Muthawhat Posted March 6, 2010 Share Posted March 6, 2010 1958 (We believe) hofner senator semi acoustic.. flame maple, all original parts other than an earth wire replacement, 1345 serial number on the sticker inside.. pics below or condition etc (i apologise for the rubbish attempt of a photo of the sticker... camera was having none of it) Basically just wondering what its value would be? Was given it by guitarist in my band to use, I love it lots but now I need to get a bigger rig and this isn't part of it Want to put it in the for sale section, but I know part of the rules is a price.... any help would be most appreciated thank you in advance Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muthawhat Posted March 6, 2010 Author Share Posted March 6, 2010 No one? I just dont want to put it at a stupily high or low price Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
99ster Posted March 6, 2010 Share Posted March 6, 2010 As far as I know that's not a 1958 Senator - the dagger logo on the headstock wasn't introduced until 1964 & in fact I don't think they even started making Senator basses until 1963. There are other far more knowledgeable Hofner geeks (paging 'Happy Jack') on here who will hopefully add some more info... It looks like it has had all the finish stripped off the neck & body, it's got an extra button added that's not original, and is missing the Hofner badge. They are great old basses - but even when all original & in good condition they never fetch more than £300-400 - so this one maybe £200-ish? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schnozzalee Posted March 7, 2010 Share Posted March 7, 2010 Beautiful, calling Happy Jack!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muthawhat Posted March 7, 2010 Author Share Posted March 7, 2010 Thanks for the replies! Any more help would brilliant... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Jack Posted March 7, 2010 Share Posted March 7, 2010 That's a 1964 Hofner Senator that's been subject to a certain amount of messing about. The finish is clearly not original. These basses were usually Tobacco Sunburst though there were some Blondes (I had one of each), and yours appears to have been stripped. Given the binding, I'd guess that it has been subject to a "proper" re-fin at some point. That would also explain the perfect finish on the headstock, and the missing plastic Hofner logo (you can see the two small holes where it would have been glued). The scratchplate is long gone, as you'd expect, but someone has fitted a selector switch where it used to be. That's bad news. Not only is it a non-reversible mod in the sense that the bass can no longer be fully restored, but it also suggests that they buggered up the wiring. Why would a single-pickup passive bass need a selector switch? What horrors are lurking beneath? The other factor affecting price is the bass's playability. Is the action ridiculously high? Has the neck moved or bowed badly? Is there evidence of repair work around the heel joint? If the intonation is badly out, don't forget that Hofners used floating bridges. It was very common for these to get knocked slightly out of position and to need to be tapped back to where they belonged. Value? A 1964 Senator in mint, all-original condition might fetch as much as £500. If sold to a novice, yours might go for £400 or so. To anyone who knows Hofners, this wouldn't be worth more than £250 and even then that's because you could part it out for £200. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skankdelvar Posted March 7, 2010 Share Posted March 7, 2010 All collectability issues aside, that's really quite a pretty bass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muthawhat Posted March 7, 2010 Author Share Posted March 7, 2010 THanks jack that was really helpful, I also wondered about the selector switch! but, the action is really quite low, playability is certainly not an issue with it at all! It's a pleasure! When my friend got it, it was a tatty sunburst, he emailed pictures of it to a hofner website which I have forgotten the name of and he was told it was supposed to be blonde, he is a guitar tech with some pretty good skills so took upon him self to take it back to blonde. Either way, it's a lovely guitar... Wouldn't want to part with it for peanuts, so I'm glad it has some value. If truth be told I would love to keep it as an almost decorative piece in my house but definately time for some new gear and it's my only asset at the moment so thanks again chaps, I shall pop up a for sale thread and see what happens Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Jack Posted March 7, 2010 Share Posted March 7, 2010 Bear in mind that a 1964 semi-acoustic doesn't just work for 60's pop stuff. Used properly, that bass will also offer great blues and reggae/dub sounds. The biggest problem with actualling using vintage semi-acoustics is feedback. Those instruments were designed for use with a single WEM Dominator (or similar) being shared by the whole band. So that's maybe 17W being shared by two guitars and a bass. The last time I tried to use one of my vintage Hofners (a 500/5 as it happens) in a real gig situation, I was standing in front of a pair of Eden D210XLT's ... it wasn't a good combination. If you're in a band that puts everything through the PA and just has on-stage foldback, that could be a great bass for you. To see the Hofners I own or have owned, follow the link in my sig (below). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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