Hofner Contemporary Beatle Bass

I've had this Bass for a year now puchased new so I assume it was made in China 2007. A 22 fret, 4 string, semi hollow "Violin" shaped bodied Bass with a laminated top, 2 "staple" pups (German build) each with volume control, on-off switch and a single rythem/solo (volume boost) switch. I understand the wood used is maple with a rosewood fretboard. I decided to go for the Black finish which is very tough and has a very high quality shine, I liked the look which I think fit's better with the "contemporary" name. The bridge is a simple "floating" type held in place by the string's, the tuner's are also very vintage "open geared" type's which work ok. Altough it's a 30" scale it feels more like a regular long scale due to the location of the bridge, so it's still quite a reach down to the first fret!. The neck is paralel all the way with close string spacing which make's it easy to play. The Bass came with a lead and truss rod key.

I wanted a "vintage" sound which this Bass delivers by the "bucket load". I use it for home recording so I vary wheather I play through an amp or D.I depending on what sound I'm looking for. It's a very quiet Bass with no "hum" at all. As you would expect it give's a very hollow/woody "thud" tone with the glorious "hot spot" around the 12th fret area, very warm and rich. It also help's to use a compressor to even thing's out for recording. I'm using flatwounds which does limit the Bass a bit, I guess rounds would open up a whole new pallet of sound's but as I said I wanted "that sound" so no complaints.

The Bass came set up straight out of the box but the flatwounds it was fitted with were very nasty with no sustain or tone so I fitted "Rotosound Jazz" stings which improved the guitar greatly but required me to re-intonate the Bass due to a slightly different string gauge. The bridge does have it's limitation's because of it's vintage design but it is possible with patiance and a good tuner to set up perfictly. The string saddles are basiclly small bit's of fret wire staggered across the bridge to compensate for the different string's. These saddles are removable and can be placed in one of the slot's to obtain perfect intonation! I ended up with the G in the shortest slot and the E,A & D in the longest!
The neck on mine does'nt have side dot markers like just McCartney's so you find youself leaning forward to see what you're doing, other's I've seen have!
There are some minor flaw's in the finish but considering the cost of this Bass and coming from China, overall not bad.

Don't gig anymore so no comment but I think the absence of side marker's on the neck would be a problem in low light level's. The Bass is so light I reckon you could play for hour's unlike some other plank's I've had!

I have had no need!

I've been playing for 25 year's and have owned many Guitar's and this Bass is one of the most enjoyable I've had.
I love the look, sound and playability, a Hofner 500/1 Bass is what it is "unashamedly vintage" after all it was designed in 1955 and becuse of that I love it!

I won't repeat what the others have listed in terms of the main features (because I agree with them), but I will add that quality of craftsmanship on the model I received was surprisingly good. It's a 2008 Contemporary. The finish is superb with only one minor blimish on the side binding (very small and hardly noticeable). As previously advertised, the Contemporary Series is strikingly similar to the Vintage 63 model, with the exception of the volume knobs and switches, the stainless steel strap pegs, and the 'Contemporary Series' name plate on the headstock. As with others who have bought this model, I too, purchased authentic V63 Hofner replacement parts to give my Contemporary that "look" of the real thing and wow, it looks just like the original.

I have to admit that I did not, nor would not, specifically purchase a Hofner for its tonal qualities, but it is a nice sounding bass. For those who look to replicate the Beatles (McCartney) tone, this does well, specifically if you replace the round-wound strings with flats. I chose to keep the round-wounds because I really like the sustain they give this bass, especially with the Contemporary's unique interior sustain block. So, to me, I get the best of both worlds.

I would suspect that Hofner has a good quality control system in place at their China assembly plant because my model was in near perfect condition. I must also give credit to Stevie B's Total Guitar (St.Pete/ Clearwater FL) for a fine job of making sure I received the best one available, plus they did a superb job on the set up for me. As noted above, there was a very small minor blimish in the side binding, but so small you'd have to be inches away to notice.

The finishing coat is amazingly shiny. The wood grain, considering that this is not a V62 or V63, is gorgeous. The sunburst staining effect was well done, all around the guitar, too. As noted above, I didn't care for the factory installed stainless steel strap pegs and other parts so I replaced them with authentic Hofner cream-colored parts. In terms of reliability, I've had this bass for over a month and play the heck out of it. It's tough, durable, and light-weight which is great for me. I will say that after heavy usage I've noticed a need to re-tune, but never by much (usually just a tad flat), but that's to be expected.

I haven't dealt directly with Hofner; instead, purchasing the Hofner Contemporary Series direct from Stevie B's Total Guitar. The customer support and service at Stevie B's is fantastic.

I know the others have given a lot of "10s" on their ratings, but I'm the kind of guy who rarely gives a 10 for anything (I'm a marketing guy!!). But my 9s are an indication that this bass guitar is awesome and well worth the money. If you're like me, of course you would want the V62 or V63, but I work for a living and don't have a spare two-grand laying around the house. The Contemporary Series bass is the next best thing. Only a Hofner 'expert' would know the difference between my Contemporary and a V63, so I'm very pleased with my purchase!

This is a 2007 Hofner HCT 500/1 made in China, 22 frets with a Zero fret. As described in the other 2 reviews, this is an upgrade to the Hofner series that the company has farmed out to China to lower costs and to cut into the 'knock off' market. It has the real deal German made staple pick ups. Standard Hofner floating bridge, flamed back sustain block etc... It has white Hofner tuning pegs.

I've had this bass for a few months now. I had previously owned a German Hofner 500/1 with the 'blade' pick ups. I gotta admit, this Contemporary Series bass sounds spot on. The CT series bass comes standard with roundwound strings which I was considering restringing to Labella flats. But this bass really responds well with the rounds. With a little little tinkering of tone, I can definately get that McCartney sound. The sustain is better than the actual German reissues. Very warm tones. I play in a cover rock band and this bass can cover 90% of the material we play. There is no pick up noise. I play this bass through a Fender Bassman.

I purchased this bass new from my local dealer. She was sitting in between a '62 and '63 reissue, and to be honest, I couldn't tell it was the CT without looking at the pick up selectors and knobs. I don't have a rating for the factory set up due to the dealer setting the bass up after I purchased it. The neck is still straight as an arrow, the pick ups were set right. The dealer 'rounded' the ends of the frets off. This bass is money.

I've gigged a few shows with this bass as a back up and just whipped it out during some shows and used it for some practicies. I can depend on this baby. I'm not too sure on the stock strap buttons and not too sure where to go with a Hofner as far as locking straps. I never gig without a back up unless it's a short opening set.

I've never dealt with the company. I have a great dealer who makes sure the customer is happy and their insturments are set up properly unlike a national guitar store chain.

I've been playing for 18 years. This is my 2nd Hofner. After selling my old 500/1, I was longing for another but didn't want to pay the money for a new German one. I intend to hold onto this bass for quite a long time. If it were lost or stolen, I would definately get another CT series bass. For those of you looking for a Hofner and don't want to pay thousands? This is the one for you. The Icon is OKAY, but this bass is definately what you're looking for.

The HCT500/1 Contemporary Bass is made in China and is closely modelled on the H500/1-63 that Paul McCartney acquired in 1963, the one he still plays today. Like all Hofner bass guitars, it has a hollow body design giving it the distinctive deep, warm woody sound. The HCT has been modernised with the addition of a central sustain block to reduce feedback and of course increase sustain. The neck is maple with a rosewood fingerboard with 22 frets plus a zero fret and scale length of 30 inches.
The HCT500/1 has original twin ???Staple??? humbucker pickups which sound great. The control panel is confusing at first, but quite logical when you get used to it. There are two volume pots ??? for the treble and bass pickups and three switches. One switch (Rhythm / Solo) is basically a volume boost switch, the others are marked ???Bass On??? and ???Treble On???. ???Bass On??? actually turns off the treble pickup (giving a bass boost) and ???Treble On??? turns the bass pickup off (giving a treble boost). So when both switches are in the ???On??? position the pickups are actually both off.
The bridge is made of ebony and is floating in that the string pressure holds it in position against the body. The string saddles are fixed in the bridge so you move the whole bridge to get the best compromise intonation for all strings. There are thumb screws to adjust the action.

In a word - outstanding! I???ve read differing reports on whether you have to fit flatwounds to get that authentic Beatles warm woody ???thud??? or keep the roundwounds for versatility. I???m a massive Beatles fan, but I quite liked the resonance of the roundwound strings that it came with. However, I???ve now put flatwounds on and realise the full impact of the double-bass like thump that really does sound like the early Beatles. You can get the deep resonating thud with the bass pickup, but adding the treble pickup and using a pick enables a remarkably punchy sound that opens up the range of styles you can use the 500/1 for. I play in two bands, one playing 50???s and 60???s RnB and the other an 80???s specialist band. I think the Hofner could cover 80% of both repertoires (the only real exceptions being the Stranglers/Jam type punk bass that I will continue to use my Fender P-bass for).

This is an area where the HCT500/1 doesn???t score quite so well. The finish is great, but the set-up is not as good as I expected. I had to straighten the neck a little and even lowering the bridge all the way, the action is still quite high (compared to my Fender Precision). Also, the fixed saddles in the bridge mean that you can???t get all strings perfectly intonated. However, I???ve got it very close now and the sound is so sweet that it more than compensates! A major flaw was with that the cut-out in the nut for the E string was not deep enough to let the string touch the zero fret! I had to file it down and was very nervous about doing that. I???ve replaced the modern black pot knobs with Hofner teacup knobs which are readily available and a must for the authentic look.

I have nothing to go on yet. But I would say that the bass is much more solid feeling and robust than I expected ??? probably partly due to the sustain block. The workmanship and materials are very high quality and it came with a 2 year guarantee.

It has such a classic and distinctive look, close to the 63 model and sounds fantastic that I have to give it a big thumbs up. I love my Fender P-bass (bought it new in 1977), but I think the surprising versatility of the Hofner will make it become at least equally used for live work.

2007 Model. Made in China. This is the upscale version of Hofner's Chinese made instruments as compared to the cheaper Icon. It is nearly indistinguishable from the German made model. It has a carved back, cantelevered neck and gold Hofner logo, same as a German model. (The Icon has none of the features). The control knobs are all wrong, but teacup knobs are readily available (just ordered a pair). It also uses German made Hofner pickups. These have a solid block that runs through the body, so it is semi-hollow as opposed to the German model, which is completely hollow, thus you could articulate that you have not bought a copy, but an updated version of a classic. It is heavier than a fully hollow Hofner, but still one of the lightest basses you will ever play.

This is a one trick pony. With flatounds, it gives that wonderful warm woody sound, but don't expect it to be your main bass. I've played German Hofners and there really is not much difference in the sound, perhaps a bit more sustain. I only use tube amps and have an Ampeg SVT, a Peavey Alphabass and a Pignose B100. It sounds nice through them all.

Here's where things get a little hairy. When these first arrived in the US, I immediatly ordered one from Northcoast Music. It was allegedly "hand picked". It was an absolute mess....horrible binding on the headstock, cracks in the finish around the neck joint. For $699, it should have been much better. To Gary's credit, he gave me a full refund, less shipping. I took a chance and bought another one on e-bay for $504. It is gorgeous. So....it would appear that the quality control is spotty. These come from the factory with round wound strings (as do German Made Hofner), which sound terrible. These basses must have flatwounds to sound right.

I haven't had it long enough to make an opinion. It has a poly finish, which I much prefer over lacquer. I don't like a bass that looks old before its time. The bass came with a gig-bag, but I purchased a case ($75) on e-bay. Because of the carved back, you have to buy a case made to fit a German Hofner.

For a grand total of $619 ($504 for the bass, $75 for the case, $40 for teacup knobs), I have a bass that is pretty much indistinguishable from a German made model, has a tougher poly finish, and a semi hollow design, so it is less susceptable to feedback. Yeah, Yeah....some people need an "authentic" bass, just like the one that Sir Paul plays. I could care less about that. It gives me the look and sound I want. I will use it for about 4 or 5 songs a night (my main basses are Fender American Deluxe Jazz) and couldn't see shelling out $1800 for a new one or $1200 for a used one. If you get one....watch out for spotty production quality!!!!