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The most famous bass guitar in the world?

Designed by Walter Höfner as an alternative to the upright double bass, the Violin Bass was first shown to the public at the Frankfurt Musikmesse in 1956. It leapt to worldwide fame when Paul McCartney was seen playing one with The Beatles in the early 1960s and it's not just them who were fans, it's short scale and ultra-lightweight has found favour with many professionals over the years.

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The Hofner Violin Bass

Designed by Walter Höfner as an alternative to the upright double bass, the Violin Bass was first shown to the public at the Frankfurt Musikmesse in 1956. It leapt to worldwide fame when Paul McCartney was seen playing one with The Beatles in the early 1960s and it's not just them who were fans, it's short scale and ultra-lightweight has found favour with many professionals over the years.

The sound of a Violin Bass is unlike any other bass. When used with flatwound strings it produces a distinctively deep and penetrating thud, not unlike an upright double bass. This sound can be used to emulate those pop sounds of the 1960s or slightly overdriven in a modern rock band to provide a deep driving bass. It is also commonly used today in studios for recording bass lines for dance music. Despite being one of the smallest basses available it easily produces massive bass lines and is remarkably versatile.

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Staple Nickel Pickups

The Violin Bass is equipped with a pair of Hofner Ignition Staple Nickel pickups - fitted in the neck and bridge positions. The Hofner control panel gives you detailed control over your sonic output - with a master volume pot, a master tone pot, and individual on/off switches for each pickup -, enabling you to readily switch between tight high-end tones, creamy saturated mids, and rumbling lows.

Hollowbody Design

The distinct double bass tone produced by the Violin Bass is thanks to the splendid architecture of its hollowbody design. The back and sides are crafted using flame maple, whilst the top is made using spruce. These highly resonant tonewoods generate incredible energy, which is contained within the chambered body and then translated exquisitely by the pickups. The top, back and sides have all been given a white binding to add protection against buckling or warping.

Slender Neck

Fitted to the body is a slender maple/beech/maple neck. Paired with the neck is a 22-fret rosewood fingerboard, which is decorated with dot position inlays to aid in your navigation. The unique Hofner headstock is home to the single-nickel tuners with pearl-finish buttons, which carry out the task of maintaining tuning integrity meticulously.

The Hofner Ignition Violin Bass is a timeless classic that is available to the musicians of today, and is bursting with all the features of the original but at a price to suit all budgets.