Compare the Rogue VB100 and the
Höfner Ignition Violin Bass Guitars
_______________________________________
Early December 2018, My wife asked me what I would like under the Christmas tree this year. I didn't have to think long or very hard, There was only a small amount of bacon smell in the air. (a private joke between my wife and I when we think too hard on something)
For years I have wanted a bass guitar. I had already asked her what she wanted and had just placed the order for nice Tenor Ukulele. Something she said she wanted for years. The funny thing was, That day, I spent more time looking over every Bass Amazon was selling than I spent picking out her gift Ukulele. I must be a bad husband!
I didn't want her to spend more than I did, o I picked out a $140 Bass and Amp kit from a company called “Crescent”. can't review their Bass because I never got it. Around Dec, 27th or so I got the amp but no guitar. We started e-mailing the Crescent Company, Amazon and UPS to learn what happened. Several days later we heard from Crescent that the guitar must have been stolen from one of the shipping houses or delivery warehouses. (by the way, if you read all the reviews on Amazon about the Crescent Company (something we didn't do at first) about 70% of the people ordering from them said the same thing.
Anyway, I now had a small 15-watt amp but no guitar to play on it. The amp made a great doorstop.
As my wife started demanding her money back, I started looking for good deals on another Bass guitar other than an Amazon special!
I found that Guitar Center had a big sale on a Höfner clone called the Rogue VB100. For about the same money my wife paid for the cheap P-Bass copy I could get something that looks and even sounds like the Bass Paul McCartney uses. I have always been a fan of the Beatles. This time I read up on as many reviews and sample videos as I could. I made up my mind I would get the Rogue and maybe someday I would get a true Höfner Beatles Bass! SOMEDAY !!!
So on the 29th of December (My Birthday), I ordered the Rogue VB100 from Guitar Center. I had that Bass delivered to my home in less than 36 hours.
I started playing it for hours at a time not even sure I doing anything right or not. I watched all the Youtube videos about learning the Bass, Tabs, Fingering and even how to build my own Beatles Bass. I was deep into Bass Guitar Mode. I learned that to get the best sound from almost any Violin Bass, you needed Flat or Tape wound strings, so I ordered a set, along with a nice wide leather strap, a tuner and a set of picks.
Oh yes, I spent a few more dollars on a top of the line hardshell case too.
I spent about 3 weeks playing, learning and experiencing everything I could on my Rogue I named “Sunny” (The sunburst made that easy).
I also spent hours on my computer researching everything. I saw this add from Sweetwater for a Höfner Ignition Bass for only $55 dollars more than the Rogue VB100. I spent several days talking myself into getting it. I knew I would never see that price again. The sale would be over in less than a week so the decision had to be made.
One thing lead to another and again within 36 hours, I was opening the Höfner box.
So now I have two different, Made in China, Beatles Basses. Do I really need two? What will I do with Two? I am still unable to play anything more complicated than Queen's, “Another One Bites The Dust !” AND OF COURSE, What Violin Bass is better?
First thing, First !
Overall appearance, feel and build quality.
Both guitars are hollow body Bass Guitars made in the same or very similar fashion. I have heard but can not yet confirm that they come from the same factory, I have seen the video Höfner puts out about their Chinese factory and didn't see any other brands there in the shots. Both are well constructed and feel almost the same in weight and both have wonderful paint and clear coat covering. The Höfner paint job may feel a little thicker and smoother but it wins with only .10% of a point.
The biggest difference in the two Bass Guitars and where the Höfner wins the most points is in the fretwork. The Rogue VB100 has several frets that stick out a tiny tiny bit and can feel a bit sharp as you ru your fingers along the fingerboard. This is not to say the guitar isn't playable, on the contrary! I really didn't notice them as a problem until I felt the smooth sides of the Höfner.
The Rogue VB100 wins with the turning machines. Overall I like the look and feel of the all metal enclosed machines over the Höfner opened plastic knob machines and they were almost to small (thin) for the thick nylon tape wound strings I put on. They work but I just like the Rogue machines better.
But the Höfner wins again with the pick-guard and control panel plastic. The Höfner uses a 3 ply. mother of pearl looking, plastic that has a center ply that is black and is beveled cut to show off the black outline. The Rogue uses a one ply, pearl-like plastic that has a few tiny barbs that make it look like it was just stamped out of a big sheet of plastic and not even smoothed out. A quick wipe with some very fine sandpaper would have been nice. The Höfner also has that little metal holder that keeps the pick-guard away from the wood a bit. The Rogue VB100 the guard rest right on the wood I slightly cheaper way to attach the slightly cheaper pick-guard. My guess is the Rogue company saved about $2.59 with this measure. (But it would cost us, the consumer, about $50 to replace it with a Höfner pick-guard.
Sweetwater set up my Höfner Bass better than Guitar Center did with the Rogue but when I changed strings on both guitars I changed things more to my liking anyway so I guess I have to say I had to set up both guitars once they got out of the box.
The controls look the same on both instruments. Each has two volume knobs, one for each Humbucker pickup, a Solo/Rhythm switch and an off/on switch for each Humbucker pickup. But the pickups are different. The Höfner has two Höfner staple Humbuckers and the Rogue has two generic Humbuckers.
I must say the Höfner pickups look better built and look stronger but looks can be deceiving. With my little amp, I can not tell the difference in the basic sound.
The Sound.
The first thing I did with both Bass Guitars was to replace the stock strings. I put flat wounds (Labella's Beales Bass strings) on the Rogue (and D'Addario Black Nylon Tapewounds) on the Höfner.
The sound is a little different but both have that Thunky Thump sound I hear in the Beatles music. I think the Tapewounds are a bit more mellow than the Flatwounds. I must say my fingers like both strings better than the round wounds that came with the guitars.
The Höfner did come with better stock strings than the Rogue but I didn't think the VB100 would come with a set of strings that cost about one-quarter of the cost of the guitar.
Overall Rating:
Given the fact that you may never be able to buy ether guitar at the price I paid with the sales and coupons, the Rouge should always be a few or up to $100+ dollars less than the famous brand Höfner Bass. But that's that's more brand name payments that overall playability of each guitar.
I will highly recommend both Bass Guitars to anyone who wants to learn the Bass or already a pro. Both guitars are well built and are well worth what you can pay for them. To save a few bucks, go get a Rogue VB100. You will be very happy with it. For a little more you can get the Höfner Ignition Bass and be just as happy with the sound and it may even have a better resale price because of the brand name.
Hofner in Pearl White --- Rogue in Sunburst ! Pearl and Sunny !
Höfner Ignition Violin Bass Guitars
_______________________________________
Early December 2018, My wife asked me what I would like under the Christmas tree this year. I didn't have to think long or very hard, There was only a small amount of bacon smell in the air. (a private joke between my wife and I when we think too hard on something)
For years I have wanted a bass guitar. I had already asked her what she wanted and had just placed the order for nice Tenor Ukulele. Something she said she wanted for years. The funny thing was, That day, I spent more time looking over every Bass Amazon was selling than I spent picking out her gift Ukulele. I must be a bad husband!
I didn't want her to spend more than I did, o I picked out a $140 Bass and Amp kit from a company called “Crescent”. can't review their Bass because I never got it. Around Dec, 27th or so I got the amp but no guitar. We started e-mailing the Crescent Company, Amazon and UPS to learn what happened. Several days later we heard from Crescent that the guitar must have been stolen from one of the shipping houses or delivery warehouses. (by the way, if you read all the reviews on Amazon about the Crescent Company (something we didn't do at first) about 70% of the people ordering from them said the same thing.
Anyway, I now had a small 15-watt amp but no guitar to play on it. The amp made a great doorstop.
As my wife started demanding her money back, I started looking for good deals on another Bass guitar other than an Amazon special!
I found that Guitar Center had a big sale on a Höfner clone called the Rogue VB100. For about the same money my wife paid for the cheap P-Bass copy I could get something that looks and even sounds like the Bass Paul McCartney uses. I have always been a fan of the Beatles. This time I read up on as many reviews and sample videos as I could. I made up my mind I would get the Rogue and maybe someday I would get a true Höfner Beatles Bass! SOMEDAY !!!
So on the 29th of December (My Birthday), I ordered the Rogue VB100 from Guitar Center. I had that Bass delivered to my home in less than 36 hours.
I started playing it for hours at a time not even sure I doing anything right or not. I watched all the Youtube videos about learning the Bass, Tabs, Fingering and even how to build my own Beatles Bass. I was deep into Bass Guitar Mode. I learned that to get the best sound from almost any Violin Bass, you needed Flat or Tape wound strings, so I ordered a set, along with a nice wide leather strap, a tuner and a set of picks.
Oh yes, I spent a few more dollars on a top of the line hardshell case too.
I spent about 3 weeks playing, learning and experiencing everything I could on my Rogue I named “Sunny” (The sunburst made that easy).
I also spent hours on my computer researching everything. I saw this add from Sweetwater for a Höfner Ignition Bass for only $55 dollars more than the Rogue VB100. I spent several days talking myself into getting it. I knew I would never see that price again. The sale would be over in less than a week so the decision had to be made.
One thing lead to another and again within 36 hours, I was opening the Höfner box.
So now I have two different, Made in China, Beatles Basses. Do I really need two? What will I do with Two? I am still unable to play anything more complicated than Queen's, “Another One Bites The Dust !” AND OF COURSE, What Violin Bass is better?
First thing, First !
Overall appearance, feel and build quality.
Both guitars are hollow body Bass Guitars made in the same or very similar fashion. I have heard but can not yet confirm that they come from the same factory, I have seen the video Höfner puts out about their Chinese factory and didn't see any other brands there in the shots. Both are well constructed and feel almost the same in weight and both have wonderful paint and clear coat covering. The Höfner paint job may feel a little thicker and smoother but it wins with only .10% of a point.
The biggest difference in the two Bass Guitars and where the Höfner wins the most points is in the fretwork. The Rogue VB100 has several frets that stick out a tiny tiny bit and can feel a bit sharp as you ru your fingers along the fingerboard. This is not to say the guitar isn't playable, on the contrary! I really didn't notice them as a problem until I felt the smooth sides of the Höfner.
The Rogue VB100 wins with the turning machines. Overall I like the look and feel of the all metal enclosed machines over the Höfner opened plastic knob machines and they were almost to small (thin) for the thick nylon tape wound strings I put on. They work but I just like the Rogue machines better.
But the Höfner wins again with the pick-guard and control panel plastic. The Höfner uses a 3 ply. mother of pearl looking, plastic that has a center ply that is black and is beveled cut to show off the black outline. The Rogue uses a one ply, pearl-like plastic that has a few tiny barbs that make it look like it was just stamped out of a big sheet of plastic and not even smoothed out. A quick wipe with some very fine sandpaper would have been nice. The Höfner also has that little metal holder that keeps the pick-guard away from the wood a bit. The Rogue VB100 the guard rest right on the wood I slightly cheaper way to attach the slightly cheaper pick-guard. My guess is the Rogue company saved about $2.59 with this measure. (But it would cost us, the consumer, about $50 to replace it with a Höfner pick-guard.
Sweetwater set up my Höfner Bass better than Guitar Center did with the Rogue but when I changed strings on both guitars I changed things more to my liking anyway so I guess I have to say I had to set up both guitars once they got out of the box.
The controls look the same on both instruments. Each has two volume knobs, one for each Humbucker pickup, a Solo/Rhythm switch and an off/on switch for each Humbucker pickup. But the pickups are different. The Höfner has two Höfner staple Humbuckers and the Rogue has two generic Humbuckers.
I must say the Höfner pickups look better built and look stronger but looks can be deceiving. With my little amp, I can not tell the difference in the basic sound.
The Sound.
The first thing I did with both Bass Guitars was to replace the stock strings. I put flat wounds (Labella's Beales Bass strings) on the Rogue (and D'Addario Black Nylon Tapewounds) on the Höfner.
The sound is a little different but both have that Thunky Thump sound I hear in the Beatles music. I think the Tapewounds are a bit more mellow than the Flatwounds. I must say my fingers like both strings better than the round wounds that came with the guitars.
The Höfner did come with better stock strings than the Rogue but I didn't think the VB100 would come with a set of strings that cost about one-quarter of the cost of the guitar.
Overall Rating:
Given the fact that you may never be able to buy ether guitar at the price I paid with the sales and coupons, the Rouge should always be a few or up to $100+ dollars less than the famous brand Höfner Bass. But that's that's more brand name payments that overall playability of each guitar.
I will highly recommend both Bass Guitars to anyone who wants to learn the Bass or already a pro. Both guitars are well built and are well worth what you can pay for them. To save a few bucks, go get a Rogue VB100. You will be very happy with it. For a little more you can get the Höfner Ignition Bass and be just as happy with the sound and it may even have a better resale price because of the brand name.
Hofner in Pearl White --- Rogue in Sunburst ! Pearl and Sunny !
