Fender Jazz Bass or Hofner Beatle violin bass?

[Flat]

So I am not a bass player but would like, once again in my life, to get a bass. I had a Carvin LB70 for many years that was okay, but never really bonded, sold it years ago.

I think the obvious thing for someone at my basic level would be a used Jazz Bass, maybe MIJ or MIM.

But today I watched this video on Reverb.com about Paul McCartney's bass playing, and it reminded me how much I like Paul's bass playing, and I thought, hmmm...maybe a Hofner?

I liked the thumpiness of the tone. Vaguely reminiscent of an upright bass.

Learn to Play: The Bass Techniques of Paul McCartney | Reverb News

Does anyone have any experience with the 500/1, or the newer reissues or the Ignition series? I don't want to spend a fortune on a collectible vintage signed-by-Paul model. It's really for just around the house and my very modest home "studio." Are there any affordable good ones out there?

Or is the whole notion whack and I should just stick with the tried and true Fender Jazz Bass?

[Ray175]

A couple of years ago I thought I would like to play bass again after 47 years of guitar. Not wanting to spend a fortune on a "let's see if I really want to do this" I bought the Ignition. At the price you can understand it needed setting up, the nut needed opening up on the 2 lower strings, and a decent set of tapewounds made a massive difference.

Three years later I play it often, and found the transition easy given the short 30 inch scale; as a big plus it weighs next to nothing. The neck is pretty narrow which means stretching is drastically reduced in most instances. It has a nice clean jazzy sound and can get close to an upright sound if you play close to the neck. It also get's close to Randy Meisner's sound when he was he was with the Eagles. Don't expect a Jack Bruce growl or snappy slap sounds - that's not its thing.

The alternative I considered was a Warwick Corvette Rockbass in short scale with active electronics - great value for money but about twice the price of an Ignition - on the other hand it can produce a massive range of sounds. I got the Ignition with a 20% discount so in the end the choice was easy.

My dream machine would be an Alembic Stanley Clark that can do anything, but at 8k plus it will stay in the realm of dreams.
If shortscale and light appeals to you, then the Höfners are great basses for you

[Rob MacKillop]

I can't remember his name, but there is a guy who plays a Hofner violin bass with John Scofield, and it sounds great. McCartney is an excellent bassist. The model he used was one of the cheap Hofners, so there's no need to pay a lot for one. They are also short scale, therefore great for guitar players - very easy to move between the two. I love them

[Hammertone]

As the former Hofner distributor for Canada, consultant to Hofner since 1999, and ongoing friend of the company, I'd be happy to get you into a nice 500/1 violin bass or 500/2 Club bass, or direct you to one.

Hofner Ignitions are OK, cheap basses.
Hofner Contemporary basses are much nicer but do have (lightweight) softwood blocks in them
Hofner German-made 500/1 and 500/2 models are really lovely instruments - I have a few in inventory that are for sale.
PM me.

[powerwagonjohn]

The Guild Pilot basses are pretty nice too. American made and sell for import prices. Not to take anything away from Fender or Hofner but I am a Guild guy.
Thanks John

[Mike Anderson]

If I ever buy another bass, which is a possibility, I'd go for either a violin bass or a '50s Precision or reissue. I added violin bass to the maybe list when I learned both Aston "Family Man" Barrett and Robbie Shakespeare started out on 'em.

[neatomic]

i have both...very different...jazz bass is classic..fender solid longscale bass...hofner icon/ignition is way more guitar player friendly..has short scale and is very lightweight..theres also alot around on the used market for relatively cheap..slap some flatwounds on it and you have a good thumper

of course the german made hofners are the real deal..beautifully made...but the ignition has thinner neck and is super comfy light..for 1/10th the price!

also look at the danelectro shortscale line..either the longhorn or the dolphin..again with flats they really thump..the secret weapon of joey spaminato of nrbq!!


oddly just recently posted clip in what are you listening to now thread wth chris cheeks bass player getting a great tone with a hofner icon/ignition bass

lastly, arguably the most recorded bass player in reggae history-robbie shakespeare- used both the jazz bass and a hofner on all those early classic reggae tunes...with flats they can get some deep low end

luck

cheers

[neatomic]

pps- hofner also has an igntion ss club bass thats nice as well



cheers

[Doctor Jeff]

Those look sweet. I got a Fender Squier VM Jazz which I really like and which is a super bass for the money. (I got mine lightly used for ~$150). I thought about a short scale bass, but ended up going full size.

I've not used it as much as I thought I would--I had a dream of filling in for our regular upright bass player, but that hasn't panned out. I can play on some of the standard bluesy numbers (Summertime, Autumn Leaves), but playing along with many jazz standards is challenging.

I also looked at a Kala uke bass, which is a real legit instrument, not a toy, and which actually comes closer to an upright bass in sound than most fretted basses. They're not cheap though, so for now I'll stick with the J-bass.

[cosmic gumbo]

A friend I play with weekly has a violin bass w/flatwounds, and with those humbucker pups, it has a deep, powerful sound for a short scale bass. It's also lightweight, but that makes them somewhat neck heavy.

[neatomic]

A friend I play with weekly has a violin bass w/flatwounds, and with those humbucker pups, it has a deep, powerful sound for a short scale bass. It's also lightweight, but that makes them somewhat neck heavy.

yeah great deep thumpy sound.and with short scale..easy to get standup like bends

i found the hofner icon/ignitions are pretty well balanced...the epi violin basses can be neck heavy...

the proper strap helps..i use one of those vintage skinnys with the pad on my hof violin and it sits just right

hofner actually makes a strap that clips to the tailpiece on one end and wraps around the neck joint on the other..real weird old school tech...thats what macca was using!!...my friend uses it on his german hofs...and it makes me nervous!!! haha





cheers

ps- kala uke basses are very cool..real upright tone can be had..with proper sting selection

[rio]

I have both a Jazz bass and a knockoff Hofner fretless. Iyer the latter far, far more than the former. It is a Douglas brand bass and was only a little over 100 dollars from Rondo Music. I get a lot of comments on how it looks and sounds and it is a real winner. I actually bought a nice Godin fretless bass and sold it because the knock off Hofner sounded better.

They do not use a center block - that is important to me so I didn’t even look into an actual Hofner since all of their cheaper options have center blocks. Also it is a laminated maple body, which I think works well.



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[Dhango]

If you don't wanna spend a lot on a Hofner Beatle Bass try this:

Eastwood EB1 => $600.


Epiphone Viola => $360.

[neatomic]

They do not use a center block - that is important to me so I didn’t even look into an actual Hofner since all of their cheaper options have center blocks. Also it is a laminated maple body, which I think works well.

sorry, but that is NOT correct..the cheapest hofner icons have no center block.(i'm peering into mine now!)..the mid ct series tho, has a block and a different neck shape..its modernized!!

hofner icon/ignition violin/or club is great starter bass for guitar players..just slap some flats on it..its not made for poppin!!

and dont forget the danos..danelectro basses and 6 string basses were used on countless hits
cheers

[neatomic]

If you don't wanna spend a lot on a Hofner Beatle Bass try this:

Eastwood EB1 => $600.


Epiphone Viola => $360.

way better off with a hofner ignition...until gibson reissues (not gonna happen) one of the greatest electric basses of all time..the original!! eb-1..which eastwood is makin a feeble attempt to knock off...from little richard to felix p to cream jack bruce reunion..the gibby violin bass!!..a work of art


cheers

[gmek]

I play a fender p bass, but I would really like to have a jazz bass too so that's my vote. I'd say get which ever one feels better to you when you play it.

[Rob MacKillop]

I wouldn't mind trying a German-made fretless Hofner with tape-wound strings...

Love my Danelectro Dead On 59 Longhorn - with a name like that, you know you're in for an interesting ride! The funnest bass in the world.

[Mellow-G]

How about this for consideration, the Fender bass iv is another option that for a guitarist. A short scale 6 string bass that has all the right notes in all of the right places, just in a different octave. See this.......

The strings are noisy but that can be resolved see this one...…….

Check out Matthews version of a Nightingale singing in Berkley square
on his 7 string archtop, can't remember the maker.

[Gitterbug]

Can't add much. Have Chinese editions of both for cabinet testing purposes. Like both, but they are a world apart, so the choice depends on the kind of music you intend to play. My Hofner needed next to no fine-tuning. It is a bit microphonic on original roundwounds. (Many rock bassists actually want the finger noise.) Flatwound strings made it quite jazzy. The tone settings are arcane. As others have pointed out, the short scale and light weight are a blessing for a guitarist.

[feet]

i don't have a whole lot to add. i have a jazz bass (a 70s aria copy) that i adore. does pretty much all i need, recordingwise. i suspect it is much more versatile than the hofner. but the hofner does what it does, and that is pretty awesome.

one thing to consider (and i could be completely wrong) is that i would suspect that there are far fewer aftermarket parts available for the hofner. may not be an issue to you, but if you are dealing with low-end models, you won't have the selection of pickups, bridges and such like you would with a jazz bass. i have a set of lollar jbass pickups in mine and i'm quite pleased, but i mostly stick to a sort of motown-y sound with flatwounds.

since you are considering basses with space in them, i guess here are a few more to consider:

semis

(semi, i think. but it is short scale, too)

hollow

those are all in the more affordable range, probably well below $1000. if you want to go fancy, get a white falcon of a hofner club (no reason, i just think it looks cooler than the viola, and that white one up there is killer)

[mr quick]

Isn't the best idea to go out and just try a few options? You never know what you end up liking. I've always been a jazz bass elitist, but fell head over heels for a fretless squier P bass the other day. If I hadn't already sent my old Ibanez SDGR bass from my folks' to my flat, I might've gotten the fretless P or ordered a fretless J

[grandstick01]

I also looked at a Kala uke bass, which is a real legit instrument, not a toy, and which actually comes closer to an upright bass in sound than most fretted basses. They're not cheap though, so for now I'll stick with the J-bass.

I picked up a new Carlo Robelli U-bass from Sam Ash last week. They go for $99.00. They had three Kala U-bass models there, so I was able to do a direct comparison.

With the exception of the preamp, the Robelli (their house brand) looked identical to the Kalas - right down to the tuners on the two lower-priced Kalas. The slightly more expensive Kala had Hipshot tuners. The Robelli and other two had unmarked copies of the Hipshots.

I can get a great upright tone from this instrument. I think it’s a great value.


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[gcb]

Hi Flat.

Hofner and Fender Jazz Basses are different things.

I play a MIA Fender PBass for jazz and pop. All the thump I need and also can get by soloing. Saving now for a Fender Jazz Bass American Elite not to replace it but to get that bridge pickup sounds active and passive.

There is a cheap alternative maybe worth considering: Sire Marcus Miller V7. Not a Fender but for the price I would prefer it over the Ignition for what I play:

Anyway a used MIA or CIJ Fender Jazz would be my choice.

[ronjazz]

I had a German Hofner Club Bass that I had a fretless fingerboard put on, it sounded like a combination of McCartney and Ron Carter, played it into dust. What a great bass!Now I play very little bass (since I play 7-string guitar), but I have little 1-pup Gretsch short-scale solid bass that punches way above its weight. I put some foam padding at the bridge if I want a more "upright" sound.

[D.G.]

Every guitar player should have a Fender Jazz or P-bass in their arsenal.

I think the Hofner Club bass is super-cool and I'd get one if I gigged more on bass. I do have a fretless U-bass that is quite cool. My bassist colleague has played it at rehearsals when he didn't want to schlep his upright and it sounds fantastic.