The Stu Sutcliffe Hofner

[GavinJC]

Hey everyone,
I'm a pretty big Beatles fan, especially the Hamburg days with Stu Sutcliffe and the crazy stories and just pure rock 'n' roll age of the Beatles career. I especially like the big bodied design of Stu's bass. So I've been browsing for a Hofner 500/5 President Bass. Preferably i would like this version:
Invalid Link Removed
This is a CT version that was released some time in 2011. It looks very similar to the one Stu used in Hamburg. But it seems like the bass has just disappeared. I can't find one like it. The only president bass that i can find is this one:
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
This one has the '67 style blade pickups and tobacco sunburst, and i'm not a fan of either. Does anybody know why the first CT President model doesn't exist anymore?

 

[abarson]

Low volume of sales is the usual cause of cessation. There probably weren't enough buyers as enthusiastic as you are. Good luck in you search.

 

[bluespenny]

Hey Gavin. I own the first one, and you are very right. It took me over a year to get mine after ordering it new from Hofner, and it apparently circumnavigated the globe to get here to Canada, with stops in Asia and Germany. I know of two others in Canada, so I don't think many were made.
My guess is, it cost too much to make the first model. It's absolutely gorgeous, in fit and finish. The headstock inlay alone must have taken hours. And the pickups were dead on replicas of the bass Stu Sutcliffe played, unlike the new version and its later model pups.
Only change I made is putting vintage teacup knobs on it. Stu would be proud.

 

[Bikeguy57]

Any truth to the story that Stu couldn’t play, but was a friend of the band and they needed a bass player?

 

[jd56hawk]

Hey everyone,
I'm a pretty big Beatles fan, especially the Hamburg days with Stu Sutcliffe and the crazy stories and just pure rock 'n' roll age of the Beatles career. I especially like the big bodied design of Stu's bass. So I've been browsing for a Hofner 500/5 President Bass. Preferably i would like this version:
Invalid Link Removed
This is a CT version that was released some time in 2011. It looks very similar to the one Stu used in Hamburg. But it seems like the bass has just disappeared. I can't find one like it. The only president bass that i can find is this one:
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
This one has the '67 style blade pickups and tobacco sunburst, and i'm not a fan of either. Does anybody know why the first CT President model doesn't exist anymore?

Not a very popular bass.
Not even as popular as the Hofner Club bass which hasn't been spotted in the wild since 2013.

Any truth to the story that Stu couldn’t play, but was a friend of the band and they needed a bass player?

Well, he wasn't quite as adept as Sid Vicious!