The bass won't sell because the store in London that owns it keeps saying Paul used/played/recorded with it, when there's zero evidence of that. And they want way too much for it. Still a lovely model, however.
Thank you for this. The correct story about McCartney and his Höfner 500/1 basses. And thank you for mentioning our page on our website. Maybe, just maybe, one day we will find the "Lost Bass".
Nice video, and thanks for sharing it here! There are two small things that might be added here - 1. McCartney's first Höfner 500/1 was NOT used on the 'A Hard Day's Night' album, as his second one had by that time (the album was recorded between January and June 1964) become his main bass, and 2. in 1964 his first 500/1 received a rather dramatic makeover, as the bass was refinished in London in a 3-tone sunburst finish, its pickups received a new custom-made frame to keep them in place and secured to the body, and the original control knobs were replaced as well.
Hi, my name is Laurajane and I'm from New Zealand. The first guitar that I learned to play was a fender. That was in 1965, didn't like the fender at all, it was too heavy for me. I saw a Hoffner 500/1 in a music store in Auckland city. It was exactly what I wanted and I fell in love with it straight away. I still have the guitar and I still play it regularly as I play in a band. I have a collection of guitars and also play a lap steel guitar, the Hoffner is still my favorite, love your channel, brought back a lot of memories, thanks and best wishes Laurajane from New Zealand 🇳🇿
Yeppers and on Abbey Road the Jazz Bass was used... Also George Harrison had a right hand version of the Jazz bass as well that was also used on Abbey Road, and which there are pictures of Paul playing it as well. I'm surprised that Paul's Jazz Bass wasn't brought up in the video.
Wow, refreshing to hear someone talking about Paul's bass's and getting it right! Kudos indeed! Oh, by the way heard his 61 might be in Ottawa, Ontario Canada..
Indeed, there's nothing like your first one. My first was an Ice Blue Watkins Rapier in the early 70's - a capable bass but no-one wanted them because the punitive import tax on American guitars had been dropped and everyone wanted Fenders. I sold it around 1982, when I got married, along with my '68 Fender P-bass. Then last year I was browsing online and saw an identical bass for sale. A completely original Watkins Rapier in Ice Blue ! Needless to say, it's mine now, and I love it. 😄
great piece here sir......i am a proud owner of an ignition series b-bass,shes really changed my whole style and outlook as well because at heart im a stingray guy and slap is all i used to focus on.never dreamed that someday id be using a pick and actually be strumming and humming along......the hollow body and flatwounds took some getting used to but in the end i cherish this instrument
I've seen Paul in concert using the Hofner. It's a unique tone. due to its' construction specs. Small hollow body, short scale (30"), a neck pickup (unusual for a lot of basses). Used through his monstrous Mesa Engineering Bass rig, the sound of the Hofner doesn't thump through you like a Precision or Jazz bass. Instead it fills the room, with a 'whomp' type sound & it's something Paul has harnessed throughout his professional career. A Rickenbacker bass would be the exact opposite of that. I was quite taken by the sound of Hofner in concert, it's a fair bit different to the usual bass rig.
A lot of hollow body basses sound like that. I love it. ANother less often talked about bass is the Epiphone Rumble Kat. With the right settings, it causes earthquakes.
@@OutnBacker I'd have to agree with you on that. I loved the sound, it was unique for me in such a big venue setting and with huge amplification. I wonder how they conquered the feedback issues that you would think would happen at such volume? A real eye opener as I thought a hollow bodied bass would be lost.
@@OzziePete1 Back around 1976, I played a Harmony hollow body bass before I got my Fender Tele bass. I had an Ampeg V$-B cabinet (2X 15 inch Lansings), powered by an Acoustic 150B head. I know - a Harmony - but some of them were pretty good, had good pots and pickups. we were kids, and my guitar player as an early techie, who reset the pickups. I used round wound strings. I can tell you that the combo had some kind of channel into another world. The head was very basic, but it had some punch. no fuzz feature, which was popular thern, but jeeez, that bass cut down walls. Push it a bit and you had Geedy Lees jazz bass. Normal jam level and it was a Rickie 4005. I loved it, but it was not well built and I switched to the Fender.
I have played a ‘94 RI Höfner 500/1 for most of 30 years and never had it feedback. It is so light, I can see how Paul enjoyed playing it on tour. (sorry, but my reply got “mailed early“- I was not through.) Höfner with Pyramid Flatwounds = dulcet, mellifluous Beatle Paul McCartney sounds - the rest of course, is in your fingers and spirit!😊😉🥸 QUESTION : Did anyone else get to see him in the ‘91 tour when he pulled out the Wal bass on Peace in the Neighbourhood? The thunder produced shook my heart! Yes, I prefer watching and hearing him play the Höfner , but for that one song, he transformed an album cut and to an absolute showstopper! (I saw him at the Omni in Atlanta on that occasion). Cheers and God’s blessings be yours.🎸👨🏼⚕️🎸🏴🇺🇸
Thank you young man I have a prized 1967 500/1 … After I saw the Beatles on TV in 1964 I Announce to my parents I wanted to play bass guitar which they responded you already played clarinet you don’t need a bass guitar… Well I finally got my base at age 60 And I just love it it’s a chocolate burst….And I’m currently almost 70 so I just absolutely love it and mom and dad can’t tell me no anymore… lol good job on the video by the way
Very nicely done. Just a small clarification. The '61 Hofner bass actually has a thick/full/rounded neck which remained the same through 1963. From 1964, the 500/1 had a flatter neck profile and not as 'chunky'. The '61 bass (also referred to as the "Cavern Bass") was refinished from a two-tone sunburst to a three-tone sunburst just before the Let in Be sessions.
McCartney is on record as having said that when he was picked as the new bassist, he got together as much cash as he could and went to a music store near by. He could not afford a Fender and only had enough to buy a Hofner, after which he became known as the guy with the violin bass.
He also picked the hofner b/c being symmetrical, it would look good played lefty. there weren't left handed model basses generally available, and he would have had to play a fender or other right hander upside down. which he felt would look 'daft' (goofy).
"Cellophane tape" was once a commonly used term in the U.S. I just assumed "Cellotape" is a British shortening of that. Today it's more commonly called "Scotch tape", after the name of the manufacturer.
I can recall a color photo of the Beatles giving a performance on stage under spot lights and behind Paul and George could be seen spare guitars, both George’s and Paul’s other bass. As an eleven y/o it was the first time I knew they had spares. Good times!
Excellent article. One Small correction, I've seen him play several times and own a Hofner myself. His pickup settings as I have seen them are Bass PU on and SOLO switch on, not the RHYTHM setting.
He played a Jazz Bass on a number of tracks on the White Album and Abbey Road: 'Yer Blues', 'Glass Onion', 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps', 'Sun King', and 'Mean Mr. Mustard.'
Are you sure about glass onion? It sounds very rickenbackerish to me. And if you compare it to the tone on Dear Prudence, which is a Rick, it’s almost spot on.
I'm obsessed with Hofner Basses! The look, the sound, the history and so on. It's my favorite bass and I'm so happy with my Hofner! It's baby blue, I don't know why exactly, but I always wanted the baby blue Hofner. It was a challenge to get it, but I finally did. I wonder what Paul would think of it lol, it's made in China, but it's still a Hofner. Anyways, nice video. I never exactly knew Paul still plays his 63 Hofner, because it looks different without the pickguard I guess. Which makes me wonder, what happened to the pickguard? I know it's not rocket science to take off, but I've always wonder why he doesn't have the pickguard anymore.
dreamerjazz352 There is film of a 1958? or 1959? Hofner bass. Johnny O'Keefe's backing band The DeeJays had one. This newly found 1959 film in pristine condition is in the process of fundraising to get it out on DVD. It would be interesting to find out how the Hofner found its way all the way to Australia The Hofners body can clearly be seen, slightly different to Paul's, this has 4 control knobs. There were only two songs from this concert that had been preserved "Shout" and a One More Time (?) Swanee River performed by Johnny O'Keefe/Delltones from the lost film 'Rock'n'Roll' (1959) Here is the link to the newly released song "Swanee River". ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-0JLxNMjXzbE.html The other two songs can be seen here. The quality difference is outstanding. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-s-p2TPye6-M.html O'Keefe was the driving force behind Rock 'n' Roll in Australia. He appeared with most of the visiting early US rock acts blowing some off the stage with his abundant energy. He also wrote and produced as well compering his own TV shows.
In 66, during their final live shows ,it got loose. Anyone with a German Hofner knows that nail that holds the pickguard(much like any hollow body archtop) into the neck can rattle loose. Paul simply then removed it. Whether he stored it away,lost it or threw it out is anyone's guess.
I once owned a ‘62 Hofner, really nice fast action neck, with a rich woody tone like a big Dog House Bass. Super light too, great design, and player, no wonder Paul loves it. I sold it when I got into fretless playing, but I still kinda miss it. 😉
I visited the Cavern as well back in 2019 before all this crap. I have a million pictures and thought about doing a video but I struggled to not make it sound like an old man going through his family photos!
Though I am a lead guitarist and a solo fingerstyle guitarist, I own and play some bass guitars. I know that the Hofner isn't really the best sounding bass out there, certainly much different than a Fender P bass, but I love playing it. I like the live sound of the bass, especially if you are covering a Beatle tune. Thanks for the video, very well done.
Depends how you define "best". You can hear outtakes from Beatles recording sessions where Paul is doodling on his 500/1 and with flatwounds the bass sounds awesomely distinctive, kind of sonorous like a double bass. I've also heard one played with roundwounds by a modern player, and it's completely different, very round and warm but with enough clarity and definition to solo in a melodic way...all the way up the board (so it looks like those intonation issues have been dealt with). I love my recently acquired custom Squier Jazz. It's still got old strings, and i dont yet have a decent bass amp (am mainly a guitarist too) so I worry it might not have the same quality of growl I could get from an overdriven Precision (a la JJ Burnell) but I fell in love with the sheer versatility of the Jazz after hearing Geddy Lee...and later The Killers. Buying a Ricky bass will be a sometime future indulgence. I love the crap out of them, but I find them not versatile. They have a very distinctive tone and I always find myself going for a plectrum whenever I pick one up. Horses for courses hey!
I can't think of a reason why Hofner would make a one-off special order of a left-handed model in 1960, for an unknown 18 year old English guy playing on the Reeperbahn, that seems weird to me 🤔
it still astounds me how casual he is about his instruments. he likes and keeps them, yes- but he's not precious about them at all. john and george, like most players, were very particular and protective of their favorite guitars. one of paul's guitar techs said he almost had a heart attack the first live show he worked- at the end of the set as paul came offstage, he unexpectedly and casually tossed the 63 to him thru the air from 15 feet away. luckily he caught it....
I saw McCartney at Denver's Pepsi Center on May 7, 2002. He opened with "Hello Goodbye" on the Hofner. I must say that seeing that bass up close was almost as thrilling as seeing the man himself.
I bought a used Beatle Bass for $50 in 1967 in Mannheim, Germany when my family was stationed there. I sold it long ago. It would have been a great investment!
The Beatles werent deported for burning a condom, they left because George was under age for working under German law, and reported to the authorities by the club owner for the Beatles breaking their contract and performing at another club. The condom incident was a reprisal when the guys left for England.
George wasn’t deported, he could play before curfew but because most of their set was after hours, there was no point. The rest of the group continued with their plan to move to Peter Eckhorn’s club but Paul and Pete were arrested for the condom incident on an attempted arson charge, then deported. John was never deported.
In 1969 (I believe) my parents bought me a bass. It was a Vox violin-style hollow body. I almost forgot about that. I didn't like the strange overtones I got from it so went to a long-scale, solid-body, which I felt solved all kinds of problems.
@@jacquescousteau217 No, it wasn't. Read: The Beatles Recording Reference Manual: Volume 2 by Jerry Hammack he researched the Abbey Road (EMI Archives)
I would guarantee that the Bassman sticker was placed on the bass to make sure whatever studio tech set up his stuff plugged it into the Fender Bassman amp he was using at the time as it first seemed to appear on the roof top.
I’ve been a Beatles fan and gear / guitar geek since 1965, studying who played what and why and when, but I never noticed until today while watching this, that the violin bass has a “zero fret” after the nut.
This Hofner bass got a few facts wrong: The 61 played on the first 2 albums. Hard Day's Night and after was the 63. The Rickenbacker made its debut on Rubber Soul, not Revolver. You can hear its awesome warm cutting power on If I Needed Someone especially in the middle 8s. There was another bass used by Macca with The Beatles. For a few songs on the White Album he rocked a Fender Jazz. Check out its massive overdriven sound as Macca throws out power chords in While My Guitar Gently Weeps.
Ohhh . . .what about the bass he played in "Good night tonight" video clip, or the five string bass when he returned to live concerts in the early 90's ?
That was a Yamaha he was given. He recently donated it for a charity auction. His 5-string is a Wahl and it was a gift from Linda. I think he still has that one.
I thought McCartney bought the Hofner because it happened to be the cheapest. Now Hofner re make them and they are too expensive. Luckily they do more afforadable ones. Always thought it stupid to stamp on your guitar, as you said they did to an earlier bass, or as some guitarists have done, set fire to them, after it has served you and produced wonderful sounds.
I've had my B-Bass series Hofner for roughly 10 years now, I've wanted a genuine German hofner bass for a while but my B-Bass has become a prized possession over the years, not to mention my mom got it for me 🥺
@bradleigh branscum i bought my b-bass series 3 years ago ( my first ) . it was strung with roundwound strings but was told to replace them with flatwounds to sound right . put a set of labella flats on it and made a big difference what a sound !
@@frankjuster8726 oh yeah man that's mandatory 🤣 gotta have La Bellas on it, over the years the white Pickgaurd and control panel on my bass have aged and look more authentic to a German hofner, I took the pickgaurd off a while ago and switched the knobs to teacups
Okay, no mention of the Fender Jazz that he obtained during TWA sessions and used on parts of AR? Plus I can't help but think he must've used George's Baldwin Duo-Sonic at least once at some point in the studio, not to mention the pair of Fender Bass VI's owned by John and George respectively, though he did not own these.
The switch says rhythm/ solo- When u switched on solo it gave u a boost...my understanding is Paul played mostly with the rhythm switch on (solo off) and treble off as well (bridge pick up off)...Paul played with “bass on” which meant he played solely with neck pick up... If you have ever played a Hofner bass you will notice quickly that the treble pick up gives the bass a flimsy poor sound but that the “one up two down” (the switches on a Hofner bass are put on upside down to add to the quirkyness of this instrument) Configuration Paul played with is the only way to go...and it thuds hopelessly when struck with a finger...a heavy pick defines the tone...should be in every guitar players collection even if you don’t play bass because it is “the guitar players bass” imho😉
@Clink Roslam I'm pretty sure that the Hofner 'Beatle' basses produced today are 'medium' scale - which amounts to a 32" scale as opposed to the 30" short scale. Either way, I do know it takes medium scale strings, as shorties are not quite long enough.
@@john84896 My Hofner Colorama had similar switches. I think the Rythmn/Solo switch just had a resistor in it to make one setting quieter -- there was certainly no "boost", as tha hadn't been invented and would need a battery. ANyway, I hated those controls and rebuilt the guitar. Any present-day love for Hofners is based on nostalgia, as they were all pretty shite. Not as shite as my ice-blue Top Twenty, though!
The Revolution bass looks different to the 61 bass - the sunburst finish looks much darker around the edges, but more clearly, the two close pickups look like they are set into a square black unit, rather than directly into the wooden body.
Good eye! It is the same bass, but there was a repair as the top pickup was falling out and had to held in by tape. They added a custom black plastic pickup ring to shore them up.
Lots of rumours about his 61 and have heard several say it's in Ottawa,Canada and was under " investigation". Hope someday it will be found but you never know. I am surprised that Hofner never retained any paperwork of Paul purchasing it as records would of almost certainly have been kept back then especially if it was the first "lefty" or at least, one of the first. Of course we've heard of the reports that it was actually a right handed which was converted but have my doubts especially as the headstock would of been facing the opposite direction. I have a Contemporary ( I'm also a lefty) and love it but could only imagine back in the early 60's gigging at clubs with it as it really does have a feel of being ( very) light as well as fragile. Now I'll have to see if you've got a video on John's Rickenbacker Capri. Now that too is a story in itself !
The look of the Höfner violin "Beatle" bass was certainly startling to many musicians when McCartney made it so famous overnight in America. However, those who have played them, including Macca, understand their limitations and shortcomings as to tone, punch, and intonation. Still, they have a certain unique, resonant, woody sound that is what it is all about. That said, the bass sounds we hear on Beatles' recordings have little to nothing to do with the basic sound of that or any other instrument as they were, of course, highly processed regarding EQ, compression and such. This is also equally so with regard to the guitars, keyboards, vocals and everything that we hear on their and virtually all recordings. Still, I love the way this bass looks and feels to play. It's a historic, significant, and substantial part of the music and culture of those halcyon days.
Sorry mate but you have a few discrepancies..... Paul never used the "61 Hofner Bass on A Hard Day's Night nor was it a "rolled up bag" tucked under the bridge but a piece of sponge like most guitarist use even to this day! I mean no disrespect!
No it’s cool man! No worries I invite people to point out inaccuracies. I agree I think he’d moved to the 63 hofner by the time they started to record AHDN.
@@TheGuitarHistorian Again, I not trying to be the "know-it-all" guy, no one wants to listen to that fella. I'm always interested when I hear something on Macca's gear. I was wondering, do you play an instrument? Cheers
Yes. Many bass guitars used to be sold with sponge next to the bridge. In Fenders, it wasn't obvious if you didn't remove the bridge cover. Maybe Rickies too. That sponge was integral to Carol Kaye's bass sound in those classic soul records.
