This particular model, however, is left-handed, so lefties who want to use it don’t have to worry like McCartney did back in the day.Īnother detail many Hofner violin reviews point out about this product is its small size and light weight. This made McCartney choose this bass guitar as its shape will not make it look awkward to be played left-handed.
Unlike other electric guitars that have specific cut-away designs that will better emphasize the dominant hand of the player, its violin design features a more symmetrical look. Lots of bassists were attracted by its sound, making it a popular choice right from its release in 1956. So even as a semi-acoustic bass guitar, it has a very rich tone. It was crafted to have a similar sound to the traditional double bass. There are several things that make the Hofner violin bass the icon that it is today. Hofner Violin Review: Just How Amazing is This Instrument? They also offer some of the best violin bows in the market today. The country’s reputation when it comes to manufacturing and the long legacy of the brand as a stringed instrument manufacturer guarantee fantastic products that are hard to rival.Īside from guitars, they also offer the best violin for beginners to professionals, ukuleles, cellos, violas, and even double basses. Since Hofner is from Germany, quality can be expected. They have skyrocketed to fame when The Beatles’ Paul McCartney used their violin bass guitar. They have been creating musical instruments since 1887.
KG, simply referred to by many as the Hofner brand, is one of the most famous names in the stringed instrument industry. Some consider them as imitations of the Hofner brand’s, especially since most of them are way more affordable. There are actually quite a number of other guitar manufacturers that offered their own violin basses over the years. The Hofner violin is not alone in the violin bass guitar department. Newer ones have the more conventional bridge/neck pickup placement. The earlier models called the ‘Cavern basses’ after the Cavern Club where McCartney used this particular model, have pickups closely placed together. Since its introduction in 1956, there have been several iterations of the Hofner 500/1. It also comes with an adjustable ebony bridge, a distinctive control layout with two rotary knobs and three sliding knobs. And while it’s an electric bass, it’s built in the traditional way, similar to an acoustic guitar. While it doesn’t have soundholes, it’s still classified as a hollow-body instrument, referred to as a ‘semi-hollow bass’. It’s build and features are also very appealing to bass players, so it’s easy to see why it’s a big hit.Īside from its design, its build also makes the Hofner violin bass quite interesting. But in reality, it’s not just the fact that it was one of the top picks of a famous rockstar that shot this electric bass guitar to fame. Of course, it also helped that Paul McCartney of The Beatles famously used this specific electric bass during the heyday of the band in the 1960s, further giving it great renown. This is the case with the Hofner 500/1 as the way it’s fashioned after a violin allows it to stand out from the crowd. Such a feature has a large contribution to the most iconic ones as their unique appearance helps set them apart from others. Lots of string instruments have very distinct looks. Hofner Violin Review: A Different Kind of Violin