I chose a Rogue VB100 over a Hofner Ignition.

[Zkenny99]

The local mom/pop music store has both used Rogue and Epi Beatle bass. The Rogue is a lefty though so not for me. Though I often wondered if I would play bass, and golf, better left handed. It couldn't be much worse.

The Epi is also a lot heavier than the Rogue. Is that maybe due to the Epi being a neck through design?

I guess Sir Paul complained that his Hofner never stayed in tune very well. The rumor I heard was that Fenders were pretty rare in the sixties in Europe and if you did find one it would break the bank to buy it, and the Hofner was more affordable.

I wonder if you need a poorly intonated Hofner to properly play Come Together?

IIRC, the Epiphone has a mahogany neck (compared to maple on this Rogue) and is semi hollow. I do remember playing one a while back and just not liking it all around. Then again, I was playing it when I was still sucking on bass

 

[Old Garage-Bander]

The Violin bass bridge tends to creep towards the pickups because of the unequal string angles each side of the bridge. I have heard that double sided tape under the feet stop this but never tried it. On mine you could see the correct position for the feet on the top so I just pushed it back into position every so often.

I did a sub gig where I had to play "All Right Now" by Free, the slide up to the G (17th fret on the D string) during the lead break was so far out it was painful.

That double sided tape can get rather nasty after a while. If it slides up, you're probably better off just adjusting it. Something for the pre-gig checklist.

 

[delta7fred]

That double sided tape can get rather nasty after a while. If it slides up, you're probably better off just adjusting it. Something for the pre-gig checklist.

I know what you mean about the tape, I don't class it as a permanent solution.

I think I have only had to move it back 2 or 3 times over about 120 gigs and rehearsals so it isn't a huge problem.

 

[Ric5]

By the way, some Hofners have the zero fret, but not the Ignition, unless I'm mistaken. Those that do, as I understand, are harder to set up.

I find zero fret instruments easier to set up.

 

[jmlee]

I know what you mean about the tape, I don't class it as a permanent solution. I think I have only had to move it back 2 or 3 times over about 120 gigs and rehearsals so it isn't a huge problem.

On my hollow-body guitars, I've had a luthier buddy put pins in, anchored in the top and fitting into equivalent holes in the feet of the bridge. That keeps the bridge right where it's supposed to be. Really useful if you want to take all the strings off for a good fretboard cleaning and still pop the bridge back on exactly right.

 

[NortyFiner]

I have A/B'd a Hofner vs. a Epi Viola in the store, and the Viola won. I like the Viola controls better, and it just sounded and felt more solid to me. I have also played a Douglas violin bass from Rondo, which is basically a Viola copy, and it was a good bass for the money as well. Never yet gotten to play one of the Rogues, but hey, great that you found one you like. Next stop is some flats and foam under the bridge for that vintage thump.

 

[dabbler]

I think most of the violin basses come from the same factories so probably not a lot of difference. Rhondo has one that's very reasonable and said to be quite nice and also available in unlined fretless!... Enjoy your new bass!

What ^ he said.

 

[Stdjazz4]

Nice!!

BTW~There is a VB100 Club...

Rogue Viola (VB100) Bass Club

Brand new ones are on sale again for $150 w/shipping included.

Rogue Viola (VB100) Bass Club

I just posted my review on MF.

 

[1stnamebassist]

What ^ he said.

Cool! How do you like the fretless?

 

[dabbler]

Cool! How do you like the fretless?

I like them both very much! Like any rondo bass, I had to change the strings, I went with Labella Beatle strings of course, and it sounds great. I'm more used to long scale basses, but after a few moments I adjust just fine.

 

[blue4]

I've got both a Douglas and an Epiphone that I believe are superior the Ignition. So I'm not surprised. The tuner and the intonation on the few I tried were a huge turnoff.

 

[Dbassmon]

The Ignition has the Hofner sound which comes largely from the hollow body. It gives a big attack and no sustain very similar to the way a double bass sounds. They intonate quite well if you know what you are doing. The Rogue, Douglas and Epiphone have a solid core making them much more like a traditional bass guitar sonically. One issue with the Ignition is that it comes strung with rounds and that does not suite the strength of the that design in my opinion. String it with flats and you have a great Hofner sound. Nothing I have heard really sounds like a Hofner other than a Hofner. It is a cool and inexpensive bass. Tuners are not great and should be replaced. I like the space it fills sonically for soul, ballads, jazz and classic rock... of course.

 

[Zkenny99]

The Ignition has the Hofner sound which comes largely from the hollow body. It gives a big attack and no sustain very similar to the way a double bass sounds. They intonate quite well if you know what you are doing. The Rogue, Douglas and Epiphone have a solid core making them much more like a traditional bass guitar sonically. One issue with the Ignition is that it comes strung with rounds and that does not suite the strength of the that design in my opinion. String it with flats and you have a great Hofner sound. Nothing I have heard really sounds like a Hofner other than a Hofner. It is a cool and inexpensive bass. Tuners are not great and should be replaced. I like the space it fills sonically for soul, ballads, jazz and classic rock... of course.

What do you mean by solid core? I opened up my Rogue's control panel last night and it's definitely hollow Unless you're referring to something else, than I don't know, because I do remember playing both unplugged and the Hofner did indeed have a much nicer sound to it's acoustics.

 

[Stdjazz4]

The Rogue, Douglas and Epiphone have a solid core making them much more like a traditional bass guitar sonically.

Tuners are not great and should be replaced.

These new and newer model Rogues are hollow.

The Rogue has the Douglas/Epi tuners on it which is an improvement over the Hofner IMO.

 

[NortyFiner]

What ^ he said.

Nice fretless. I've pondered the idea of stringing and tuning a fretless violin bass C-G-D-A to make a "cello" bass, but haven't yet done it.

 

[Eilif]

Having played both myself, I'd probably make the same decision as the OP, unless I had a gig for which the "Hofner" decal was mandatory. I just didn't notice much difference between the two. The Hofner might be built ever-so-slightly better, but Hofners were originally cheapies and there's no reason to spend much more for nearly the same instrument. The Rogue actually has a reasonably long history (maybe near 10 years now) of being a reliably affordable way to get the full-hollow hofner tone.

The Ignition has the Hofner sound which comes largely from the hollow body. It gives a big attack and no sustain very similar to the way a double bass sounds. They intonate quite well if you know what you are doing. The Rogue, Douglas and Epiphone have a solid core making them much more like a traditional bass guitar sonically.

Halfway correct. The Ignition and the Rogue both have the Fully Hollow body and IMHO this is THE key to the "Hofner/Beatles" sound. Epi (and possibly douglas, I don't know) versions are semi-hollows with a center block and they simply don't sound the same. Virtually any 2-pickup, fully-hollow, short-scale violin or viola style bass will get you the hofner sound. I have a vintage MIJ full-hollow viola and it does the classic hofner sounds even better than any of the budget Hofner models or the Rogue. Of course that might have something to do with 50+ year old wood and finish.

If you want the Hofner sound DO NOT buy a semi-hollow viola/violin bass because it feels sturdier, heavier or more "Solid". It's precisely the lightweight resonant quality of a fully-hollow instrument that is vital for the hofner'esque tone. Increased fragility is just part of the deal.

 

[boristhespider7]

Epi (and possibly douglas, I don't know) versions are semi-hollows with a center block and they simply don't sound the same..

Actually the epi is fully hollow body. it has a small 1" square support directly under the bridge which gives structural support. its def no where big enough to be a sustain block or effect tone. the epi body walls are also much thicker than hofner so u can be fooled into thinking its a semi.

 

[Eilif]

Actually the epi is fully hollow body. it has a small 1" square support directly under the bridge which gives structural support. its def no where big enough to be a sustain block or effect tone. the epi body walls are also much thicker than hofner so u can be fooled into thinking its a semi.

Thanks!
That's good to know. I've never been as pleased with the tone of the epi as the others. If the block under the bridge is only an inch, that shouldn't sap the tone too much. Most classical instruments have a soundpost in that area anyway. My guess is that it must be the thick sides that constrict the tone. IMHO a violin bass should be light and really free to resonate and vibrate.

 

[Scooter Johnson]

I have both, a Rogue VB100 and a Hofner Ignition. I have only been playing bass for a few months but I have had several players try my Rogue and everyone has said the same thing, "Wow, that's not what I thought it would be!" They all like it more than they thought they would. It is true I did a little [ersonal set up on it as soon as I got it, Labella flats and I had to tighten the tuning machine bolt/nuts. (they rattled like crazy) I also had to file down about 5 sharp frets that could have cut my hand. My Hoffy also had a minor issue. the nut holding the output plug came loose and I had to fish out the plug lug and tighten it back in ,,, the frets on the Ignition were as smooth as they could be ...

I love playing both guitars with the Hofner (in pearl white) just about 1/2 a point ahead in my rating,,,, I will tell anyone the Rogue VB100 is a great value and one of the best basses in its price range you can get !

 

[GIBrat51]

My VB-100 is an early '90s Korean one (yes, VB-100s have been around that long), with thicker sides than the new ones (or the Hofners), so it isn't exactly an apples-to apples comparison. However... when I got it, the only Hofners were German Hofners. Since they came out with the Icon/Ignition and CT models, I've played them all, at one time or another; the fact that I still have the VB-100 should speak for itself. The Ignition was OK, but IMO not really as nice as my old MIK Rogue. I couldn't say how a new VB-100 would compare, but.. I also have a Starfire violin bass, which probably came from the same factory as most Chinese violin basses do. The Ignition had a nicer finish - and a better bridge - than the Starfire, but IMO they sounded about the same. The CT, IMO, was slightly nicer than my Rogue, but - sorry, the center block killed the tone for me. Other people may prefer the CT because it does have a little more sustain, and a more "modern" sound - but I don't. It is a nice bass, though... The German 500/1? Oh, yeah, it's the stuff. I'd like to have one, but... a new lefty German 500/1 costs 15 times what my VB-100 cost. The Hofner was definitely better finished, with better pickups and hardware; sadly, while it did sound better than my Rogue, it didn't sound 15 times better. So, I'll keep what I have...
As for these floating bridges? Two things...
1. If yours moves around on you? A) Don't play so hard; they were never intended for that; B) make sure the bridge base's feet are in complete contact with the bass' top. Tape a piece of sandpaper to the body and sand the base to fit, if you have to (and, in a lot of cases? You'll have to). And, C) Once your bridge's base fits the top exactly, put some chalk or violin bow rosin on it. It's an old Gretsch guitar trick - and it works. The bridge will stay where it belongs - as long as you don't thrash on it...
2. I have several basses with floating bridges, and IME, they're picky about the strings they like - and will intonate with. Sometimes they'll intonate "perfectly" (my Rogue will, with Roto 88 Tapes); sometimes all they'll give you is an intonated E and G string (and you might have to work to get that much), and the A and D strings might be sorta close. And, sometimes they won't intonate at all. I'm still trying to find strings the Starfire likes...

And, as for Hofners being "cheap" back in the day? My family was stationed in Europe when Sir Paul bought his Hofner; very few German instruments - or cars, cameras, guns, motorcycles, or anything else - were "cheap" (as in "Crap"). They were inexpensive, because Germany was still recovering from WWII; the Mark was only worth $0.25; and they were desperate to sell stuff for whatever they could get. I won't tell you what a GI in Germany would have paid for a new Porsche in 1961 - it would just make you weep. Hofners back in the day were made just as well as they are today. The people who make them now, just get paid a whole lot more...