A Quick reputation for the Höfner 500/1 Violin Bass
That is a brief overview of the famous bass therefore we can’t explain every modification and modification that has been built to it within the years it is often in production. Nor is it feasible to go over every one of the people that are many organizations that have added to its passage through history.
The bass was created by Walter HГ¶fner in 1955 and first demonstrated to the public in the Frankfurt Musikmesse into the springtime of 1956. It appears that Walter’s intention would be to make a bass electric electric guitar that might be attractive to players associated with the upright bass (dual bass) who not desired to carry such a large hefty tool around to try out in beat and jazz groups. He additionally designed the bass so your construction technique could be familiar towards the employees at HГ¶fner who was simply violins that are making years. So we got a bass with the design and form perhaps maybe not unlike a classical instrument that is stringed built in very similar means, hollow bodied, arched topped and a collection in throat. Walter utilized elements from the HГ¶fner electric electric guitar line and adpated these for the bass, therefore it got the familiar ebony connection, the cable tailpiece, the oval control interface, the black colored club pickups. He’d utilized most of these on his Club guitars the before year.
The model Violin Bass in 1955. It varies somewhat from manufacturing models since it possesses scrachplate that is black control board while the logo design regarding the human body is regarding the top bass bout, perhaps not underneath the tailpiece. The headstock form additionally seems to be slightly dissimilar to the last manufacturing design.
The Violin Bass gets its debut that is public at Musikmesse in 1956. It really is regarding the end of this front side row with a HГ¶fner 126 (Club) electric guitar to its right. During the dining dining dining table is Wanda HГ¶fner (Walter HГ¶fner’s spouse) with, presumably, a client.
Today we do not understand if anyone paid any focus on this new bass that is little. Maybe they did as a power bass electric guitar ended up being, in 1956, a significant brand new thing!
From its delivery in 1956 the 500/1 Violin Bass has encountered numerous modifications. These have actually virtually all concerned equipment modifications, your body staying practically similar, even though the throat has became slimmer. The next is a quick summary regarding the modifications made.
1956The very first batch of basses had the pickups “wide spaced”, that is one because of the throat and something by the connection.
1957Either in belated 1956 or early 1957 the connection pickup had been relocated up to the neck. We do not understand why it was done, presumably to enhance the tone.
1959The oval control interface modifications towards the rectangular kind. This modification ended up being made hiki on all Höfner guitars and basses from 1958 onwards.
1960The “black club” pickups change to “Toaster” kinds. Truss rods now utilized in the throat.
1961The “Toaster” pickup is changed by the “Cavern” kind pickup. The control board makes use of cream pearloid and also the pickguard changes from tortoiseshell to cream pearloid. Laminate tops in the place of solid tops begin to be used.This may be the famous “Cavern” bass – Paul McCartneys very first HГ¶fner in 1961.
1962The “Cavern” pickup modifications into the “Diamond Logo” kind. The pickup that is treble down beside the connection. The headstock logo modifications now uses the HГ¶fner script logo design as being a decal
1963The “Diamond Logo” pickups are replaced by the “Staple” kind. Two piece necks begin to be utilized, although not on all basses. Solitary tuners begin to relace the type that is 2-on-a-strip McCartney got their 2nd bass in 1963. He still utilizes it at evey concert.
1964The throat gets binding that is white. The decal logo design is changed with a 3D white and plastic logo that is gold
1965-66The control interface gets larger. The pickup mounts switch to a kind height that is making easier but what this means is the most effective has got become routed to accomodate the pickups. a smaller tailpiece has become utilized, this being typical into the Club bass additionally.
1967-72The pickups switch to the “Blade” kind. New enclosed kind tuners are utilized. By 1968 the raised logo design shall alter back again to a decal in gold. Steel tuner buttons are getting to be utilized.
1970s midThe switches from the control interface modification to thinner type that is black. The höfner is had by some basses logo design in the pickguard. Mind logo design modifications to silver script decal.
1970s lateKnobs on control interface switch to black colored kind. Höfner logo design stamped in the pickups disappears.
1980s”Blade” pickups changed towards the 1965/66 kind on some basses. Control interface continues to be the same.(The guitar into the image is lacking its pickguard.)
1990″Blade” pickups once more utilized. Pickguard is screwed to human anatomy top in the place of making use of mails that are fixing is provided from Japan as German supply is not any longer available.
Through the belated 1980s and early 1990s pressure was placed on HГ¶fner, from Japan and also the United States Of America, to make a “content” associated with the 1963 bass as utilized by Paul McCartney. This is maybe perhaps not, but, this type of easy task. All of the initial companies of parts within the 1960s that are early disappeared so lots of elements had been unavailable. Perhaps the pearloid utilized for the control panel and pickguard could never be acquired. HГ¶fner did their finest to fulfill these demand and lots of variations had been produced when it comes to market that is japanese. None nevertheless, had been just like a 1963 bass.
Around 1990 a uk guitar dealer became included while they wished to create a reproduction regarding the 1961 “Cavern” bass. They worked along with HГ¶fner and in 1992 the very first re-issue basses had been launched. It was the model that is h500/1-61 also referred to as the V61 Cavern Bass.
And thus started the re-issues. Whilst the V61 “Cavern” had been developed with Music Ground HГ¶fner had been taking care of producing a bass that could be much like Paul McCartney’s bass. The end result had been the V63 re-issue, launched during the early 1990s. This is a exemplary bass, nevertheless the specification had not been just like McCartneys. Further work will be needed before this is accomplished, utilizing the V62 fundamentally launching.