The Höfner HI-BB-SE-L-SB Violin Bass Ignition SE Left-Hand (Sunburst) is a 4-String Left-Handed Electric Bass which offers all the virtues of the 70s Violin Bass at a surprisingly attractive price. The combination of the small Resonance Body with Spruce Top and the Short 30" Scale not only promises extremely soft playability, but also creates the basis for the typical Warm Violin Bass Sound. Through the Bass Amplifier, 2x Höfner Ignition Staple Pick-Ups together with the authentic Höfner Circuitry provide a flexible Sound Spectrum. Authentic Hardware is in the form of a Höfner Fretted Bridge with Compensated Tailpieces, a Trapeze Tailpiece and precise Vintage-Style Teacup Machine Heads complete configuration the Höfner HI-BB-SE-SB Ignition Special Edition.
I have had guitars for the most of my life but with age I have found, in my case, forming chords, etc. is not as easy as it use to be as my fingers are not as agile as they were. Playing bass guitar has opened up my enjoyment of guitars once again and the Hofner Violin Bass is a favourite of mine.
I absolutely love this bass, it sounds so different to most other basses.
However, there are a couple of issues worth mentioning.
The old fashioned floating bridge design is tricky to intonate properly and why on earth Hofner fit these with roundwound strings I'll never know. This is bass made for flatwound strings.
Because of this, it does take some work to get the best out of this bass but it's definitely worth it.
It looks great, sounds great, it's cheap and it's a joy to play.
As a big Beatles fan who wanted to learn the bass, getting a Hofner violin bass was a no brainer. Have enjoyed getting my teeth into the art of bass playing and this guitar is great as I have relatively small hands and short arms. Not sure if I will change to flatwounds as many reviews suggest. Happy with purchase and you could hang this baby on the wall as a piece of art!
As a Beatles fan, I have been looking to own a Hofner violin bass for the longest time, but they're hard to come by in Singapore where I live. Finally found a dealer with the best price and the most competitive shipping rates and decided to place my order. Shipping was fast despite all that's happening in the world at the moment. Ordered on 7th Feb and received in exactly a month.
The bass arrived in pristine condition, in its original box, but set up nicely to play right out of the box. The tone is exactly what you expect from a Hofner, and the workmanship is surprisingly fantastic for a lower end model.
I'm having a lot of fun playing this bass, looking forward to restringing it with a set of Rotosounds in future.
First time I've used dv247, but it won't be the last. Fantastic from start to finish, the lowest price i could find for this Hofner violin bass, fast (and free!) delivery and a brilliant guitar to boot. I expected an entry level guitar for this price, but on the contrary it played great straight out of the box and instantly delivered those 'Macca' tones. Thanks, I'll certainly be back. Happy New Year. Pete.