Happy Jack

Looks like a 2369B to me. Does it weigh as much as a small planet? Mine had great tone but was a real shoulder-wrecker. Collectible? Well, anything is collectible I suppose. Valuable? Not much.

And as a piece of second-rate desperate-marketing bandwagon-jumping it would be hard to beat. And I say that as one of the biggest Hofner fans on this forum.

[URL=http://s1128.photobucket.com/user/h4ppyjack/media/Just%20Stuff/Sundry/longthumbnail_zpse6b9b557.jpg.html][IMG]http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m496/h4ppyjack/Just%20Stuff/Sundry/longthumbnail_zpse6b9b557.jpg[/IMG][/URL] [URL=http://s1128.photobucket.com/user/h4ppyjack/media/Just%20Stuff/Sundry/nailclippers_zps1f38f27a.jpg.html][IMG]http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m496/h4ppyjack/Just%20Stuff/Sundry/nailclippers_zps1f38f27a.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

Fair enough, but Basschatter or not that is a completely rubbish piece of relic'ing ... looks like 10 seconds with a belt sander for the upper bout, and another 10 seconds with a Dremel multi for the thumbnail wear. If you want to know what that bass should look like: [URL=http://s1128.photobucket.com/user/h4ppyjack/media/Basses%20CURRENT/Fender%20Precision%201966%20CURRENT/DSCF4281.jpg.html][IMG]http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m496/h4ppyjack/Basses%20CURRENT/Fender%20Precision%201966%20CURRENT/DSCF4281.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

I think that's the least-credible wear pattern I've ever seen on a 50-year-old bass.

By "mount", do you mean "stash at the back of the rack where no one can see them"? If so, then IME it depends on the other contents of the rack. If your amp is full depth but the tuner and wireless units are just 4" deep, then you already have a large flat surface with 2U of headroom.

[quote name='Annoying Twit' timestamp='1407270340' post='2519092'] [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Hofner-500-1-Violin-Beatle-Bass-/261553561262?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item3ce5ce9eae"]http://www.ebay.co.u...=item3ce5ce9eae[/url] The neck joint doesn't look very strong to me. [/quote] That looks like an early 1965 bass to me, in which case the neck joint lasted very nearly 50 years. How strong did you want it? The most common misconception about old Hofners is that there must be something wrong with them because the necks break. Actually they don't. All hollow-body and semi-acoustic Hofners (and Framus's for that matter) were made using traditional techniques and materials, exactly as if they were cellos or violins. That meant using natural animal glue to stick them together. Animal glue is, as you would expect, very strong. Wouldn't be much use otherwise. But it's organic, and over time it dries out and eventually turns to powder. The neck doesn't "break", it simply comes unglued and the neck gently folds away from the neck pocket. If you re-glue the neck in exactly the same way as originally, it will then last another 50 years and play beautifully. If you sink a 3" brass woodscrew through the heel of the neck and out the other side into the body (a very common 'fix' a few years back) then you will discover that (i) you've got the neck angle wrong and the bass has suddenly become unplayable, and (ii) a valuable vintage instrument just turned into firewood.

[quote name='Bilbo' timestamp='1407230451' post='2518471'] If I knew what this was about, I would moderate it's ass!! [/quote] Perhaps you start by moderating that stray apostrophe?

Hmmmm ... the idea that short-scale basses were designed for use by students (and other younger players, and kids, and players with smaller hands) would have come as something of a surprise to the many firms who produced them, and the very many grown-ups who played them. That is a shockingly Fender-centric view of things. Just as an example, all Hofner basses from the 50s, 60s, and 70s were short-scale (30.5"). That's all of them, not just the hollow-body basses, not just the violin bass. Presumably Fender's view was that Paul McCartney was a student (or other younger player, or kid, or player with smaller hands) since he didn't play a Fender.

Short-scale basses are exactly the same as long-scale (usually four strings, tuned EADG, roughly 21-ish frets, etc.) except that the scale-length is about 3"-4" shorter. The result is a thuddier sound, with more thump but less presence. If you like Warwicks, then you'll hate short-scale basses. You'll find all the same notes in all the same places.

The Zoom R16 uses the same capsules as the H2. You can use the on-board mics to record anything that you'd use an H2 for, and with exactly the same quality - no better, no worse.

Nat's version is 1961 while Frank did it in 1962. We also perform a few classics from that era. Last night we did 'Move It' by Cliff & The Shadows.

I do find it very odd that the Tobias Festl website gives no list of basses for sale and no idea of prices.

Angeline Saris, currently with Zepparella (amongst other projects) [url="http://angelinesaris.com/"]http://angelinesaris.com/[/url]

FCUK to the lot of 'em.

If we're playing to three men and a dog then we make our own entertainment. The usual level of banter gets cranked right up, and we frequently start to engage with the punters as individuals rather than as 'the audience'. You get a very different vibe to the gig, but it can be a lot of fun.

OK, not Japanese I know, but a very honest listing: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/vintage-Gherson-jazz-bass-for-spares-or-repair-/221502942909?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item33929aaebd I had one of these a few years back, and it was so light the body could have been made of balsa.