I have a Club and a Fiddle. Use them both as we do lots of sixties music. Great little basses to jump around with, and then I go back to my JazzBass when it gets serious.
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
I always got a kick out of seeing Captain Sensible use a Beatle bass with The Damned.
I reckon they're pretty good for rolling around on the floor with.
I reckon they're pretty good for rolling around on the floor with.
Slightly off topic - I have been thinking about getting rid of my Hofner Club lately and last night I decided to pick it up while I was watching TV. I ended up playing it for 3 hours. Yep, not getting rid of it now. Way too much fun to play. That's why I got it in the first place. More on topic, it worked well in an alt-country band I was in for a few months.
This one has been getting a lot of playing lately - for Classic Rock and Blues.
It's a good thing we do not all like the same stuff, that bass is ugly (just watched the vid), but, I like his sound, it fits that song well, imho
- Sep 14, 2009
- 903
- 665
- 57
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist: GullanskyLab pickups
I remember Amy Winehouse's bass player playing one, but Chris Wood too.
(I had an Icon for a short while, finding it an unplayable lousy thing. Much much better my Danelectro Longhorn - except for being short scale. Definitely not in my dream stable, to answer another thread. But to each his own)
(I had an Icon for a short while, finding it an unplayable lousy thing. Much much better my Danelectro Longhorn - except for being short scale. Definitely not in my dream stable, to answer another thread. But to each his own)
Enough already. McCartney played a Jazz Bass on the White Album. Sounds damn good to me -- Far superior to any Hofner.
I actually bought one recently and will be opening it up for the first time today
I expect it to be a bit of a one trick pony, but that's okay with me. It's supposed to fill a niche.
Congrats on the new bass. Here's a tip for ya - if you roll off the neck pickup a bit, it's a lot less "one trick pony". Have fun!
What if I like the pony and that one trick it does.
A lot??
A lot??
Well, no matter how much you love your jazz basses, the fact is McCartney has never been a fender guy... .
Last edited:
I play them exclusively, they're great for gigging. Both the CT and the German. They're very reliable and surprisingly versatile.
Here's a question. If Pauly used any other bass besides the Hofner. Do you think the company would still be around? Everyone I talk to that has one of those style basses they got because they love Paul or the Beatles. So if that endorsement wasn't there, would there still be interest to own one of those basses.
I had to sell mine to get a five string, but it's still the one in my profile pic.
I think it did some sounds I couldn't get any other way. I loved the sound but hated the electronics.
I think it did some sounds I couldn't get any other way. I loved the sound but hated the electronics.
Here's another good thread on the whole question of where the Hofner fits: Violin bass; Beatles novelty or legitimate instrument?
I've been playing my CT violin bass exclusively since I got it this spring. I was actually shopping for a P-bass, and very unexpectedly fell for the Hofner. Yes, it's a very distinctive instrument, from the body shape/feel to the string spacing and short scale. No question, it's decidedly weird when compared directly to a Fender-style instrument. It just has to be taken on its own terms. It has a spectacular sound (and a unique look) that draws the attention of musicians and audience members alike.
(I was playing a couple of shows featuring several different bands, and during the first soundcheck I remember plugging in right after another bassist had soundchecked with his five string active Fodera. I plucked an open E, and we both rushed to the SVT 410 to turn everything down! The Hofner was just monstrous.)
It sounds fabulous in acoustic settings--I play it with acoustic guitarists, with a clawhammer banjo player, and with a group consisting of violin, cello, piano, and hand drums, as well as in an alt-country band, and it fits in very well in all those contexts. (With flats, the sound can fall sort of halfway between an upright and a solid-body electric.) Finger-style playing is perfectly doable (it just feels quite different than 19 mm string spacing), and pick playing is a delight; I find it much more comfortable than on a normal solid-body.
It's true that the electronics are quite odd. There is a logic to them, but they don't offer a huge variety of sounds (which isn't the same as saying they don't offer some very good sounds). A couple of months ago, I got mod-happy and rewired the switches to select between several different capacitors (no cap or .022 on the bridge pickup and no cap, .022, .047, or .068 for the neck pickup), and now there are more tones available.
Intonation is often criticized, although it's not as bad as some suggest. It's hard to get it absolutely perfect on every string, but it can be very close. Right now, E, A, and G are spot on, and it's 4 or 5 cents sharp on the D string above the 12th fret. It's really not a problem. Although if there were a tune-o-matic replacement available, I'd be interested.
All that said, it's a distinctive enough instrument that one probably either loves it or hates it, which is why these threads inevitably wind up a bit polarized: "They're great for everything!" "They're ghastly Beatles-schtick instruments that should have been rounded up and incinerated before ringing in New Year 1970!" In the end, the only way to know is to try one.
I've been playing my CT violin bass exclusively since I got it this spring. I was actually shopping for a P-bass, and very unexpectedly fell for the Hofner. Yes, it's a very distinctive instrument, from the body shape/feel to the string spacing and short scale. No question, it's decidedly weird when compared directly to a Fender-style instrument. It just has to be taken on its own terms. It has a spectacular sound (and a unique look) that draws the attention of musicians and audience members alike.
(I was playing a couple of shows featuring several different bands, and during the first soundcheck I remember plugging in right after another bassist had soundchecked with his five string active Fodera. I plucked an open E, and we both rushed to the SVT 410 to turn everything down! The Hofner was just monstrous.)
It sounds fabulous in acoustic settings--I play it with acoustic guitarists, with a clawhammer banjo player, and with a group consisting of violin, cello, piano, and hand drums, as well as in an alt-country band, and it fits in very well in all those contexts. (With flats, the sound can fall sort of halfway between an upright and a solid-body electric.) Finger-style playing is perfectly doable (it just feels quite different than 19 mm string spacing), and pick playing is a delight; I find it much more comfortable than on a normal solid-body.
It's true that the electronics are quite odd. There is a logic to them, but they don't offer a huge variety of sounds (which isn't the same as saying they don't offer some very good sounds). A couple of months ago, I got mod-happy and rewired the switches to select between several different capacitors (no cap or .022 on the bridge pickup and no cap, .022, .047, or .068 for the neck pickup), and now there are more tones available.
Intonation is often criticized, although it's not as bad as some suggest. It's hard to get it absolutely perfect on every string, but it can be very close. Right now, E, A, and G are spot on, and it's 4 or 5 cents sharp on the D string above the 12th fret. It's really not a problem. Although if there were a tune-o-matic replacement available, I'd be interested.
All that said, it's a distinctive enough instrument that one probably either loves it or hates it, which is why these threads inevitably wind up a bit polarized: "They're great for everything!" "They're ghastly Beatles-schtick instruments that should have been rounded up and incinerated before ringing in New Year 1970!" In the end, the only way to know is to try one.
SirMjac28
Patiently Waiting For The Next British Invasion
I love Tame Impala they are incredible it's a tragedy bands like that can't get decent air play they could have tore up the 90's.
