The electronics are the same as found on traditional Hofner basses which are all passive, with separate gold-capped volume knobs for each pickup, On/Off switches for each pickup, and a rhythm/solo switch that acts as a volume cut. The playability was perfect throughout the range of the neck and the responsiveness of the strings on the fingerboard was excellent. The knob towards the bottom of the bass controls the bridge pickup or treble pickup. I was quite surprised with the quality of the build - none of the complaints as with the Chinese models. Finish excellent, binding excellent, hardware spotless, etc. Sound The other two switches are labeled bass on and treble on. The bass on switch actually turns the bridge pickup off and adds a bass boost. Repeat this process, connecting the ground wire to the ground conductor tab. Using a Phillips #1 screwdriver, remove the four screws attaching the control panel to the instrument. The body of the Club bass has an archtop design that is 100% hollow, with no center block. The knob towards the headstock of the bass controls the neck pickup or bass pickup. The treble on switch turns the neck pickup off and adds a treble boost. Using your soldering iron, melt the solder connecting the ground wire to the old jack. While not overly thick, it is reminiscent of the neck of an upright bass, but proportioned for a short scale bass. Channel your inner classic bass style and see what the Hofner B-Bass has to offer you today! %PDF-1.6 % The neck on the Club bass is very comfortable. It is then the job of the pickups to translate this sound to recorded or amplified output. 2022 Gbase - All rights reserved - v5.1.4373.1 (gb1). Of course, we had to run the bass through its paces a la Paul McCartney using a pick and, of course, our trip through the Beatles catalog went on and on, from the sweet singing upper octave lines of Dear Prudence to the bass thunk of Hey Bulldog.. All of these were recorded directly into an UA Apollo audio interface with no outboard gear. The ebony bridge is easily height adjustable and the saddles can be moved to adjust for intonation and string spacing. For an impeccable instrument with vintage class, these handmade instruments will cost you in the mid $2,000-$3,000 range. There is a big difference. Due to the nature of its constructionsolid neck, hollow bodythere was obviously going to be a bit of neck dive. The Hofner Club Bass was delivered in a sturdy, form-fitting, metal, hard-shell case that kept it nice and snug on its voyage across the globe from Germany. Having previously played the fretted version of the Club bass, the fretless version actually adds a little more sustain and dimension to the notes, with the overtones emanating from the string interaction with the fingerboard. 2022 iFixit Licensed under Creative Commons Privacy Repeat this process for the other conductor. The neck is a single piece of highly figured, flamed maple, capped with a black ebony, fretless, unlined fingerboard. This is what acoustically gives the Club bass its inherent quality that enables the player to both hear the note and feel the note. 1 star or less: Not recommended, 3.6 stars or better: Outstanding, WIHO Award, Bass Guitar Effects, Pedals & Controller Reviews, Audio Interfaces, Mixers, Mic Preamps, Channel Strips, Hardware Processor Reviews, DAWs, Audio Processing & DSP Hardware Reviews, Recording/Live Sound Effects Processing Reviews, Recording/Live Sound CDs, DVDs & Book Reviews, Guitar Power Amps, Simulators & Modeling Tech Reviews, Rack Effects Processors & Guitar Synth Reviews, Drum Machines and Percussion Modules Reviews, Recording/Live Sound Audio Interfaces: USB, Thunderbolt Firewire Reviews, Recording/Live Sound Mixing Board Reviews, RJM Music Technology Mastermind PBC Audio Loop Switcher, SKB SKB-66 Deluxe Universal Electric Guitar Case, Focusrite Pro Red 8Line Thunderbolt & Pro Tools | HD Interface, Audio Interfaces, Mixers, Mic PreAmps, Channel Strips, Hardware Processors Reviews, Audio Interfaces: USB, ThunderBolt, FireWire Reviews, Album Review: dUg Pinnick, Tribute to Jimi (Often Imitated But Never Duplicated). The CT/Contemporary line, made in Asia but featuring the same German pickups, sells for under $1,000, and the entry-level Ignition series with all-Asian components is under $400. Choose a size and copy the code below to embed this guide as a small widget on your site / forum. The most stunning feature of this bass is the body wood: the top, back and sides are made entirely of birds-eye maple with a deep, golden brown, sunburst, glossy finish. However, the minimal weight of the entire bass kept this bearable. This gave us a more defined attack (as we would have expected) with a thinner tonality, but still with plenty of girth to round out the sound. The sound just gets rounder and the definition becomes more musical and less obtrusive. Buyer is responsible for return shipping unless we have made some type of error. (We chose a subtle percussion beat so it wouldnt add any bass to the track). For those of you who think you know the Hofner bass as we did before owning one, you might be tempted to draw a premature conclusion. 3 stars or better: Worth considering Using a Phillips #1 screwdriver, remove the jack plate from the bottom corner of the guitar. With bottom end tone so well defined by the instrument, you rely less on EQ processing and maintain most of the natural instrument sound. Free shipping on all orders! For our audio demos, we went through some of the settings to give you a general idea of the sound of this bass, so you can make a comparison for yourself. When we played the bass unplugged we couldnt help but feel the deep resonance in the body of the bass. As players, were rather fond of it, too. The only manipulated track was track 4, with slight compression and EQ. We also offer no-interest financing options such as PayPal (on-line) and Synchrony Credit (in-store). hb```c``Jb`a`fcb@ !FV800`i 3u[3X 0HQAac=z9u&\)WA.IP7d`qH20@dD d A pair of Hofner Ignition Staple pickups produce a classic Beatles-esque tone, brimming with power and clarity. The first switch is labeled rhythm/solo which, in the rhythm position, adds a resistor to the output to reduce the output. endstream endobj startxref It is recommended that you review a guide to basic soldering before proceeding, as the step-by-step soldering procedure in this guide is not all-inclusive. The Hofner 500/2 Club Bass is a vintage vibe hollow body bass guitar handmade in Germany with fine craftsmanship and detail. 325 0 obj <>stream Place the components in your container in order to keep track of them. Dig deeper into the Club Bass and you will find an instrument that can sit nicely in any classic rock tune, ballad, blues jam, jazz trio, etc. At all settings, the Hofner Club bass had no noticeable audio noise. Furman P-1800 PF R Power Conditioner - A difference you can actually hear, Pedalboard Power Supplies & Accessories Reviews, Bill Hubauer: Keyboards & Vocals in The Neal Morse Band, Why Your Next Studio Macintosh Will Possibly be a PC Running Windows. Repeat this process for the second conductor tab. Stock configurations of the Hofner Club bass guitar made in Germany sell for between $2,500-$3,200, while customized instruments (like our birds-eye maple and custom inlays) can set you back as much as $4,000. As we plucked further toward the neck, the sound rounded out even more. Documentation and Product Support There are subtle side dots and side fret markers to give the player a hint of a reference for those insecure fretless intonation moments, but they do not take away from the full frontal aesthetics. In solo mode, the resistor is switched out of the circuit so that it can be used to give the output a boost. When we finger plucked over the neck pickup, we achieved the most upright-like tone you could probably ever get from a short scale electric bass, and the fretless fingerboard made it ever more convincing. We accept all major credit cards and PayPal via our website, telephone, or in-store. Locate the jack if it has fallen inside the guitar. Per our request, the bass arrived with Pyramid black, tape-wound strings (for those who have never experienced these, they are just like flatwounds, but instead of flat metal wire as the final wind, they are wrapped with a smooth, flat black nylon tape). To keep with the tradition, the Club is a short scale bass at 30 with 22 frets. The combination of the two pickups is where the magic happens. There are three slide switches on the control panel. I bought it from a brick and mortar store so I could play a while and give it the once over without the stress of mail order. Haven't replaced the strings yet, but they're on order. Obviously, the Club Bass might not be for every player or every musical situation, and we certainly wouldnt suggest using one of these basses for extreme metal, but then again you never know! This was the guitar+case package that was offered a while back, so maybe that run was different. Avoid contact. Samples 1, 2 and 3 are virtually the same bass line that showcase the bass pickup only, treble pickup only and both pickups together. Our Hofner 500/2 Club Bass is a custom fretless version with some options that make this particular bass very unique, but we spent considerable time delving into the fine details of this model in general that define its voice and give it more dimensions than you might be aware of. Secure the wire using the helping hands tool. Although we are quite familiar with Hofner basses, we were still overwhelmed by the wow factor upon opening the case, and we were hopeful that the bass would play and sound as amazing as it looked. Maintaining contact between the iron and wire, carefully apply solder to the conductor. Proceed with soldering only when working in a well ventilated area. 2 stars or better: Suited to specific needs To be specific, we plugged it into the Tech 21 Formula 21 all-tube bass preamp. This bass features a gorgeous spruce top on a flame maple back and sides, complete with a C-profile maple/beech/maple neck with a rosewood fingerboard. f.nM3cV wS3-g TAoFA5$]}jXxW$}-yqwwzujtbWX7[EZBp47ij}+XoS$G}K!U@lOlIds&E3S_&LD8^>:_PC-K `M2@K)ABdXn/h>F^I_$|EEop~8{ wz9~$r`yZ)@19= Cxv]#mKD O_ / o When you buy products through links across our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. February 9, 2014 was the official 50th anniversary of The Beatles first performance in America on The Ed Sullivan Show. When soldering, the tip and shaft of the soldering iron will become extremely hot. Then, strip the wire so it looks similar to the wire in the red box. If youd like to get a taste of Hofner goodness, you do have a few other options. While they might not be intuitive based on what we have gotten used to from more modern basses, Hofner has kept the controls consistent with their vintage design. endstream endobj 301 0 obj <>stream H_k01T?Kkl}(tD^8jk*n}GsuT. Anyway, just a heads up that there are a couple of different builds out there. The tape-wound strings bring the tone closer to an upright bass sound (which is the desired effect for this bass), and contrary to some individual tastes and expectations, the tape wounds minimize slightly the electric fretless bass swell effect. Also as a result, a few generations of self respecting music fans who spy a particular bass guitar in the shape of a violin cant help themselves but chime in with that know-it-all comment, Hey look! The neck is set into the body at the 16th fret position with a white heel cap matching the white/black/white body binding. The price may sound high for a specialized electric bass, but keep in mind that these are handmade instruments featuring impeccable craftsmanship, produced in small quantities, with a design that has clearly stood the test of time. \Q Rs)XM5VsD We have personally dubbed this Club Bass the hip-hop/R&B/funk/soul secret weapon.. h[o07MJ@E*.x5$(1R=v--er|>9pA pFvgDwrA BCk[ SIK[}|sv>8n"W,-|qM!O Not sustain, but resonance. But read on! Thank you Gearspace.com members for 20 years. The neck pickup is placed right at the edge of the fingerboard while the second pickup is placed as far back as possible toward the bridge. Touch the hot wire to the hot conductor tab and heat with the soldering iron until they melt together. This will require the use of a soldering iron. We loved playing hip-hop/funk/soul on the Club bass. With 73 million viewers, there is no doubt regarding their impact on the world of music and culture as we know it, from their classic songs to their iconic images. In pre-purchase research, all I saw was comments on the Chinese build. Accessibility. With a bit of compression and a slightly mid-scooped EQ setting, the Club bass delivers some sticky grooves with a lot of natural bottom end. With an appropriately adjusted strap, any concern about neck dive disappeared and we came to really appreciate the almost gravity-defying instrument, and how angry it must make chiropractors worldwide. Pull the jack and attached wire through the jack hole. Otherwise, a re-stocking fee may be assessed. At first, it seemed almost unnatural to plug the Hofner Club bass into a direct box so we didnt. Apply the iron to the first conductor tab to heat it. Our headstock came with an extra special toucha unique diamond and trapezoidal mother of pearl inlay. The Hofner 500/2 Club Bass is a four-string hollow body instrument with set neck construction. As always, feel free to contact our store for more details, or with any questions. hbbd```b``"`r-d. This bass is in Very Good condition, with the only issues to point out being some minor scratches at the neck joint and a little bit of fret-ware. The pickups are traditional Hofner staple style humbuckers. Put the second nut on the shaft, tightening with a crescent wrench. It's really sets up well, plays and sounds great. The controls have two volume potentiometers. Warning. If you are looking for that familiar Hofner bass look and sound, the Club Bass puts it right there at your fingertips with its full visual and sonic glory. You may return your purchase for a full refund within 14 days provided it is returned in the same condition with the original packaging, accessories, and documentation. The Hofner Club bass came with a nice, color information booklet that provides information on the instrument controls, design and construction, care and maintenance, and a nice synopsis of the Hofner company history. Album Review - Mitch Gallagher - Foundation! The advantage the Club bass has over the Violin bass is the larger chamber, which significantly adds to this resonance. In this guide, we will demonstrate how to solder a new output jack on a Hofner Bass Guitar. Sample 4 is an example of what we might use for a hip hop/R&B track. When sitting with the bass without a strap, even though it has a larger body than the violin bass, it is still relatively small. Using your wire stripper tool, cut the end of the wire off. I was at the local Sam Ash the other day and saw the Icon being made in Indonesia, too. 317 0 obj <>/Filter/FlateDecode/ID[<7401056EDA9BCC49B82803396FC2683B><0D037AE7397BA540A9E1B5F4627D3B45>]/Index[297 29]/Info 296 0 R/Length 102/Prev 229452/Root 298 0 R/Size 326/Type/XRef/W[1 3 1]>>stream We then switched to the bridge pickup alone. The estimated fret life remaining is at 95%. All of the hardware on this bass is gold including the individual tuning machines, bridge, and the necks traditional, staple-type, Hofner pickups and trapeze tailpiece, giving this package an extremely elegant look. Its the Paul McCartney bass! Although the bass under painless scrutiny here is a close cousin of the famed Beatle Bass, the Hofner 500/2 Club Bass Guitar has a life and personality all its own that players would do well to explore and embrace, even if theyre not interested in playing classic cover tunes. Now we will proceed to solder the components. If you get the chance to experience these basses up close, however, you will experience why the cost isnt unreasonable. The Hofner passive bass circuit hasnt changed much since its early days. The Hofner Club bass comes with a two year limited warrantee on material defects and workmanship unrelated to wear and tear. Secure the jack using the helping hands tool. As we shifted our plucking toward the bridge the sound became round and fat, with plenty of evidence of the initial string attack. 0 Terms The Club body design makes it a more comfortable bass to play in seated positionas opposed to its 1956 predecessor, the violin-style Beatle bass, and its larger sound chamber gives it a more resonant tone. 297 0 obj <> endobj The bass itself has no variable tone controls on it, and when playing through the preamp, we kept the tone controls flat with minimal gain to capture as clean of a sound as possible. We plugged it right into a tube preamp! Put the first nut on the output jack shaft. B`R:H2:@M} 6;WqHh*?_ 8 3.6 stars or better: Outstanding, WIHO Award When playing a Club bass, the musician has to understand that the principle sound of these basses is more akin to an upright bass than that of the solidbody electric bass. We ship to the continental US only --no international shipping. I recently purchased one of the cheapie Hofner violin basses and found it was made in Indonesia. Bottom line: The Hofner Club bass is any sound engineers dream with its strong fundamental, definition, and tone. We think of these basses as classical stringed instruments designed in an electric bass form which shouldnt come as a surprise since Hofner has been making violins since 1887 (and this model was first released in 1965). Our first sensation taking the bass out of the case was just how feather light the bass was! You just might develop a new fascination and appreciation. After playing the bass for a little bit and salivating over the sounds we were hearing, we performed a few slight adjustments to the instruments setupcompletely expected given the climate change and overseas shipping. Were talking about the vibration of the instrument lasting while the string is plucked and vibrating with a short decay after the string stops. A white pearloid, floating pickguard and control plate top off this masterpiece. %%EOF endstream endobj 298 0 obj <> endobj 299 0 obj <>/ExtGState<>/Font<>/ProcSet[/PDF/Text/ImageC]/XObject<>>>/Rotate 0/StructParents 0/TrimBox[0.0 0.0 595.276 841.89]/Type/Page>> endobj 300 0 obj <>stream Heat one of the conductors with the soldering iron. The beauty of the Hofner sound is the initial defined attack of the string being plucked followed by this resonance. We typically ship via UPS Ground, but some smaller packages (like strings) will go US Postal Service. Replay Guitar Exchange offers this Indonesian-made 2017 model Hofner B-Bass Hi-Series violin electric bass guitar, in a Vintage Sunburst color with a pearloid pickguard. We got the action very easily to the prescribed 2-3mm at the 12th fret with a slight, uneventful tweak of the truss rod and a simple bridge height adjustment.