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Lets make this the last Hofner Icon vs Contemporary Thread
- Thread starter Ferniff
- Start date
It's pretty bizarre - I own both an ignition and a CT. They do feel different and sound a bit different. I made a test recording with the CT, ignition and my Fender Mustang. All basses had flatwounds on them. There were differences but oddly enough my friends always picked the same bass as sounding"better". It was the Ignition. So whats up with this is this ? I use all three when rehearsing with the band. I must say the pickups on the ignition do NOT put out as hot a signal as the other two, but that aside, there is something warmer and more organic about the sound of the ignition. A $250 dollar bass competing with those that cost three times as much is awesome. I do like them all and I can say my PBass sounds a bit tighter than my short scale basses (a bit more definition in the lower registers) but in the context of a band or a recording there are ways to compensate.
So, play what makes you smile and enjoy the experience. They all sound pretty good and few, if any, will notice a difference. If money is an issue, Ignition is the way to go - I love mine.
So, play what makes you smile and enjoy the experience. They all sound pretty good and few, if any, will notice a difference. If money is an issue, Ignition is the way to go - I love mine.
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I bought an Icon bass after only having a Tanglewood violin version in the ‘90’s.
The Hofner was already a million miles different from the Tanglewood, so I don’t agree that you may as well get any cheap violin bass.
I changed the pickguard & control panel for Pearloid one’s, teacup knobs & cream coloured strap pegs. I absolutely love it...sounds great & plays beautifully. If I could change anything cosmetically, I’d change the black switches to cream, & I don’t like the thick plastic surroundings on the pick ups.
After getting some spare money I decided to “upgrade” to the contemporary.....I agree it looks better.
I have to say that I was a little disappointed though. To me it sounds less like the Beatle sound than the Icon does, it just doesn’t seem to be able to quite recreate that thumping sound in same way. Maybe I was expecting a big jump in sound quality for the extra money. It’s possibly the wooden block that makes the difference? I have played a 1967 Hofner in a store & the feel, weight & sound is closer to the Icon than the Contempary, to me anyway.
The Hofner was already a million miles different from the Tanglewood, so I don’t agree that you may as well get any cheap violin bass.
I changed the pickguard & control panel for Pearloid one’s, teacup knobs & cream coloured strap pegs. I absolutely love it...sounds great & plays beautifully. If I could change anything cosmetically, I’d change the black switches to cream, & I don’t like the thick plastic surroundings on the pick ups.
After getting some spare money I decided to “upgrade” to the contemporary.....I agree it looks better.
I have to say that I was a little disappointed though. To me it sounds less like the Beatle sound than the Icon does, it just doesn’t seem to be able to quite recreate that thumping sound in same way. Maybe I was expecting a big jump in sound quality for the extra money. It’s possibly the wooden block that makes the difference? I have played a 1967 Hofner in a store & the feel, weight & sound is closer to the Icon than the Contempary, to me anyway.
Congrats on the new CT! The wooden block makes a huge difference in sound. I suggest putting some foam near the bridge to deaden the sustain.
He just had it properly refurbished by Mandolin Brothers. They recut the fret slots in the proper position and made sure all was well IIRC.
Absolutely! I actually prefer the cavern pickup layout to the traditional. It ends up getting a Rick/P-bass esque tone (especially since the centerblock is in play).
I’m yet to do much to the contemporary, I know I’m probably weird, but I dislike how new this looks. Would prefer it to have a Matt finish.
Nice! I dig the bassman sticker too. Your bridge may need to be moved back a couple centimeters. McCartney's has extra wide pickup spacing which is why his bridge touches the pickups. (Unless yours does too!)
Regarding the finish, there are plenty of topics around here on "de-glossing"...check it out!
I have a third Icon that I want to mess around with. I’ve ordered another pick up from eBay that I’m going to place in the lower pickup position (inactive)
I’m going to make a hole below the top pick up & move the original bottom one up to create a kind of Cavern bass.
My only issue is that the wire on the lower pickup is too short to reach to where I want it.
Can I get another piece of wire & extend it using a joining connector, like one you’d use to extend say I bedside lamp?
I’m going to make a hole below the top pick up & move the original bottom one up to create a kind of Cavern bass.
My only issue is that the wire on the lower pickup is too short to reach to where I want it.
Can I get another piece of wire & extend it using a joining connector, like one you’d use to extend say I bedside lamp?
Can anyone tell me what the difference is between a C Series C-Bass and a HI Series C-Bass? Thanks in advance!
