To be honest it has been a long time since I have used My Hofner or a Klira through a amp in a live situation. I seem to play both on the couch more than anything. I will have to get out my Hofie and the Kliras to see about the dead spots. I like the beefier neck on the Klira opposed to the thin neck on the Hofner. Early 356 basses had set neck but most have a bolt on. Though while not as sexy as a set neck they are not prone to failure. Playing unplugged I find the Klira a bit louder, must be the F holes. All in all I find Kliras a fantastic bargain and though not identical to a Hofner certainly it's equal especially compared to a post '65 Hofner, the quality seems to drop off on these imho as Hofner was really hogging them out to keep up with demand. It is difficult to be objective the Hofner carries so much Paul vibe, but I think side by side I like the Klira better and if you compare the price of a '65 Hofner over a '65 Klira I know I am leaning way towards the Klira !