That natural finish looks great.
When I ordered mine I thought I was getting the cherry finish:
But ended up being sent a cherry burst:
Still, for the money, it's a pretty good rig.
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Looking for a Beatles-style Violin Bass...
- Thread starter rabidgoodra27
- Start date
That natural finish looks great.
When I ordered mine I thought I was getting the cherry finish:
But ended up being sent a cherry burst:
Still, for the money, it's a pretty good rig.
Ric5
Inactive
- Jan 29, 2008
- 29,772
- 30,452
- Disclosures
- I like 5, 8, 10, and 12 string basses
go to a music store and try out one if you can find one in stock
another bass that sounds similar if the EB-3
Ric5
Inactive
- Jan 29, 2008
- 29,772
- 30,452
- Disclosures
- I like 5, 8, 10, and 12 string basses
I have the Rogue VB-100 version from Musician's Friend and it's a terrific instrument for under $200 US—especially when there's a sale on. Alain Johannes played one of these on tour with Them Crooked Vultures. Here's a little sample played with a pick.
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One other note on the less expensive clones like the Turser, Rondo, etc. Is that all come strung with rounds. The first order of business is yanking those off and putting on a set of Labella Deep Talking Flats for Hofner style basses. A lot of of other string sets dont fit right on these basses.
Yeah, one thing I've gathered from reading around here and elsewhere is that you need to slap some labella flats on these things posthaste. Maybe I should have mentioned, I'm not really looking for one solely for Beatles style stuff, I think it'd also sound good in a folk/blues setting. So, what I mean to say is that I'm not exactly a purist when it comes to tone. I'm not just looking for a Macca machine, I just really like that thump.
The Hofner Club bass is functionally and tonally identical to the other violin basses, but a little more ergonomic. They are all notorious neck divers, but so light you can easily "clamp" them with your forearm, and even a moderately grippy strap kills the dive standing. The Ignition version runs around $400.
Hofner Ignition Pro Club Bass upgraded Bass Guitar - Sunburst , New! | eBay
Hofner Ignition Pro Club Bass upgraded Bass Guitar - Sunburst , New! | eBay
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I’ve actually got short scale D’Addario Chromes on mine and they sound perfect. I also keep some foam under the strings next to the bridge.
Yep, i often find on these threads that the Epi Viola is described as being semi hollow, which isn't true.
I used to own one for a few years, stripped it down so i was very familiar with what's inside. Inside is fully hollow but they have approx a 1" square piece of wood just directly under the bridge which i'm guessing is a support pillor for the tension from the bridge. Def not a sustain block. They weigh a bit more than the Hofners which i think is why people believe they are semi hollow. However the side walls are much thicker which adds to the weight.
They certainly looked nicer than the Hofner ignitions with the flamed maple effect, but as others have said give slightly different tone to the classic Macca Hofner sound (live through i'm not convinced many would notice). But definitely thumpy with the classic vintage hollow body sound.
I could easily cop that Air La Femme D'argent tone which i believe was originally recorded on a Hofner club. Need some decent flats though: Labella, Pyramid or even Chromes
My 2¢: I've played Ignitions a few years back that felt very cheap and toy-like. Maybe they're better now. The German ones are the best imo but they are pricey (I own a couple, but got them at good prices). I had a CT Hofner for awhile, and I think it does a good job of splitting the difference between the Ignition and the German ones. The CT feels well-made and substantial, though not heavy. It has German pickups (at least mine did), and the sound with flats is pretty close. You can palm mute if you want less sustain. I think the CT is a good way to go.
I have the Jay Turser strung with the LaBella strings. Bought it used with an Epiphone Viola case for like $140 or so. I've never played a real Hofner so I can't really compare - but it is a great little bass, has that nice thump, plays well and certainly scratched my Violin bass itch. Contrary to some previous comments - I believe it is fully hollow unlike the Epiphone - in fact the lightness of the body makes the Epiphone case slightly off balance due to the body weight difference.
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I've used the Viola, Rogue, Brice, Hofner Ignition, Hofner Icon, Hofner Contemporary, a recent German Hofner, Hofner HCT Galaxie and Hofner HCT President.
My favorite tone is from my Hofner Ignition Club version with nylon tapewound strings with the Galaxie and President tied for second.
My favorite tone is from my Hofner Ignition Club version with nylon tapewound strings with the Galaxie and President tied for second.
Here's what my simplified control plate looks like. I cut it from an old pickguard. I've since done this for two other people.
I just put a set of LaBella flats on my Turser last night and it really sounds great. I had a set of Pyramids on it for many years but they finally got too dead and sounded uneven. I got my black one when they just started introducing colors.
This is an excellent bang for the buck and it suits my violin itch as well.
Durable too!
Due to unforseen circumstances this bass sat upright in its paperboard case in 4" of water for a couple of days last summer. I poured the water out of it and worked the hair dryer for a few hours and put it away until yesterday.
I plugged it in...and it worked until I fliipped a switch (Solo). It went dead. No amount of switches flipping worked. I wasn't looking forward to replacing anything. So I got my DeOxit, sprayed everything, worked it through and plugged it. And it all came back! Works like new! No body damage either! Glad to have it back sounding pretty darn good!
Not doubting that it does sound the same as Chas Chandler's bass in We Gotta Get Out Of This Place, but Chandler would have been playing either an Epiphone Rivoli or a Gibson EB-2 (essentially the same bass as the Rivoli) in the recording.
I really like these.
https://www.musiciansfriend.com/bas...MIsbHXrJ_s7gIV-QOzAB18-gpdEAQYAyABEgJ73PD_BwE
https://www.musiciansfriend.com/bas...MIsbHXrJ_s7gIV-QOzAB18-gpdEAQYAyABEgJ73PD_BwE
Cool mod...like the way it has shows a tip of the hat to the original but more practical
Is it master tone, master volume and PU selector?
