Hofner H500/1-CT Contemporary Series Violin Bass Guitar (Used)
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- Product #515654
A classic with modern refinements.
A year after celebrating the 50th anniversary of Walter Hofner's original violin bass, made famous by a certain Beatle who shall remain nameless, they have decided to produce a contemporary version. It has a vintage look that will produce many "oohs", and an internal sustain block that creates a more modern, deep-resonating sound that will produce many "aahs." It's the kind of bass guitar people love to see, play, and hear.
Aesthetically, this model features a maple-beech-maple set neck with rosewood fretboard accentuated by mother-of-pearl dot inlays, the signature Hofner violin bass headstock, a brass trapeze tailpiece, and glossy spruce top with glossy flamed maple back and sides. An ebony bridge with movable metal saddles maintains intonation and string spacing. The nickel-plated hardware and floating celluloid pearl pickguard give it an extra little pop for the eyes.
On the electronics side, you're working with two original Hofner 511B 'Staple' humbucking pickups, as well as a control panel with 2 volume controls, 2 on/off switches, and a rhythm/solo switch for volume boost. The overall sound is warm like the original model, but with a little more sonic kick for a more "now" sound.
Features
- Rosewood fretboard
- 22 frets
- Maple-beech-maple set neck
- Neck width at nut 1-5/8"
- 4 individual machine heads
- Ebony bridge with movable metal saddles for perfect intonation and string spacing
- Brass trapeze tailpiece
- Selected German spruce top
- Flamed maple back and sides
- 2 Hofner 511B 'Staple' humbucking pickups
- Control panel with boost and individual on and off switches and boost
- Nickel-plated hardware
- Floating celluloid pickguard, pearl designed
Order today and play a thoroughly enjoyable bass.
Review Snapshot®
by PowerReviews(based on 25 reviews)
Ratings Distribution
100%
of respondents would recommend this to a friend.
Pros
- Fun to play (3)
- Good feel (3)
Cons
Best Uses
Reviews
Reviewed by 25 customers
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Displaying reviews 1-10
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Pros
- Fun To Play
- Good Feel
- Good Pick Up
- Good Tone
- Solid Electronics
Cons
- Nothing yet
Best Uses
- Jamming
- Practicing
- Recording
- Rock Concerts
- School Bands
- Small Venues
Comments about Hofner H500/1-CT Contemporary Series Violin Bass Guitar:
So after 2 years of having this bass i can say, that it's pretty amazing! Seems to be able to play almost any style you can throw at it! Might be a bit difficult for slap due to its two piece bridge.
It has a nice scale length, lightweight, and the hum-buckers push a lot of tone! The finish is amazing! (I own sunburst) Sadly to say, I've dropped it a few times but it works just as fine!
Definitely a great buy! Go for it guys!!
Pros
- Fun To Play
- Good Feel
- Good Tone
- Great Finish
Cons
Best Uses
- Jamming
- Practicing
- Recording
- Rock Concerts
- School Bands
- Small Venues
Comments about Hofner H500/1-CT Contemporary Series Violin Bass Guitar:
I got this bass for christmas and i love it. I am a huge beatles fan and love the vintage look. This bass looks alot more like the german bass than the ignition does. Even with center/sustain block it sounds alot like the german basses. If anyone is considering buying an ignition, look at this bass instead. This bass is a ton better. It is worth the extra money.
Pros
- Fun To Play
- Good Feel
- Good Pick Up
- Unique Tone
Cons
- Inferior Case
- Poor Wiring
Best Uses
Comments about Hofner H500/1-CT Contemporary Series Violin Bass Guitar:
First off let me say that I really like this bass. Like most of my generation (grew up with "The Beatles" I was impressed with not only the look of this instrument, but it's melodic character. That being said I was disappointed with the wiring of the instrument (the pick up switches were reversed). The bigger issue was the case. It fits the instrument well enough,however it is warped and leaves an open gap when shut allowing the elements access to the instrument. I was hoping for better craftsmanship from this brand.
Comments about Hofner H500/1-CT Contemporary Series Violin Bass Guitar:
I rate this fairly high as it is a fine instrument and plays and sounds great. But, it should be advertised as a solid body Asian replica of the German instrument.
I bought the Icon/Ignition bass and it is great. They all need intonation adjustment and decent strings. If you really compare, I think you will see that the Icon/Ignition is a far better value. I'm very glad that I couldn't find a new one in stock, because I probably would have bought it without realizing what it was, and been dissappointed when I got home.
To start, this is a georgous bass. The three piece neck and coloring are fantastic. It looks like a perfect replica of the German model. The bass has a volume control for both the neck and bridge pickups, as well as individual pickup on/off switches, and a rythm/solo switch.
The strings that come on it are horrible, and, most prefer to replace them with flatwounds. I prefer the response of round wounds and get the tones I want from the controls and the amp.
The pickups sound great. But, you might as well stretch your strings over a railroad tie with pickups. as this is a solid body bass. Get yourself a poster of a German Hofner and buy an Icon/Ignition for half the price. You won't be dissapointed!
The quality of construction and fit and finish of these has greatly improved in the last couple of years.
All that said, I owned 2 German Hofners back in the 60's and 70's, and they were great. I have had a Rogue VB100 for about ten years, and it has been quite good. This last Christmas I decided to get a Contemporary and called all over the San Francisco Bay area to find one. Noone had one in stock. Then I remembered that a friend's bass player bought one on line recently. I asked if I could come over and play it for a half hour, and wound up taking it home for a couple days to set up the intonation and neck relief. The operation of the controls was a little confusing as well. So, after setup, I pulled the control plate off to make sure the wiring was ok and was quite shocked to see that the "tone block", was almost a completely solid body with just a small amount of space under the controls. This troubles me as Hofners are accoustic. You cannot play this bass without an amp. I would have been greatly disappointed if I had located one new and traveled a distance to buy it and got it home and realized that you couldn't sit and just play it without pluging it into an amp. This bass weighs 6 lbs, exactly the same as the VB100.
What I'd really like to point out, is, that the Icon/Ignition is actually hollow, with a 3/4 in. sound block and asian pickups, and sounds great. It doesn't have a zero fret! Big Deal! I have 14 guitars and basses, including a Martin, Gibson, Fenders and Epiphones. None of them have a zero fret.
Comments about Hofner H500/1-CT Contemporary Series Violin Bass Guitar:
This is a great instrument! A while back I decided that I wanted to own a Hofner style bass for my band, and so I got a crappy copy from some family member. After my music started getting a bit more serious I decided to upgrade to the real deal, and boy I was a smart purcase. The bass is lighter than I expected, and short scale, which makes it very easy to play. It sounds great and can deliver either a cool crunch or just some low mellow vibes. I love the black finish (which is what I got) it definatley gives a modern look to a vintage guitar. I would recomend this to anyone who wants a quality instrument for a little extra.
Comments about Hofner H500/1-CT Contemporary Series Violin Bass Guitar:
I don't expect you to post this but this bass is a beautiful easy to play professional quality instrument that a player can really depend on. Now I want the '64 model to add to my collection.
I bought the Icon first but I wasn't satisifed with it and returned it for the 500/1 CT. It has the easiest neck I've ever played and the electronics, although a little peculiar to get used to at first, are very effective at tone and volume control. I am playing bass in a band again because I have this. Next I want the 500/1 64. It's enough to forget my six string guitars- Hofner is definitely building a dedicated following.
Thre fit and finish is excellent, unlike the Icon I got first, which had a warped front panel above the pickups. The volume and tone are clear and loud and the light weight makes palying all night a breeze.
The 500/1 CT is well made and beautiful instrument, but it would have been no big deal to keep the knobs and switches white like the originals, but it was easy to get the white knobs to change myself.
Comments about Hofner H500/1-CT Contemporary Series Violin Bass Guitar:
The bass is a great bass for the money. The only thing i'm dissapointed in is the knobs and switches, it dosn't cost that much if any to go the extra step and make it 100% original! Most people will switch these out anyway. The case is also cheaply constructed.
Comments about Hofner H500/1-CT Contemporary Series Violin Bass Guitar:
I love my new violin bass guitar...it sounds great...it has a warm,rich tone. I am a small female and it is lighter than my others, making it easier for me to play. This is a great guitar for a great price. The hard case is a plus!
Comments about Hofner H500/1-CT Contemporary Series Violin Bass Guitar:
I think this bass is the BEST i've seen so far.The sound is great, though I would use flatwound strings. The pickup switches allow me to get the right tone. It's very light and has a very good feel. I really recomend this bass!
Comments about Hofner H500/1-CT Contemporary Series Violin Bass Guitar:
I was very impressed with the sound and playability/action of this bass.The sounds I could get out of the bass ran from very acoustic sounding to jazzy sounding to slap bass....impressive. The pickup system in this bass is very good.If there were to be a criticism of the bass it would be in the fit(not the finish) area...nothing affecting sound or playability.I would describe the fit as average for an $800(Chinese) instrument. It wasn't bad...just average...glue spots, pickguard didn't fit quite right, fret nut looks rough, the saddle wasn't fitted to the body etc.... The woods are top notch if I understand the literature correctly...that is that the woods are solid.Solid German spruce top and solid flamed maple back and sides are implied in the literature.The lower model(Icon)is all laminated...no thanks.The case is a hard shell but a very cheapie hardshell....very unimpressive. I think Hofner would have been better off providing an upper scale hard sided gig bag(like Alvarez or Taylor does) over this cheap hard shell case.Bottom line is I am keeping the bass. Despite fit, it's a great instrument. I'd buy it again in a heartbeat.
