The Hofner Beatle Bass: A Short History

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Before you fill the comment section, yes, I know, this turned out to be a history of Sir Paul McCartney's use of the Hofner 500/1 bass guitar...but really...how could it be anything else. I've tried to give you a good helping of that, sound examples and a bit of history all rolled in one. Hope you dig it.
Keith

[mvp]

That set list taped to the bass was the Beatles' final concert from their touring days at Candlestick Park in San Francisco - notice the songs are not from the rooftop concert. This is also well-documented elsewhere.

[hewitc]

One of the most successful music groups of all time and they mainly used second rate/less expensive instruments, like the Hoffner or Epiphones

[leokimvideo]

The set list on Paul's bass is from a earlier period of the Beatles. I suppose as time goes on the story gets more and more distorted. That Hofner with the Beatles setlist is one of the most desired Basses in music history, it's basically priceless.

[bluesmavin]

Jamaican bassist Robbie played a Beatle bass extensively throughout his career. He toured with Peter Tosh, Bunny Wailer, and Black Uhuru, among others. He also laid down countless studio tracks. He got a big powerful bass sound with his Hofner.

[Kevin-the-Just]

If you meant the UK 60s TV music show, it was actually called ' Ready STEADY Go'. I had the pleasure of seeing the Bootleg Beatles recently and their 'Macca' was using a Hofner 'Beatle Bass'. The sound of it is definitely part of the whole Beatles sound.

[honkytonkinson]

A famous stolen instruments episode would be cool!

I wonder how Paul felt about his first custom bass being stolen? And from a world class studio! Kinda makes me nauseous thinking about it

I don’t leave gear anywhere, and usually don’t loan anything, cause I don’t want to lose anymore gear!

[aaronsearle]

The rooftop concert wasn’t at Abbey Road. It was at 3 Savile Row, which was the Beatles’ base of operations. Also, I believe the set list taped to the bass is from Candlestick Park in San Francisco (the final show on their final tour in 1967).

[scalzmoney]

In the Get Back film someone asks Paul at one point whether he wants his Rickenbacker bass. He grabs the Hofner and says "No. I'll use this one. It's lighter." As stated, they also had been sent a bunch of new Fender stuff but they didn't seem that particular (at least on camera) about it either way. So, I don't know if the reasons they chose gear went beyond superficial, or at least simpler things like weight and familiarity.

[NLBassist]

Thanks, Keith! Well documented. Nick Wass, he worked at Höfner, is a good friend and he wrote the article for my bass mag. I translated it to Dutch and original English one was used by his permission - and offered to them by me - by Bass Player. A nice collab. He wrote the book The Complete Violin Bass Story with Steve Russell and I recommend that for the true nerds! Nick knows so much about the basses and he worked on Paul's basses.

[Valvey]

Paul said somewhere that the key to playing that bass was to play it lightly and let the amp do the work. It doesn't look like an instrument that you would attack like, say, Flea.

[drbluzer]

My old roommate "Rick" from around 1978 to 1983 found a circa 1960's HOFNER BASS in a pawn shop for $200.00
around 1981 and he said that I could have it if I paid him $100.00 ( half the cost ), which I gladly did ! I loved that bass
as all four of my fingers could easily fit on the fretboard ! I got my Assocites Degree in Electronics Engineering
Technology in 1982 but by the time I graduated, I couldn't get a job in my chosen field so in 1983 I signed up to join
the Navy and I became active duty in early 1984 . I told "Rick" that he could borrow my HOFNER BASS while I was in
the Navy as I was going to be stationed overseas . He left that bass over at his parent's house and in 1996 or 1997
there was a flood which totally destroyed my bass ! I cried at my loss and I thought that I may never have another
HOFNER BASS like the one that I owned . Fast forward to around 2002 as I found a "retro" version of that HOFNER
BASS, which had the words "B BASS" up by the nut (string guide) at a Jacksonville, Florida strore called "THE GUITAR
CENTER" . I gladly paid the $400.00 price to have my HOFNER BASS back . This time no one is borrowing my bass !!!

[stephenfisher]

I never wanted a Hofner . Till I ran across a Chinese one on a MUST GO!! sale for under $275 . WOW I WAS BLOWN AWAY . what a nice little bass I LOVE IT. Made in china designed in Germany. Its my finger plucking bass. I don't beat it like my my P bass (don't think the HOF can handle a thumpin.) If you run across a cheap Hof get it you won't regret it.

[timmmcdonald]

I have 4 basses and two of them being precisions. I have tried many basses out in my life time. I’m not really what one would call a bass player but you know, when you record everything yourself, you tend to do those things. Since 1998 when I got a 58 longhorn short scale, that is the bass that is always present on any of my recordings. The Danelectro signature punchy sound, nothing else compares to it for me. Each there own, but the longhorns never really get appreciation they deserve.

[GearGasms]

I have an inexpensive one of these and it plays great with flatwounds. Great stuff as always!

[OktoberFilms]

What a perfect timing of this video. After not looking at my Hofner bass in months, I picked it up earlier today and played a couple of tunes. Thought, I need to do this more often. Such a lovely instrument. As I went into the kitchen to make dinner, I opened the iPad (I often watch videos while I cook) and here was a brand new video on this fantastic instrument and it was by Five Watt World! Synchronicity does seem to be real. Now you just need to make a video on it’s brother, the one used by Tina Weymouth of Talking Heads and many others.

[Terribleguitarist]

My dad has had his 63 since it was new. Still one of my favorite basses to play.

[rustedsunday]

This bass inspired me to play bass. Every other bass I saw I thought looked ugly so this was the only bass I liked. I didn’t buy one until I saw Paul McCartney live. That’s what truly inspired me to start playing but even before I wanted a violin bass. I ended up getting a rogue vb100. I now have many basses and 5 of which are violin basses (3 are hofners). I still love violin basses and find them to be the most beautiful basses.

[jkinthewind]

I have the contemporary model, so semi hollow. I'm a guitar player so the short scale was perfect for me. The fact that it sounds so good is just a bonus!

[carlmontney]

Great video. Being a bassist I enjoyed this one.

One thing that's always surprised me are all of the Japanese import basses that were basically copies of the Hofner beatle bass.

Those are harder to manufacture than a typical solid body bass, yet the manufacturers made thousands of them anyways.

That just goes to show the power that the Beatles had. One picture of Paul playing that Hofner and everybody wanted to have a bass that looked like that.

[jasonbates]

I love this type of content: music and history, 2 of my favorite things