Most 60s sounding Hollow/Semi Hollow Body Bass - Need definitive answer!

[Turock]

My Epiphone Allen Woody strung with Pyramid Golds nails the Hofner sound.

 

[bassdude51]

Epi Allen Woody

Yeah, this would be a good bass for that 60s hollow body sound. Also the Hofner. There are several cheap Hofner look alike models out there that would do the job.

And not to throw a monkey wrench into your thread, a Fender P Bass with flat wound strings, a mute, plucking at the spot where the neck attaches to the body and turning off the low mid, mid and treble and running only the bass control at 12 o'clock (flat) will give a very nice hollow body sound too.

Chandler played several basses including a Fender P. A good chance it might be what we are hearing.

 

[corinpills]

I have to disagree with you there, I am almost certain that Chaz played his Epi Rivoli on most of the signature Animals hits.

I'm a Hofner man through and through, but there is a difference between the smaller body Hofner and a larger instrument like a Rivoli, Guild Starfire, Eb2, etc.

Still, a Hofner club bass would get you well within the thumpy zone.

 

[RED J]

I was playing my Univox Coily yesterday, and among many others, it copped that tone perfectly. They show up on Ebay, along with Epiphone and other Matsumoku made hollows badged with various names. They are all pretty much the same bass.

 

[stiles72]

Gibson Midtown on the neck pickup, strung with flats, tone knob backed off just a little (7-8) through a B15 copped the Animals tone for me. Does it very well.

 

[mongo2]

My current favorite "'60's" tone bass is the short scale Gretsch Electroline G5442BDC with Labella nylon tapewound strings. Hollowbody with no center block only a sound post under the bridge between the top and back plates.

From the 'net:

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[LordRyan]

The Italia Torino is a great short-scale with a Gibson-like PU configuration.

I also have an Epiphone Allen Woody which I really like but the Torino has more tonal range and higher output level. The Woody has a chambered body and no F-holes. The Torino has a larger semi-hollow body with F-holes.

 

[walldaja]

Find a Fender Starcaster or Corona bass and see if that is the sound you're looking for. i love the variety of sounds I get from my Starcaster.

 

[PDQbass]

I played an Epiphone Rivoli for a couple of years in the early sixties. I would suggest the sound you are referring to was the product of the way these bassesi were recorded

 

[PDQbass]

I played an Epiphone Rivoli myself for a couple of years in the early sixties, and recorded with it. The sound you refer to was pretty much the result of the recording process, and the fact that the recording engineers in the UK in those days were mainly of the older generation still looking for a double bass sound. Playing live the Rivoli had a decent sustain that we were happy to use. I saw Chas. Chandler live several times back in the day and he didn't have that muffled thunky sound in a live situation, rather a much more open, articulate sound.

 

[TomB]

Also, I don't know for sure, but did the Rivoli use the same massive pickup as the EB-2? That pickup has a very distinctive thick and bassy tone, and I'm not sure any modern reissues replicate that sound.

 

[RED J]

Didn't the Rivoli's have the Baritone switch that would bring our that boxy mid range sound ?

 

[TomB]

Didn't the Rivoli's have the Baritone switch that would bring our that boxy mid range sound ?

...same as the EB-2. I never knew anybody who used that baritone switch, but I imagine it might be usable through today's amps.

 

[TheBass]

Best 60s HB sound ? - Höfner. Epi Rumblekat also has a nice thumb.
Best HB sound at all ? - Lakland HB / HB Skyline strung with flats. My preferred/recommended choice.

 

[GIBrat51]

I've been talking with 2 or 3 people here who say they want pretty much the same thing you're after. It seems to be a hard sound to recapture these days. I have several hollow- and semi-hollowbody basses, and while they can come close with the right strings (tapewounds, flats), they all fall just a little short. IMO, to really get that sound, you need:
-Mute it. Depending on what you decide to get, you might have to mute the bejeezus out of it; maybe just palm muting will suffice. Yes, some of the old hollowbodys (the nicer/deluxe models) had bridge mutes. All electric bass guitars will sustain more than you want, unless they're muted. I can get that "thump" sound out of my Rickenbackers if I want, and Ricks are Famous for sustain. Have to apply the bridge mute pretty hard, though; but it works.
-The pickups. I have a sneaky suspicion that the lack of much sustain in those old basses had a lot to do with pickups that were very weak, by today's standards. Pickups with an impedance of 2.5K or so, will quit generating a signal (and sound) much sooner than pickups with, say 9.5K., which are pretty common today.

Unless you want to mess with pickups, I would say, get the bass that makes you the happiest; put the strings on it that get you close as possible to what you want; and mute yourself the rest of the way there. Oh, and here's one of mine.. And, I tend to agree with PDQbass. Live, they probably didn't sound nearly as dead as the recordings do; but you can get it if you want.

 

[TN WOODMAN]

You answered your own question in post . Do like me and be patient and get an original Rivoli. My wife got me Instigator's restored ' 65 last year for Christmas. It won't replace my Fenders but does what it does like no other.

 

[Joe Nerve]

I don't know anything about the sound you're looking for, and I'm not by any means an Ibanez fan, but I got an Ibanez ABG 200 for xmas, and it's one of the most beautiful and well built instruments I've ever owned. And I've owned lots. It's a pleasure to play, and sounds awesome in the house. Can't yet vouch for it's sound in a band mix, but I'm loving this thing bigtime.

 

[Revolver]

Höfner . . . take your pick

 

[Rocker949]

I have to disagree with you there, I am almost certain that Chaz played his Epi Rivoli on most of the signature Animals hits.

I'm a Hofner man through and through, but there is a difference between the smaller body Hofner and a larger instrument like a Rivoli, Guild Starfire, Eb2, etc.

Still, a Hofner club bass would get you well within the thumpy zone.

This topic has come up before here. I think the conclusion was that Chas played both the Epi Rivoli and Gibson EB-2 with the Animals. It would be my guess that he played the Rivoli more. On the "Are You Experienced" album, Noel Redding played Chas's Gibson EB-2 on most of the songs.

 

[Timpala]

My current favorite "'60's" tone bass is the Gretsch Electroline G5442BDC with Labella nylon tapewound strings. Hollowbody with no center block only a small post under the bridge between the top and back plates.

From the 'net:

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

I am surprised more people haven't mentioned this bass. It is a true hollow body and has a true neck pickup for that thuddy sound. Of course it would need flats on it and played with a pick. Still, the recorded sounds of these basses were shaped a ton in the studio. Check out this video of an old Yamaha hollow body bass. The thuddy tone fits perfect for this type of music.