picking when it comes to the balance of the instrument. The neck is definetely heavier than the body, so the weight of the pick arm rests convienently on the body. I also found it difficult to find a comfortable position for my thumb. I wasn't sure, I looked on youtube, but Paul used a pick.

Most bass players buy the flatwound strings, but I haven't converted yet, and I don't think I will. Just from the research I've read, the sound will become more deeper and thumpier, thus limiting your sound spectrum.

Another comment on research. I couldn't believe how many people thought the copies sounded just as good as the original Hofner and the Icon Series. I can't comment on that, but this bass sounds different than my Ibanez, which is the benefit of having different basses.

Some of the copy brands are Jay Turser, Johnson, Epiphone, Rogue, and Brownsville. If I could, I would get the Hofner, but price became an issue.

Of course the Beatle bass gets much more attention than the rest of my gear, but I use it sparingly, and its fun to practice with. If this becomes your second bass, get it.

 

[CBgaragebassist]

I'm most likely getting a Jazz. I can made a MIM one for the same price as the Hofner.

 

[barebones]

You've got "versatile" covered, now you need "unique".

Interesting to note that your poll results show favoritism toward the Jazz, while the folks who responded in writing seem to favor the Hofner style, based on your stating that you already own a P bass. I think those who read the first couple of posts are of one opinion, but those who dug in a little deeper are applying a different sort of logic.

Anyway, I've been looking into a new bass since I turned 40 in March, just to give myself a little belated B-day present. I was looking at all kinds of custom options that ultimately amounted to little more than newfangled versions of my old Franken-PJ-Bass. That kind of bummed me out, and the above quote is what I've finally come to in my own thinking.

I already have a battered old versatile beast that fits like an old pair of jeans, due to the fact that I've owned it since I was 17. Why try to replace it? I know I'm just going to end up selling whatever new "versatile" bass I buy, because I'll miss the comfort food my old Frankenbass provides. That bass is my wubby, man!

So, that, plus the fact that I've had a little left forearm pain lately, got me to looking at something that does something... DIFFERENT. (Yeah, novel concept.) And something short scale, due to the arm pain.

Which led me to checking out some old Gibson EB1s and EB0s. Then I jumped to Hofner idea, since I like the violin style basses, and the Club bass even more. One of the coolest sounding instruments I ever played was an old Club bass when I worked at Guitar Center. I passed that up due to what I perceived then as a lack of versatility, but... see quote above.

Anyway, that's where I am right now, and that's what attracted me to your post. I vote Hofner. Good luck in your search, whatever you choose!

 

[rollin$tone]

IMHO, all bassists should buy and try out a Hofner. And, you need to give it an honest shake. I have, and have usually kept a fairly large stable of basses, ( having a harder time these days convincing my wife of the need for ANOTHER bass!), everything from Alembics to Zons, (just kidding, never had a Zon), but after all the gear search, for me, now I'm more inclined to hollowbody tone! And the Hofner (Beatle bass) is really an engineering marvel! Adolf Hofner really hit up on a winning design... a narrow neck that is playable right up to the neck pup, small compact body that fits under your arm comfortably, nice simple V/T controls, very versatile... you can even use the slide switches to mute on stage during breaks,... stunning looks, floating bridge ( amazingly primative, but you can intonate to perfection!), ... all in a package that weighs about 4 lbs!!! ... ( How many electric basses can make this claim?!) You can play all night and feel like you haven't carried your 4 x 10 cab on your shoulder! And, the sound surprisingly fits into most any mix nicely! You do have to watch about feedback on stage if you have it pumping, but hey... all basses have their shortcomings! And speaking of SHORT... did I mention how easy it is to get around the neck on a short-scale! All in all, through my gear search, the Hofner has been my Go To bass since I discovered it! I have a '68, and everytime I pick it up, it still does it for me! Just listen to those early Beatle albums, and listen close to those bass tones!!!... enough said...

 

[mccartneyman]

The danger in playing a Hofner only occasionally when you're used to a full-scale neck is that your left hand will automatically gravitate toward fret 1, thinking that it's actually fret 3. At least in my case. I played mine for the first time in months two weeks ago on a gig (after playing the 35" Lakland most of the time) and found myself sliding up to notes for the first few songs. Muscle memory, I guess. I don't have a problem with the string spacing. Again, for those who think the Hofner has only one sound, I encourage you to experiment with using both pickups and varying the amount of bridge pickup you use. Adding the bridge PUP brings in quite a bit of bite that's lacking with the neck PUP only on the SOLO position. Also, don't expect to plug in a Hofner using your normal amp tone settings and have it sound great. Tweak them knobs!