Hofner Bass Guitars

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The Ventures!

Postby abstamaria » Thu Oct 13, 2011 10:51 am

Here's the late Bob Bogle. former lead and then bass guitarist of the The Ventures (one is obliged to introduce Bob in a Shadows forum), with his Hofner bass guitar. Apparently, he used one for some years during the band's Mosrite era. You're in good company, Anna.

Andy

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Bob Bogle with a Hofner
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Re: Hofner Bass Guitars

Postby cockroach » Fri Oct 14, 2011 10:16 am

That looks like Trini Lopez with the Ventures?

ecca- love your Gibson EB 1 fretless copy- terrific woodwork on the body, looks just the business!

I have had loads of basses over the years myself, including a very early Hofner Violin bass with the plain black plastic covered pickups and four rotary knob tone and volume controls on the round control plate.

Most of the older stype short scale basses (usually with flatwound strings and a neck position pickup) had rather limited tone range compared with the Fenders..but as someone else said, they suited the music at the time..
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Re: Hofner Bass Guitars

Postby Dranna » Wed Dec 14, 2011 4:38 am

Last night, my trusty Hofner and I went and played country! I had never played with this band before, but it was fun! My apologies for the non-Shadows content.

Anna

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Re: The Ventures!

Postby JimN » Wed Dec 14, 2011 11:54 am

abstamaria wrote:Here's the late Bob Bogle. former lead and then bass guitarist of the The Ventures with his Hofner bass guitar. Apparently, he used one for some years during the band's Mosrite era. You're in good company, Anna.
Andy


As someone else noted, that looks like Trini Lopez at the front, but that looks eerily like Bruce Welch holding the Gibson Les Paul (though I expect it's Jerry McGee).

JN
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Re: Hofner Bass Guitars

Postby George Geddes » Wed Dec 14, 2011 3:28 pm

Jim

That is indeed Trini Lopez at the front - that photo, or a similar one, appeared on the sleeve of the Trini Lopez Show LP. Interesting lineup of guitars - Don Wilson with an SG, Gerry McGee with a Les Paul and Bob Bogle with the Hofner (matching guitar lineups were so uncool in those days...), Mel Tayor, of course, on drums and (I think) John Durrill on keyboard.

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Re: Hofner Bass Guitars

Postby Geoff Alderton LH » Wed Dec 14, 2011 5:23 pm

Hi Jim
I dont know if I am the correct end of the fretboard. The picture you refer to in post 6 regarding the strap fixing, these two pictures from the book Beatles Gear showing George and John with their new J-160 E's have the straps at the nut end with a bit of cord to fix the strap to.
Regards Geoff.
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Re: Hofner Bass Guitars

Postby Geoff Alderton LH » Wed Dec 14, 2011 5:25 pm

Hi again Second picture.
Regards Geoff.
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Re: Hofner Bass Guitars

Postby JimN » Wed Dec 14, 2011 6:27 pm

Hi, Geoff,

No - the discussion was about attachment of a strap at the body end of the neck. Quality archtop guitars have a gap between the treble end of the neck and the vibrating top of the body, in order not to inhibit resonance and sound-production. Even though made of plywood, Some Gibson and (even) Hofner electric archtops maintain that construction style. Examples are the Gibson ES-175 and the Hofner Violin Bass.

Neither model was supplied with a strap button near the neck and various methods of attaching a strap have been seen over the years, including fixing at the headstock end by means of a shoelace (as per The Beatles in your illustration above). But these methods also include tucking a cord around the neck at the treble end, routed so as to pass under the fretboard extension (in effect, encompassing the heel area). Paul McCartney certainly used that method on his first Hofner, and there are photos of various jazz guitarists doing the same with guitars like the ES-175. There's a famous shot of the late Dave Goldberg doing just that.

HTH,

JN

PS: For an example of the method in action - see the photo of Anna using it in post 1.
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Re: Hofner Bass Guitars

Postby Geoff Alderton LH » Thu Dec 15, 2011 11:32 am

Hi Jim.
Yes, I was at the wrong end of the neck. I now see what you are getting at.
Regards Geoff.
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That strap

Postby Dranna » Fri Dec 16, 2011 4:01 am

Here is a picture taken the gig other night that I like, showing how the strap is attached. It is quite funny sometimes that, while the other guitarists just snap on their straps, I have to sit down to thread the strap through the gap behind the neck, loop it, and tie a knot with a leather thong.

Merry Christmas to all!

Anna
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