Epiphone Viola Bass VS 

Comments about Epiphone Viola Bass VS:

I do not like this bass. It is not as good as a hofner. Hofners are alot better. Even the Hofner ignition is better. If there are any beatles fans who are thinking of getting this bass to have a beatle looking bass well get a Hofner instead. This bass looks similar to the beatle hofners but alot of it is wrong to the beatle bass. This bass in not as good as any hofner i have picked up.Buy a hofner instead.

Comments about Epiphone Viola Bass VS:

A very good bass straight from the box, action a little high for my taste but nothing a good tweak won't cure in minutes, the sound is pure 60's Liverpool, ie: you can hear the wood,I am impressed.

Comments about Epiphone Viola Bass VS:

im not a bass player by trade..play guitar,accordion,ukelele for various festival gigs around the area...got tired of tracking down bass players for gigs so have decided to learn myself and teach my daughter...what a beautiful instrument! stays in tune good...plays nice and sounds great! been practicing with folk rock and country and even though im just learning i can tell it can handle any level of playing...a real heirloom...thanks again

Comments about Epiphone Viola Bass VS:

Okay, my Viola Bass was second hand, had lived a full life since it's birth in 2005, and had been maintained in a semi-decent way. Though not stated by Seller, was likely gigged. Needed a set up after possibly not getting one since it was sold. Bridge was so high to counteract poor-set up iut had issues.

Best Buy I've made in a long time. No joke.

It may be this isn't as good as full-on German-Made or vintage German-Made Hofner, but This isn't what yopu buy if you want the Full-on Hofner. It's close enough to that perfection you won;t be left wanting.

The Shortscale neck is very appealling, especially as I was going for a melodic bass sound with some of my recent style of playing. peterHook and that bassist from Modest Mouse kind of trebly stuff. It can growl like a p-bass with the low turned up, and pop and bounce like a brian Wilson Bassline, it has great tonal range.

The cons? Well, owing to it's cheap construction the neck is too heavy, I don't just mean it's neck heavy, I mena the asian wood used to build it is not aslight and hard as noth american or european timbers. On a gohollowbody this a wee bit of an issue. You get over it quickly though. Also, the vintage hofner,copy bridge is not good at coping with poor string action, It was up high when i got it (to overcome some slight E String buzz) that if it had taken a knock it would have broken. Still, vintage does not mean greatest componants, It means feel you just don;t get anymore, and the rosewood floating bidge design has an appeal stop bridges have never had. Tuners, this problem faces the hodfner too, but it needs a better set than the small guitar stle tuners it's got, but, unfortunately, open-gear tuners won't fit, so... I'm going to have to look around for a more stable replacement.

All in all, great purchase, will fight off any overpirced sustitute any day.

Comments about Epiphone Viola Bass VS:

First, I am NOT a Bass player, so this review is strictly about cosmetics. I bought this as a gift for my son who wants to learn the Bass and is a big Beatle fan. I considered a cheaper (Rogue) and a more expensive (Hofner) model, but based on their reviews am very glad I chose the Epi. Beautiful finish and just feels like a truly solid instrument. I am convinced he will get a long life from this Bass as he is probably going to be a light user and takes care of his items. Very happy with the price, looks, sound (although I don't have a Bass amp) and MF service. Couldn't give it a "10" because of my limited knowledge of the instrument, but from a guitar-players perspective...it seems like a great rig. Maybe I'll pick it up and learn on it too.

Comments about Epiphone Viola Bass VS:

Great bass. I definitely recommend it. I tried the Hofners and this Epiphone and liked the Epi much better. It feels substantial and is a dream to play. There is a slight neck dive but it's not anything that should keep anyone from buying this instrument.
Great tone, look, playability, and value. This instrument is beautiful to see and hear and plays like a dream.
I give quality a 9 because I didn't find any problems with mine except that the strap buttons were loose. It was a quick fix though.
Great value for a bass that looks and plays like it should be in the more expensive price range.

Comments about Epiphone Viola Bass VS:

Great bass for the money.
This is a really great bass, nice tone, easy to play and the price is right. I you are looking for semi-hollow body tone this bass will deliver.
Fit and finish is great.
The price is right.

Comments about Epiphone Viola Bass VS:

When I first saw this bass, I thought it had to be about $800 or higher. Turns out it was 3. It is a stunning instrument--the picture doesn't do it justice. The finish resembles that of $3000 Gibson Les Pauls. On top of that it sounds excellent, has a nice feel to it, and has solid pickups. The other bonus is this: because the body is fairly hollow, playing without an amp is better than with a normal electric bass--you almost get an acoustic bass and an electric in one package. Overall, no complaints whatsoever. It's a great bass, great deal, and a lot of fun.

Comments about Epiphone Viola Bass VS:

I just received mine today - used from this website and rated 2. Without having gone over it with a magnifying glass, I can't find a scratch - still had packing material under the bridge and plastic on the pickups and came in Epi box with cord, manual etc. Have played it for about an hour, and although i intend to put some flat-wound or half-wound strings on it, it sounds quite good with the strings it came with. Setup was pretty good. Had to tweak the truss rod just a bit. I wasn't sure I would like the lack of pickup switches, but after playing with it a bit, I think I am quite satisfied with it. I am not a slap bass kind of guy - more of a Motown sound type of guy and a big Beatles fan. This baby is sweet playing and sweet sounding, even with the stock roundwound strings. No evidence of pickup hum - dead quiet. Finish is nice and neck is easy on my short fingers. I am quite pleased with my purchase and recommend it to anyone who is looking for something similar (I was looking for a short scale and had thought about a hofner icon or rogue for some time. I'm glad I picked this one.). Only wish I had picked up an epi case with it, but couldn't locate one at the time of purchase. I'll find one locally or special order.

Comments about Epiphone Viola Bass VS:

This has very little to do with the Gibson Violin bass. Other than it is violin shaped and made by Epiphone. This is, and is meant to be, a more modern take on a Hofner.I have always shied away from this because I'm a vintage "snob" and it didn't look enought like the hofner for my liking. But my old man picked this up for me as a gift and its fantastic. The flame is beautiful and it does the Hofner thinkg very well. This is decidely vintage style unit other than the simplified controls and flamed maple top - the only thing you'll be slapping with this baby is other bass players' hands. But for the kind of music it's meant for - older rock, country, blues - wow! Really great for melodic bass type stuff. Incidentally you don't need flatwounds on this, the short scale and hollow body make the body boomy enough as-is. Plus these and a modern amp make this much more than a retro bass it can do pretty much anything you'd play in a bar or a legion. It would also do a great palm-muted bill-black click bass for older elvis stuff (or tik-tak bass for older country, yummy).