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John Entwistle playing a Hofner bass
- Thread starter IMMusicRulz
- Start date
I do
I don't think that's a Hofner unless they had a model that I've never seen (which could be the case). Tuning keys and overall look just seems a bit different.
If it was good enough for Amy Winehouse's band, it's good enough for me.
This is why I hang out here. I love this kind of trivia. Now I gotta go listen to that track!
Interesting that the Jazz bass never was his thing. Precisions, yea. double buck gibsons (thunderbirds, which are tone wise in the wheelhouse of the ripper in one of it's modes). alembics. and of course his fenderbird. But the J thing wasn't meaty and present enough for him.
He also preferred the original circuit that had the concentric layout over the current version, as he says in his Bass Culture book.
Lets recall that Macca bought a Hofner because:
A - It was cheap
B - It was symetrical, so it didnt look odd played "backwards" for lefties.
But for that accident of history, I doubt Hofner would have survived all these years. The Violin basses are fun to play, and they do that Thump very well, but the German Hofners are insanely overpriced by any rational standard. My son has a Jay Turser violin clone bass that sounds identical, and is better built than either the Ignition or Contemporary series, for around $200. Its probably safe to assume Entwhistle was given a Hofner free, just as Macca was given a Rickenbacker later, so he played it....but not for long. That super trebly clank he became known for just isnt possible on a Hofner.
A - It was cheap
B - It was symetrical, so it didnt look odd played "backwards" for lefties.
But for that accident of history, I doubt Hofner would have survived all these years. The Violin basses are fun to play, and they do that Thump very well, but the German Hofners are insanely overpriced by any rational standard. My son has a Jay Turser violin clone bass that sounds identical, and is better built than either the Ignition or Contemporary series, for around $200. Its probably safe to assume Entwhistle was given a Hofner free, just as Macca was given a Rickenbacker later, so he played it....but not for long. That super trebly clank he became known for just isnt possible on a Hofner.
The Bass John is playing, or should I say syncing in the picture is not a Hofner but a Vox Violin Bass. It was common practice in the early to mid sixties for British Musicians to advertise for a fee certain instruments on TV shows. In this case Vox would have paid John a fee for him to use their Bass so as to get publicity for the Bass. John never used this Bass on any Who recordings, John used it just to earn a quick buck!
Not surprised, Considering he was a " got to try em all" guy.
But it does look sorta goofy on him.
Man!....he sure strapped them up high! Looks like he's playin rythem guitar!
Looks almost as if he isn't using a strap, the way he's holding it.
Entwhistle had an incredible bass collection so it only seems normal that he would have tried out newly acquired basses as he got them.
He picked up a lot of his collection from sellers bringing basses to Who concerts.
Why wouldn't he try them out?
He picked up a lot of his collection from sellers bringing basses to Who concerts.
Why wouldn't he try them out?
McCartney bought the Hofner because he was living in Hamburg and that's what was available there back in the Pete Best days. It's true that it's symmetrically shaped, but Paul never played it "backwards." The model he bought was specially designed for him as a left-handed bass with the pickguard, control knobs and input jack on the treble side (i.e. he never played it upside down). The only bass he ever played upside down was Stu Sutcliffe's Hofner President, which he used briefly while his 500/1 was being made.
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Entwhistle didn't always use a trebly tone. I can do a convincing rendition of his line in "Behind Blue Eyes" with my Hofner Contemporary Club. His tone on that song is round and warm. There are probably other things he played that would fit that style but I haven't learned them.
Wish we had a better picture to go by. It's not a Hofner. As has been pointed out, the tuners are wrong. In addition, the body dimensions don't match and the finish looks to be stripped.
It's not a Vox, either. Headstock and tuners are wrong -- the Wyman bass had the same headstock and tuners -- and I'm not seeing a soundhole. The hollowbody Vox violin bass had a soundhole.
It's not a Vox, either. Headstock and tuners are wrong -- the Wyman bass had the same headstock and tuners -- and I'm not seeing a soundhole. The hollowbody Vox violin bass had a soundhole.
I'm pretty sure he used an EB Violin in one of the scenes from Tommy.
(Edit: I might have that confused with the Flying V from the Pinball scene)
(Edit: I might have that confused with the Flying V from the Pinball scene)
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I like these John Entwistle threads. There's not enough about him.
'I'm sure he played and or owned a lot of different Basses. Some stock and a lot of them customized. How much time he spent playing any one particular bass and on what recordings is anybody's guess.
Neat pic and thanks for posting.
It could be his Frankenstein P or newly acquired Thunderbird? He always played to the song, and Who songs often (but not always) sound better with a trebly, overdriven bass tone.
Some of my search results suggest the otherwise - exported instruments to Europe were banned
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