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Reggae/Dub Tone Test - Hofner vs. P vs. J (with clips)

JimFog

JimFog

Sep 8, 2000
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Phila, Pa
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#1
Lots of talk about Hofners as a good choice for Reggae, but not many recorded examples out there.

Messing around with Garageband, I decided to do a little comparison. Here's a new black Hofner Club Icon, w/La Bella Flats, a stock 50's Classic P with TI Flats, and a Warmoth J with Fralins and rounds. Hofner has both pickups and "solo" on, bridge p'up rolled back quite a bit. P and J have the tone rolled back a lot....plus I tried them with and without foam mutes.

Recording was straight into a Presonus Inspire interface and using a stock Garageband "Studio DI" sound, with the compression turned off. Only difference was, I had to boost the Fenders input some, as they are lot lower than the Icon....which is VERY hot.

(PS.....being a recording dunce, I couldn't hear the drums that well while tracking, so I'm a wee bit pushy and it doesn't quite swing like I'd want. Maybe some ganja will help next time?)

Hofner Club Icon, flats -

http://www.jimfogarty.com/tunes/reggae Hofner.mp3

Fender 50's Classic P Bass, flats, no mute -

http://www.jimfogarty.com/tunes/reggae pbass.mp3

P, flats WITH mute -

http://www.jimfogarty.com/tunes/reggaepmute.mp3

Warmoth J, rounds and mute -

http://www.jimfogarty.com/tunes/reggaejmute.mp3

Even with rounds, I can see why a J is popular. With flats and mute it would kill. But to me, with no muss and no fuss, the Hofner is the obvious choice. Simply plug it in and it just automatically has THAT thing.

Enjoy??

- Jim

PS.....I posted this in a Hofner thread, earlier, but thought it might have some wider interest. If not, sorry for the duplication.
 
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#4
Thanks, guys......and I appreciate you filling me in on how you're listening. I'm just using my iMac with some JBL external mini speakers and subwoofer. On this system, none of them sound "thin" by any means, but the Hofner does kind of stand out, in this context.

I actually have the Icon up for sale, but I may pull it. It does this one particular thing better than anything, and I really dig it.....but as I'm not really a reggae player (obviously, huh?), or a Macca-alike, it may not get used as much as it should.
 
#5
Thanks for the clips., I am listening through my car factory speakers. To me it sounds like overall volume on the hofner is slightly higher than the other 3. But that 1 definitely has THE tone. Particularly in the way it maintains the girth on the higher strings.

All 3 can work and have worked. Technique, eq, amplification, and speaker size have a lot to do with it as well. I believe the original recording was done with a jazz bass, fender flats, neck pickup, tone rolled off.

In this application, in my opinion, the hoffner is killer.
 
#6
JimFog said:
Thanks, guys......and I appreciate you filling me in on how you're listening. I'm just using my iMac with some JBL external mini speakers and subwoofer. On this system, none of them sound "thin" by any means, but the Hofner does kind of stand out, in this context.

I actually have the Icon up for sale, but I'm probably gonna pull it. It's weird. It does this one particular thing better than anything, and I really dig it.....but as I'm not really a reggae player (obviously, huh?), or a Macca-alike, it may not get used as much as it should. I've had mixed results playing blues, classic rock and even jazz with it. Takes some EQ'ing to work onstage without being too boomy.
Click to expand...

I've used my Icon Club for everything. I've noticed that I don't have to boost the low end or cut the high end as much compared to other basses I have.
 
#9
This was great, thanks for posting it.
I like the woodiness of the Hofner best as the low and open notes sound almost Upright. But the Jazz sounded most 'authentic', and since Family Man swears by de Jazz bass, your sample with the Jazz sounded 'most like the song' as remembered.

Yeah, slap some FWs on your Jazz and go out there and knock the sternums outta them!

I had a beautiful little cherry Hofner Icon Club last summer, with Rotosound's RS88 tapewounds (which are terrific strings), but I sold it because I just couldn't dig the short scale, pickup style height off the body and the lightness of the bass while great for one's back, didn't have enough for me to "come on to 'er good". Loved just looking at this pretty little bass though. Alas, it went to a good home: local guy with a bad back. So life continues.
 
#10
Hmmm, I like all the sounds for different reasons, but gotta say that the Hofner definitely sounds pretty excellent for the reggae. Deep and delicious!

As tlvernon said, I think a lot of reggae bass tone has to do with the amps/EQ etc, but of course the player also! I play in a reggae band and use a Ric 4003 with stainless steel strings...:hmm:

Not to threadjack, because I just see this as an extension of the discussion, I posted a thread a while back trying to get people to see if they could tell a Ric apart from a P in a reggae setting. Ah, here it is. The results were definitely interesting!
 
#11
I wonder if the Hofner is well suited because of the short scale length (?)
I'd like to hear a recording of something like a Mustang in this taste test.
I've heard a recorded Mustang sound like a P-Bass's fatter little brother.
 
#13
Anything recorded by Robbie Shakespeare in the early days of his career is him on a Hofner Beatle Bass. Listen to it for a tone check. Besides the Hofner, there is the Kay 162 Reissue. It's like a Hofner only better.
 
#15
I dig the Höfner sound for its big fat roundness, very tubby and fat.

But I miss the midrange detail a J or a P has- flats on that J would just happen to be my preference. Something about the way flats on a slightly scooped J allows you to get a very vocal quality by shaping the nores is very appealing to me- it really makes sense when playing Family Man lines as they all have an extremely vocal quality to them.
 
#16
I've been listening to a lot of Reggae lately and personally I think the J sounds the best. They have a brighter tone over all and have a more distinct attack on the notes. With all the walking and movement of basslines in Reggae, I'd personally stick to the J if that's the main genre you'd be playing. I have to admit though, the Hofner sound's pretty excellent for an all-around great full sound.
 
#19
Dude. First: Don't play with a mute. Will kill a bit of low end. If you're a clean reggae player (no string buzz, no fret/fretboard buzz/clang etc) you won't need one. And with a rolled off tone knob, with both PU's on and with thick Flats, a Fender '70's J would EAT that little Höfner.

Just my opinion tough, haters gonna hate.
 
#20
Salamenster said:
Dude. First: Don't play with a mute. Will kill a bit of low end. If you're a clean reggae player (no string buzz, no fret/fretboard buzz/clang etc) you won't need one. And with a rolled off tone knob, with both PU's on and with thick Flats, a Fender '70's J would EAT that little Höfner.

Just my opinion tough, haters gonna hate.
Click to expand...

Thanks. It's all good. I don't necessarily agree, but we're all just expressing opinions. No one's looking for fight, as far as I can tell. :confused:
 

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