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It's Beatle bass time - any help greatly appreciated!

#2
Neither one are Hofner instruments.

Why not go to Thomann in Germany, on line, and order from them?

You should be able to get an Ignition bass with a case for a good price.

Throw on a set of Hofner flatwound strings, and you'll have a fine sounding, and playing instrument.

Caveat emptor.
 
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#3
I have not played those "brands" but they look very similar to these Link Removed Just branded differently. They are a excellent sounding and playing bass for the money I bought one for my daughter years ago and was so impressed I bought one myself mind you I have a '65 Hofner. Having said that if you can get the Hofner, if not one of these will do you just fine. Man years ago I washed dishes all summer to buy my first new bass. I wanted a EB3 and they talked me in to a new Gibson G3............................man was I dissapointed. LOL
 
#4
Definately go for the Hofner! In time you may want to sell and upgrade, and whatever more you spend up front, you will definately get more of it back on resale. Just my thoughts... but I am a Hofner diehard!
 
#6
You might pay another 30% for a Höfner, but then you have the real deal (officially made in China :)) and won't have to explain to everyone why your xyz brand bass is as good as a Höfner.
 
#8
To be clear, the Höfners made in Germany are expensive. Höfner's mid-priced "Contemporary" series is much more reasonably priced, but will still cost you some money. The Höfner Icon series is very competitively priced and the quality and tone have been well received by members here at TB.
 
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#9
I owned maybe half a dozen makes of violin bass and currently own 4 Hofner's but the best violin bass in my mind anyway is the Epiphone viola it has volume and tone knobs instead of the pesky Hofner switched and also has full size tuners and a zero fret
 
#11
RonChase said:
I owned maybe half a dozen makes of violin bass and currently own 4 Hofner's but the best violin bass in my mind anyway is the Epiphone viola it has volume and tone knobs instead of the pesky Hofner switched and also has full size tuners and a zero fret
Click to expand...

I played a Epiphone Viola for years and I prefer the lighter small tuners and overall lighter weight and actual hollow violin construction of the of the Hofner Ignition/Icon compared to the thick rimmed Viola construction.

While I prefer the VVT layout of the Epiphone, it doen't have the "Hofner" tone that I prefer, in fact none of the others I've owned have it which I attribute to their thick rim construction style. I've been thinking of changing my Hofner control layout to a VVT but I never use the bridge pickup on either..
 
#12
Interesting observation of the Epi one thing I did remember was the Epi felt more substantial to hold.I got the Epi along with an Ashdown combo on the cheap, I middle lots of gear keeping what I like , I had the Ashdown and Epi a short time and it was mainly the amp I had issues with, another violin bass I had with the VVT knobs was by a company named Stadium, also owned Turser and Univox but the univox was the least Hofner like, I would tell the poster of this thread to shop around many companies make violin bass and 2 nd hand deals are good these days and if he must then hold out for the Hofner, it is a nice option and just seeing that name on the headstock might be worth the slight price bump especially in a trade up
 
#14
I'm getting the Hofner Ignition (it's called Ignition now, guys, not Icon) at some point soon. Yes, partly, it's because of the brand name but I also think none of the others have got the look quite right. The others seem to be too flared at the bottom end and the burst isn't quite as nice. I like the deep orange blasting out into pure black followed by the white/cream edging.

And it's really affordable too. Only $350 depending on your location and whether you want a case or not. But, apparently it is advisable to get 'LaBella flatwound Beatle Bass strings' to get the best sound.

Here's where I'm getting mine from:
Invalid Link Removed

Do look into it.
 
#18
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#19
Get a Hofner, (whatever model that you can afford), and learn to play it...(believe me, they play differently than any other bass!), and when you can, upgrade to an actual vintage Hofner, and you will never want anything else! Believe me... I own (3) 1965's, (2) Beatle basses and a Club bass, a '68 Beatle, and a V62 Beatle reissue, and have owned (2) other Club reissues! These are the most phenomenal basses I have ever played! I mean, I have owned Alembic, Pedulla, Warwick, Fender, Gibson, Rickenbacker, and many, many more! But NOTHING compares to a Hofner! IMHO.
 
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#20
First, if your intent is to buy a Beatle bass, there are only 2 models to choose from, and only Sir Paul played them (NOT The Beatles). Sorry for being fussy, but many companies have tried to ride The Beatles coat-tails into a profit. To be sure, ONLY the German made Hofners qualify - in more ways than one! There's the more common "v63" 500/1, and the "Cavern" model 500/1. Both are completely hollow, and very light weight, which are important to the sound.

NO OTHER BRAND can claim Beatle Bass!!! And NO other model sounds like the German made Hofners! You can achieve the sound with the Hofner 500/2 Club bass.

I've tried "most" of the supposed Beatle Bass models... So my claim isn't hollow... I have had 25 Hofners over the last 4 decades. Down to 3 "real" Hofners now... They are all VERY similar in sound. One 1962 Senator, a Club reissue, and a violin bass reissue. NO other brand sounds like these basses!!!

If the sound is important, only the German made Hofner will GET it!!

Good hunting!
 

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