500/1-62 Reissue Violin Bass

Hofner 500/1-62 Reissue Violin Bass £1285

This faithful reissue shows that the infamous Violin bass can still hold its own nearly half a century on

The MusicRadar Team, Tue 23 Oct 2007, 12:09 pm UTC

The 500/1 Violin's pearloid control centre

Manufacturer's description

Based on Paul McCartney’s 1962 Violin Bass, the ’62 bass has delighted Hofner aficionados by replicating details of the original. For example, the “strip” machine heads, the slot-head screws on the hardware, and the two-piece neck are authentic touches that connect this instrument to an earlier time. In the Vintage ’62 Höfner has created a replica of Paul’s bass historically accurate enough to satisfy even the most demanding Beatles fan.

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MusicRadar rating

4.5 of 5

Pros

Classic design. Balanced sound over entire board. General ‘wow’ factor.

Cons

The lack of decent strap buttons will be annoying to some.

The bottom line

If you're looking for a bass with that 'wow' factor then the Violin Bass is one of the best out there: distinctive looks, feel, sound and delivery, it really has got the lot; and while it retains many of the idiosyncrasies of the original, we think this a good thing.

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