Hofner 500/1 Beatle Bass

??? German-made, circa 1979/1980 (silver headstock logo with Umlaut over the ???o??? (H??fner), two big pick-ups, two small black plastic knobs, bound fretboard, strap-button on side position (not at the back of the heel, like on the ???63 model). 22 frets + zero fret, 4 strings. Possibly laminated, sunburst finish (mine has had the front refinished, which you can spot by confronting with the back; they have slightly distinct hues). Small plate containing two knobs (1v, 1t) and three little switches named Treble, Bass, and Rhythm/Solo, Passive electronics. No idea of what woods were used (perhaps spruce on top), except that fingerboard looks like rosewood. Hollow body, wooden bridge. Sealed tuners (chromed), not smooth but keep bass in tune. Thinnest and most comfortable neck I???ve ever played. Mine was bought 2nd handed and came with original rectangular case, very nice. Also came with a vintage strap.

What really motivated me to buy it was that boomy-Beatle-esque bass sound no other bass can emulate. At that time I had another ???more versatile??? bass (A Cort A4 ??? excellent instrument), and I used the H??fner as a ???one trick pony???, as other reviewers have put it. I play mainly progressive rock (Yes, Rush), and felt I used the H??fner much less than I???d like to, due to its limitations when fitted with flatwound strings, which are *the* strings to use if you crave that Beatle tone, but not very useful for styles that require a quick response from the bass. That being said, and agreeing with another reviewer who said that ???in the 70s, when I played, it was my ONLY bass and it suited all styles???, I recently had to live on a tighter budget and decided to sell some of my instruments. Because I have a strong sentimental tie to it, I definitely didn???t want to let the H??fner go, and I had to make do with it. By fitting the H??fner with roundwound strings and by playing it levelled to my chest (and not to my stomach, which forced me to play with a pick, which I hate), I found out that not only I could play the H??fner fingerstyle but also that with regular strings (not flatwound) it suited any style of music. As a result, it has become my only bass, and it fits the bill quite nicely. Of course it isn???t the best choice for ???slap???, but if you???re into rock ??? no matter which trend: progressive, Beatles, etc ??? the H??fner offers several tone variations, if you explore the controls and if you change from roundwound to flatwound strings (using flatwound, the sound gets ???woody??? and mellow, suitable for Beatles, blues, jazz; roundwounds are good for everything else. I???m currently using D???Addario Prosteels, and I recommend them.)

??? Nowadays the Korean/Chinese/Indonesian manufacturers are producing high-quality guitars that many times beat the so-called ???famous??? brands. Let???s be honest and admit that Gibson and Rickenbacker many times offer instruments whose finish is poor. The same goes with the H??fner. There are flaws in the binding, the pieces look and feel cheap (control plate, buttons, strap-button (plastic), tuners (not smooth, as I said). Nevertheless, as Paul McCartney???s technician put it in the ???Back in the US??? video, it???s ???The most iconic bass in the world???, and I can only think of the Rickenbacker 4001 as a competitor to it. Besides, the woody, ???Beatle??? tone is unique to it, and it functions as an ???all-purpose??? bass when fitted with roundwound strings. It???s drop-dead gorgeous (IMHO), VERY light-weight, has the most comfortable neck I???ve ever played and, because it???s hollow, a great companion for bedroom-study-late-at-night-without-bothering-anyone. Since I got it 2nd handed in 2005 (it was built around 1979-1980), all I can say about action and fit is that it plays and feels wonderful. It has a very fast neck (very thin and the spacing between frets is small), it???s light-weight and, despite being hollow, it has a bass presence few basses (even with active electronics) offer. I run mine only for study and at small gigs through a Fender BX60 amplifier.

??? When I got this bass in 2005, it had been played by a professional bassist for about 25 years, and it is in superb condition. I believe it???s fully dependable, but I???d get a spare bass for the principle of always being on the safe side. All the chrome hardware is still as shiny as it may have been back in 1979. The strap buttons are made of white plastic, and I tried to exchange them for chrome metal strap-buttons, but when I did, weirdly enough I thought the white plastic ones looked better ??? for they???re part of the vintage ???vibe???, so I fixed them back.

Bought 2nd hand, never dealt with H??fner.

Brazilian musicians suffer from abusive import taxes; when you don???t find local dealers ??? H??fner and Rickenbacker used to have local dealers, but don???t do anymore ??? and you have to import an instrument, you pay freight + 60% import tax + 18% VAT. That means we pay double the list price. That put, mine was relatively cheap: considering US$ 2,500 for a brand new H??fner 500/1, mine cost R$ 4,500 (Brazilian Reais), around US$ 1,500 (exchange rate was 3 to 1 by then). Other H??fners I saw on the internet being sold in Brazil cost R$ 5,000, R$ 10,000 and even R$ 11,000 ??? but that???s where one has to put himself together and realize he???s not buying an automobile, just a guitar. Considering it is a vintage bass and is in superb condition, that was a good purchase; but I still think it is A LOT of money for a guitar, and have to admit that the McCartney legend played, of course, an enormous influence on the decision to buy it. Luckily, it is a delightful instrument to play with, otherwise I wouldn???t have bought it. I am a musician in the first place, not a collector, and I regard instruments as tools that must serve my musical needs.

Made in 1968 / 69 ? Made in Hagenau, Germany. Pots were replaced Eons Ago so I cannot accurately date this Bass. I have the Physical Evidence only. Apparently, the Hofner Logo's on the Pickup Cans were Phased out in Late 1969 ( My Bass has them ), so it is Safe to say My Bass was Made between Early 1968 ( when the Sloped Neck-Heel was introduced...like on Mine ) and Late 1969. Also, I have the Blade Pickups, introduced Late in 1967.

Specs:

22 Frets, Four Strings.
Solid Carved German Spruce Top.
Two Volumes, Three Slide Selector Switches: Treble, Bass, Rhythm / Solo.
Two " HOT " Hofner Blade-Style Humbucking Pickups.
Passive Electronics.
Back: Flamed Maple.
Sides: Maple
Neck: Three Piece Maple or " Maple-Beech-Maple "
Finish: Antique Brown Sunburst.
Violin Style Body.
Floating Violin-Style Bridge.
Hofner Enclosed Tuners.
Neck: Narrow & 30 " Short-Scale...Very Fast !
Came with Epiphone Viola Hardshell Case ( I traded that for a Good Gig Bag ! )

I Play in Two Groups, one of which is comprised of 50 % Beatles ( "A" to "Z". ) The Rest is Classic 50's through 80's. I also Play a bit Harder Music with another Group. With the Beatles Group I Play through a Late 60's or 1970 Ampeg V-6B 240 Watt RMS Tube Head & 2x15" JBL Cab. With the other Group I Play through a 1979 Vintage Traynor YBA-4 1x15" Altec-Equipped Bass Master 50 Watt RMS Tube Combo.
This Hofner makes a Variety of Sounds Actually, depending on how I arrange the controls on Amps & Bass. Everything from Very Deep Bass to Trebly & Tinny.
This is a Very Quiet Bass.
As with all Hofners, You either like them or You don't !

Factory Set-Up...can't tell You !

The Store that Set-Up the Bass did Nothing at all: Action was High & Intonation was Awful. He had not even bothered to adjust the Truss Rod !
I Adjusted the Truss Rod & Action at Home, and Now I have a Playable Bass. It still needs the Intonation Adjusted, However.

I have already used the Bass Several Times and " No Hey Problema ! "

Hardware & Finish have Lasted over 36 Years....Need I Say More !

Replaced Strap Buttons with Strap-Locks.

I have Owned Hofners before, and Yes, they are Dependable.

I have done a Truss-Rod Adjustment & I will See how that Holds Up.

I have Played Bass now since 1969.
I also Own a 1976 Yamaki 6-String Acoustic Guitar, a Hartke Kickback 10 Bass Combo Amp, a Fender BXR25 Bass Practice Amp, a 1979 Traynor YBA-4 Bassmaster Combo Amp & a Rolls Mini-Mix 51 System for Home Practice.

I Love the Sound, Short-Scale, Fast Narrow Neck & Incredible Light-Weight of the Beatle Bass. I also Love the Classic " Piece of History " Look of these Instruments.
I am Finding uses for the Bass far beyond Beatles or 60's Music.

I recently purchased my 2nd 500/1 "Beatle Bass". My first was a 1965 model that was stolen. I played it for 4 years in 3 R&R bands. Sure, I wanted to be a McCartney, but the bass proved itself to me in other ways. First, was it's narrow fretboard and short scale. Having average sized hands made it easy to move around the fretboard quickly. Next, the light weight. 4 hours on the shoulder was never a strain. It must weight less than 7 of 8 pounds.

Third was the sound. From piercing treble to deep, deep bass with the bass boost on. You can get a lot of sounds from the interacting volume controls. In addition the hollow body gave it yet another dimension of sound to explore and I did not need an amp to practice.

When I picked up my newest 500/1, all the good things about it came back to me, as well as the one fault that I had forgotten. The worst criticism that I can make about the bass was one of the features that I liked the most: The narrow fretboard. After playing it a few minutes, I remembered that the fretboard is not forgiving, that is, you have to play the bass with some restraint/finesse or you risk pushing the G string right off the neck. That's good if you are playing reservedly but if you are in a power-trio band (Cream, Hendrix, Blue Cheer), as I was, I would not recommend this guitar.

No flaws but it needs a proper set up.

Totally dependable.

The Hofner has a whole different feel from my other bass, a Yamaha BB450 long scale, Fender Jazz style bass. I learned to love the Yamaha as well but the Hofner is a sentimental favorite that can hold its own against most any other 4 string for sound and fun.

We all know the features of the Hofner Beatle Bass. You know, violin-shaped body, short scale, awesome "blade" type pick-ups. However, the other reviews I've seen here are from beginners. I bought my Hofner bass in 1968 for the outrageous sum of $335. This included a hardshell case which I have never seen another like. Mine is rectangular in shape. Dig that. The best features of the Beatle Bass are its action (string height & neck dimensions), and its weight.
You see I had started to play bass on a '64 Fender Jazz bass which was humongus beast when you're fourteen years old. But still, it was nice to have a friend whose brothers allowed me to use respectively a Fender bass & a B-15 Ampeg, thanks guys.

You're right. In 1968 when I was sixteen we played a lot of Merseybeat style music. That however turned into Cream, Hendrix, Airplane, Zepplin, Steppenwolf, Black-Sabboth, and pretty much anything that got in the way. My Hofner bass was my only bass, which was played through a 200 watt Kustom Guitar amp with 2-15" speakers in a ported cabinet (yes, it was black tuck-n-roll thank you). You could tweek the EQ on the amp(even reverb sometimes) and achieve most any sound you wanted, but the guitar itself tends to have full/deep sound which is very warm. When we had it in the studio, the producer kept telling me it sounded muddy/mushy when we miked the speaker cab. So, he gave me this 4" electrical box (you know, for electrical conduuit), which was for DI to the board. Well, he said it still sounded muddy, so I wound up using a Univox which was borrowed from a friend. I believe now the trouble was the Piccato strings I used, which even the studio producer thought sounded quite good live. Go figure. back then the only shop in Oklahoma City that sold the original Pyramid strinngs had gone out of business & besides they were $75 a set. They're still $75 a set. That is my only real dislike about the Hofner bass.

Action, fit, & finish are all superb. After playing the same guitar for 35 years there is some oxidation & worn finish on the machines and the tail-piece, but oddly enough not on the wood work. There hasn't been alot of "fiddlin with the bits" the action is pretty much as I purchased the instrument, low & fast.

In '69 another bass player said it looked like it would fall apart in a couple of years, because it was to light, it had no subtance. Well, that was 35 years ago and his P-bass was loosing its finish even then, and my Hofner looks almost as good now as it did then. The Hofner bass has only one failure as it ages, the pickguard has a tendency to curl up at the ends, which in turn pulls the tiny nails away from the bridge & neck where they secure the the ends for the small brace at the center of the pickguard. That's why I see so many older Hofner's without their pickguards. About 1971?--my switch-pack failed. I wrote Sorkin music, the importer for Hofner at that time, they sent me a new switch-pack, I use this phrase because that is what they called the control panel assy at that time, it was a mere $15. Now they're going for about $295 I think. I only paid $335 for the complete guitar w/case.

Don't know about support from the current importer/distributor but I know where to get what I need.

I've been playing guitar since my 12th B'day. Been playing bass since I was 14. I'm now 51, you do the math.
After seeing how the little beastie has appreciated over the years, I finally decided to get another bass. I was looking for a Rickenbacker, but instead found a Fender Hot-Rodded P-bass. I like it a lot, but the Hofner is like one of my favorite old friends. If something happened to it I think I would probably try to replace it, but the new ones are high dollar.

I bought my Hofner 500/1 new in 1980, although it was actually made in '78. It was made in Germany. It's the standard mild flamed wood finish that has stayed beautiful even after all of these years of hard playing. There is some weather checking and a couple of dings that still make me cringe when I look at them, but overall the finish has held up very well. The controls are two pickup switches and a "Boost" switch, along with two volume nobs. I usually play with all switches on, although you can get some interesting tones by switching them out. The pickups are the magnetic blade type that are common on this vintage of bass. I play with flat round strings to give me a little more versatility. The neck is probably one of the best features of the instrument in that it's thin and a relatively short scale. That makes playing a pleasure. If you're working hard while playing this bass, then you need to chill out a little. There's no need to! The bass is also LIGHT and the balance between body and neck is almost perfect. This bass was made with the player in mind! Of course, as with any vintage instrument the electronics are not exactly cutting edge, but I've never had any problem because of this fact. They threw the hard case in when I bought it as well, since its not like they were going to use it on any other bass. It's still doing great!

I play blues (and a little crossover rock)mainly, and I'm a little surprised that more blues players don't use the Hofner. It can give you tones that simulate an upright (due to the hollow body) and still be pushed to give to a pretty in your face growling punch. I used to use it with a Fender SuperBassman amp, but found that the sound was a little too muddy. I recently switched to a SWR Silverado Special and it was like the Hofner just came alive! My tone range possibilities became darn near endless. The bass isn't noisy at all, despite the older electronics, and the tone is rich and full. It does have problems on the bright end, but that's not what it was made for. If you want to play funk, play something else. For just about everything else, the Hofner does at least fairly well, and usually extremely well. On stage it has a great deal of presence and little trouble cutting through the rest of the band. In the studio you can run it through the amp, or straight through the board with pretty good results.

I really haven't changed the action much since I bought it. I think I lowered the bridge a bit and raised my bridge pickup some, but that was about it. I was trying to get a little more high end and it seemed to work fine. I didn't notice any flaws at all.

One thing that people who handle this bass are sure of is that it must be fragile. Well, having dragged mine around for 20+ years I can say that its really not. Of coarse it is hollow and that means that if you drop it off a building you probably are going to get firewood, but I've knocked mine around plenty with no more damage than an occasional nick in the finish. I even had a brat kid tighten a string to the point where it snapped (why, yes, I almost did kill him)but the neck stayed perfectly aligned. The finish does seem a bit thin, which leads to weather checking, but as we all know that just improves the overall tone, so I guess its not a problem. As far as reliability goes, I depend on this bass completely. I have two others, but I have seldom brought a backup to a gig. I've never had to adjust the neck, which condidering the construction of the bass is amazing!

I've never needed customer support, so I don't know....

I've been playing for about 30 years. I've also played Fender and Ibenez. I currently own an Ibenez GR bass that I use for in home use, my Hofner that I play out, a Fender strat that I write on, a Fender 12 string acoustic that I terrorize the kids with, and my first bass a pawn shop special Kingston that I wouldn't part with for anything even thought I haven't played it in years. I have the SWR amp and my old Fender Super Bassman, plus a Fender practice amp. If I lost my Hofner I would I would get another one as soon as I could! No other bass I've played fits me as well. Its so light and fun to play that I wonder why anyone would strap on a P-Bass after having tried it. By the way, you can check out my current band at www.codeblue.ws Thanks!

Bought this Bass in 1996. (Traded it in 1999 for an American Fender P-Bass Special ). Dating it by the codes on the pots revealed it was built in 1970. Short 30 " scale and narrow, fast neck. Solid German Spruce Top, Maple back & sides. Built in Germany. Two Humbucking " Blade " Pickups. Brown Sunburst finish. Maple neck. Hollow Violin-Style Body. Floating bridge & " Trapeze " tailpiece. Closed metal-housing tuners with plastic knobs. Rosewood fingerboard. Two Volumes and three slide switches, Rythym/Solo, Treble/Bass. Came with nearly-wrecked original case.....had to buy a new one fast! The Pearloid Pickguard was also on the Bass and in excellent shape.

I replaced the Hofner Flatwounds that it came with. I put on Rotosounds and of course the true " Beatle Sound " was gone, but it opened up the potential for this Bass to be utilized with other music types. At the time I was putting this Bass through a Fender BXR300C 300 Watt Combo for Gigs and using a Yorkville Bloc 80B for practice and jamming/rehearsals. I eventually went to a Yorkville BassMaster 200 for rehearsal and gigs, & a Fender BXR25 for home practice. I had gotten rid of the Fender BXR300C because it weighed 16 TONS ! The Hofner had a definitive sound-very warm, boomy, ballsy. It would have sounded better through a Tube Amp. It was definitely no good for anything remotely resembling harder rock, and wasn't great for harder Blues Rock either. The Hofner was never intended for those types of music, anyway. I didn't like the lack of sustain...par for the course for a Hollow-Body. I loved the Neck...having had a Wrist fracture earlier in 1996, this Bass was no hardship to play. This Bass weighs next to nothing. You can play onstage for 4 hours and not experience any fatigue whatsoever.

I had a Set-up done to my specifications right after purchase. I like the action low. Pickups were okay. The Bass had no apparent flaws, just a nick or two here and there incurred over many years of playing.I know Hofner are high quality hand-crafted instruments so overall this instrument was reflective of that

This Bass withstood LOTS of live playing- Gigs,Jams,Open-Stages. I would, and did use it without a backup.

Dealt with Boosey & Hawkes ( Hofner Owners), but only to get instrument dated properly.

Playing 34 years.I Own a Hofner 1963 Vintage Reissue 500/1 Beatle Bass ( A big improvement over the Vintage '70 )! I Also own a Vintage 1969 Hagstrom H II B N Bass, a 2001 Peavey Milestone IV Bass, a HOB 1977 Acoustic Guitar, a Yorkville BassMaster 200T 200Watt 2x10" Combo Bass Amp, a Yorkville BC115 1x15" 300Watt Bass Extension Speaker Cabinet, a Fender BXR25 25Watt Bass Practice Amp and a Rolls Mini-Mix System for closed-system practicing.
I have already replaced it with the '63 Reissue, which is a far superior Beatle Bass I think.

This is a review of my Hofner 500/1 Beatle Bass, made in Germany by Hofner. I bought it from a friend I nagged for a couple of years until he gave in and sold it to me. Everybody knows this guitar at first site. I beleive my model is a 1978 version, although the US guitars do not have serial numbers and you have to get an approximate date from the codes on the pots in the control panel. It has a carved spruce top and carved maple back. Very subtle flame in the maple on the back and the sides, very attractive. Classic violin style shape, this guitar is VERY light and feels fragile at first. It has the blade pickups used from 1967-1990. Great page on dating a Hofner here: http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Theater/9182/date.html
Beautiful pearloid pickgaurd with the Hofner script logo in black on it. Aside from a small amount of natural age checking in the finish, this guitar has been well taken care of, almost no wear on the frets despite having round wound strings on it when I got it. The fretboard is very narrow compared to a more traditional style Fender type bass. I usually like wide fretboards, but this thing plays magnificently! I forgot to mention that these basses are a short scale similar to a Rickenbacker 4001 bass. It came with a very well made case when I bought it from my friend. I think it was an original Hofner hardshell case, but I can find no markings on it. Look of this guitar is awesome. Wanted one of these since February of 1964. I thought when I bought it that it would be a one trick pony...big boomy Beatle thud and nothing else. But I was way wrong! Using the many different combinations of pickup switches and volume controls, not to mention picking position (varying picking distance from the bridge)I can get tons of different sounds out of this thing. I was really surprised at how versatile this guitar is. Seriously folks, this is a great tone machine. You will lose a bit of this versatility if you use flatwounds, but I find that ground roundwounds give this guitar much versatility. If you want the Paul tone though, go with the Pyramid flatwounds. More features than I first expected.

Wow! As I stated above, I am in love with this guitars tone, and the many different tones I can eek out of it. It can go from big boomy bottom to extremely bright. I am using ground roundwound strings at this time, which are brighter than flatwounds. It gives me a good cross section of tones. Most people set them up with flatwound though. Most people buy these for the Paul sound and nothing else. I actually did too until I found it could do so much more. I used to play a Fender Precision and now I have an ESP LTD bass with active pickups. Now it's gathering dust while I have such a blast playing the Hofner. Will probably sell the ESP now as I am just going to record with the Hofner. Great sounds!

I can't find any flaws other than normal wear and tear. Plays like dream. I can play most of my favorite lead guitar tricks on this thing it plays so easy. I lowered the bridge just a tad after I got it, and raised the bridge pickup a little. These pickups are HOT too! Way hotter than my old Precision. Beautiful guitar...one you just like to stare at.

Here is where I am not sure, Paul has gigged with his for eons now and it's still holding up. It just feels so light that it seems fragile. But that might not actually be the case. I think I could depend on it without a backup.

I have no idea how their customer support is, never had to deal with them.

I am primarily a guitar player, but have always had a bass, and actually this was the first guitar I ever dreamed of owning. Only took me 38 years to get one! Thats how long I have been playing. Sounds great through my amp or direct into the board. Quiet as heck. This will be my main bass for the forseeable future. I love the short scale, and I find there are no sacrifices to having a short scale bass. Others I'm sure would argue this, but this thing sustains as well as any and can get way, way down bottom end if you want it to. My favorite feature is it's look and classic design. If it were lost or stolen, I'd track the dude down. I would definitely replace it if I could cut it financially. I just wish it felt more solid, but then it wouldn't be a Beatle Bass. If you ever get the chance, spend a little time with one, you'll be surprised.

1979 German-made Beatle bass, hollow body, spruce top, maple sides and back, I think. Two single coil pick-ups. Floating bridge. Neck is hard to intonate properly, and needs frequent adjustment. But no one buys this bass for the features, except maybe for the short-scale neck and the light body (which is nice or awful depending on your taste).

Using with Fafner amp and Eden 4x10. Flatwounds a must. I always use the two pickups together to get the early Beatles' sound. It's great for that and it has no other use.

As I said, it needs constant adjustment. But I must say the finish is beautiful.

Really not at issue. As I said, you buy this for one reason only.

Great for what it does, almost useless for all else.

I bought this bass in 1980, I was in a band that did a lot of beatle covers at the time. It's a basic four string hollow body violin shaped with a tabaco sunburst finish (just like Mccartney used to use) except mine is right handed. I'm not sure what the pickups are called but they have a great sound, hotter output than my fender P bass.

If you like a bright sound, this is not the bass for you. but for a real deep bassy sound it's great. lots of bottom.

the bass was set up fine from the factory. and that's a good thing. there isn't a lot of adjustment possible with the bridge. after 20 years the finish still looks like new.

I've used it live quite a bit and it's held up fine. but not sure I'd recomend it for a traveling musician. it's very light weight and easy to play, but it just feels fragle, maybe it's because I'm used to playing a fender P bass too.

N/A

I've been playing bass (mostly as a hobby) for about 25 years. I have the hofner, a 1965 Fender P bass, and an Ibenez sound gear 5 string. I play through either my old kustom 150 tuck and roll with 2x15 cabnet, or a hartke 350 what head with 2x10 cabnet.