I really don't know what came over me this week, but I found myself gazing at this 'pre-loved' Hofner Ignition Club. It is diamterically opposed to pretty much everything I have ever wanted and played in the last 40 years. My 'goto' has always been long scale, solid body, active and fretless: this thing is short scale, hollow bodied, passive and fretted. Yet it was calling, and at the right price of £225:
This first picture from the vendor website (Bass Direct, Warwick, UK):
The first pleasant surprise was the inclusion of a rather nice Hofner-branded gig bag. These things retail at about £45 and are not normally included, so now the bass is £180!
Second positive is upgraded tuners that look like they have been professionally installed. Grover 18:1 Sta-Tite come in at about £40 a set, so now the bass is £140!
Third plus is a set of LaBella DT black tapes lurking in the case. These come in at about £40, so now the bass is just £100!
The flamed back is not as outrageous as some but is a lot better than it looked on the website, and the burst is a lot more cherry/gold the black/yellow look of the vendor pictures, so that's another bonus:
The fretwork is really good - no sharp ends, nicely seated, levelled and polished:
The chrome parts are spotless and the floating bridge still had the protective membrane underneath - I will get this off when the LaBellas go on:
At this price point it is a bit much to expect perfection, and there are a couple of minor things going on. For the most part the gloss finish is really good - glossy but thin enough to conform to the wood-grain for a nice old-school feel. But there is a small patch of ripple near the neck joint...
... a slightly wonky cut in the pickguard ...
... and the nut slots are (inevitably) left too high:
But for £100 (after strings, tuners and bag) who's complaining? Not me, that's for sure.
The neck section is a deep rounded 'C' rather like an early Jazz bass, but wider. I understand that the Ignition necks are chunkier and wider than the German Hofner basses and maybe the frets are also larger - 42mm wide at the nut and 21mm back to front, so even coming from a StingRay it doesn't feel like a toothpick! Truss rod adjustment was very smooth and all of the tools were included in the case. Since taking these pictures I've managed to do a temporary nut job and get a really 'sporty' setup with no buzz or flat-spots. Being a full hollow body with no centre block it is quite loud unplugged, even without f-holes. It is also very light at just under 5lbs, but doesn't feel fragile. In fact it plays very well and feels really very good.
Plugged in, the range of tones is remarkable - there is plenty of thump and a nice woody top end. There is none of the active sparkle I am used to, but isn't that the point? There is warmth and mid-range punch. A little left-hand damping over the fret and there is thump for days. Surprisingly there is a lot of natural sustain and getting the thump and resonance needs more adaptation of technique than I expected - not a problem, just unexpected. As yet I've no idea how the controls actually work, but so far everything I've heard sounds great in the right context - I have a few songs in mind for this and so far it has delivered in spades.
I never imagined a Hofner in my life, and I don't think it will ever take over as #1, but this thing really brings the vintage vibe and tones I was hoping for, it plays really well and exceeds all expectations.
This first picture from the vendor website (Bass Direct, Warwick, UK):
The first pleasant surprise was the inclusion of a rather nice Hofner-branded gig bag. These things retail at about £45 and are not normally included, so now the bass is £180!
Second positive is upgraded tuners that look like they have been professionally installed. Grover 18:1 Sta-Tite come in at about £40 a set, so now the bass is £140!
Third plus is a set of LaBella DT black tapes lurking in the case. These come in at about £40, so now the bass is just £100!
The flamed back is not as outrageous as some but is a lot better than it looked on the website, and the burst is a lot more cherry/gold the black/yellow look of the vendor pictures, so that's another bonus:
The fretwork is really good - no sharp ends, nicely seated, levelled and polished:
The chrome parts are spotless and the floating bridge still had the protective membrane underneath - I will get this off when the LaBellas go on:
At this price point it is a bit much to expect perfection, and there are a couple of minor things going on. For the most part the gloss finish is really good - glossy but thin enough to conform to the wood-grain for a nice old-school feel. But there is a small patch of ripple near the neck joint...
... a slightly wonky cut in the pickguard ...
... and the nut slots are (inevitably) left too high:
But for £100 (after strings, tuners and bag) who's complaining? Not me, that's for sure.
The neck section is a deep rounded 'C' rather like an early Jazz bass, but wider. I understand that the Ignition necks are chunkier and wider than the German Hofner basses and maybe the frets are also larger - 42mm wide at the nut and 21mm back to front, so even coming from a StingRay it doesn't feel like a toothpick! Truss rod adjustment was very smooth and all of the tools were included in the case. Since taking these pictures I've managed to do a temporary nut job and get a really 'sporty' setup with no buzz or flat-spots. Being a full hollow body with no centre block it is quite loud unplugged, even without f-holes. It is also very light at just under 5lbs, but doesn't feel fragile. In fact it plays very well and feels really very good.
Plugged in, the range of tones is remarkable - there is plenty of thump and a nice woody top end. There is none of the active sparkle I am used to, but isn't that the point? There is warmth and mid-range punch. A little left-hand damping over the fret and there is thump for days. Surprisingly there is a lot of natural sustain and getting the thump and resonance needs more adaptation of technique than I expected - not a problem, just unexpected. As yet I've no idea how the controls actually work, but so far everything I've heard sounds great in the right context - I have a few songs in mind for this and so far it has delivered in spades.
I never imagined a Hofner in my life, and I don't think it will ever take over as #1, but this thing really brings the vintage vibe and tones I was hoping for, it plays really well and exceeds all expectations.
