The Last Bass Outpost

Gear Discussion Forums => Other Bass Brands => Topic started by: ilan on September 20, 2014, 10:53:25 PM

Title: '62 500/5... blonde and gorgeous
Post by: ilan on September 20, 2014, 10:53:25 PM
1962 Höfner 500/5 - blonde with diamond logo pickups on eBay (http://www.ebay.com/itm/1962-HOFNER-500-5-bass-blonde-Extremely-Rare-German-bass-/321527274155) (no affil.)  $4,100 BIN

(http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/ODAwWDg1MA==/z/XvoAAOSwq7JUGuCW/$_57.JPG)
Title: Re: '62 500/5... blonde and gorgeous
Post by: Highlander on September 21, 2014, 03:55:51 PM
B E A utiful, but well out of my league...
Title: Re: '62 500/5... blonde and gorgeous
Post by: Pilgrim on September 21, 2014, 04:30:29 PM
B E A utiful, but well out of my league...

Took the words right out of my cheap-o mouth!
Title: Re: '62 500/5... blonde and gorgeous
Post by: dadagoboi on September 21, 2014, 05:22:09 PM
Neck's too wide for me. ;D
Title: Re: '62 500/5... blonde and gorgeous
Post by: Dave W on September 21, 2014, 08:37:04 PM
Neck's too wide for me. ;D

Yeah, those pencil necks always did look out of place on the wider bodies.

Nice top, though.
Title: Re: '62 500/5... blonde and gorgeous
Post by: ilan on September 22, 2014, 02:03:34 AM
1 5/8" nut. Like a P bass.
Title: Re: '62 500/5... blonde and gorgeous
Post by: dadagoboi on September 22, 2014, 04:11:11 AM
1 5/8" nut. Like a P bass.

P bass nut was 1.75 in '62, I refuse to acknowledge the 'modern' width.

Actually my main problem would be string spacing at the bridge.  And to a lesser extent below the 12th fret where the G is too close to the neck edge IMO.

Very beautiful bass and tempting, though.
Title: Re: '62 500/5... blonde and gorgeous
Post by: slinkp on September 22, 2014, 09:22:10 AM
I have a friend who has one of these... really cool bass but indeed I found it hard to play with such a skinny neck and close string spacing. She had tiny hands though, so it worked great for her.
Title: Re: '62 500/5... blonde and gorgeous
Post by: ilan on September 22, 2014, 09:37:23 AM
You can get used to it quickly. Stanley Clarke plays a short scale and he has huge hands.
Title: Re: '62 500/5... blonde and gorgeous
Post by: dadagoboi on September 22, 2014, 12:51:32 PM
You can get used to it quickly. Stanley Clarke plays a short scale and he has huge hands.

Short scale and narrow neck are two different things.  It's a matter of preference, not 'getting used to'. 
Title: Re: '62 500/5... blonde and gorgeous
Post by: Granny Gremlin on September 22, 2014, 01:59:24 PM
Preference is just a measure of how willing (or not) one is to get used to something different.  :P

G string too close to fretboard edge is not a matter of preference; it's a show stopper (though I personally don't know if that's the case here - looks close, but I've never played one). ... how close is too close is somewhat variable by player.
Title: Re: '62 500/5... blonde and gorgeous
Post by: dadagoboi on September 22, 2014, 02:38:52 PM
Preference is just a measure of how willing (or not) one is to get used to something different.  :P

That may be in your definition of preference but it isn't mine.  I prefer the conventional one.

Title: Re: '62 500/5... blonde and gorgeous
Post by: Granny Gremlin on September 22, 2014, 02:56:34 PM
Can you ever just let a joke be a joke?...  and actually the conventional definition of preference is what I said as opposed to 'will not do any other way.'  One can have a strong or slight preference - it's a scale; something that is favored over an alternative; that is liked better; or that one would choose over the alternative, and not, that nothing else will do at all ever (necessarily - that is just one extreme of the scale).

Title: Re: '62 500/5... blonde and gorgeous
Post by: dadagoboi on September 22, 2014, 03:01:16 PM
I love jokes, especially when nitwits try to tell them.
Title: Re: '62 500/5... blonde and gorgeous
Post by: Highlander on September 22, 2014, 03:27:10 PM
Ah... size matters... :mrgreen:
Title: Re: '62 500/5... blonde and gorgeous
Post by: Pilgrim on September 22, 2014, 04:26:23 PM
I love jokes, especially when nitwits try to tell them.

Gentlemen - and I use the term carefully - let's act like gentlemen.
Title: Re: '62 500/5... blonde and gorgeous
Post by: dadagoboi on September 22, 2014, 04:39:36 PM
So, sexist and racist (especially about Asians) comments are OK but busting balls isn't.  Got it.

Title: Re: '62 500/5... blonde and gorgeous
Post by: Rob on September 22, 2014, 07:03:49 PM
 :rimshot:
So, sexist and racist (especially about Asians) comments are OK but busting balls isn't.  Got it.
Title: Re: '62 500/5... blonde and gorgeous
Post by: Chris P. on September 23, 2014, 06:45:10 AM
To come back on topic. When I first played a violin bass, I hated it. Too narrow. I kept on making mistakes and pulling the wrong strings (like you guys above;) ) but now I play it a lot without problems. So I got used to it. Still have some difficulties with a 44mm nut but even that's no real problem.
Title: Re: '62 500/5... blonde and gorgeous
Post by: amptech on September 24, 2014, 01:01:30 AM
When I moved to short scale, I immediately clicked with it after playing 34" for two decades. Nut width and neck taper is different,
you get used to it but it takes time. When I completed my first EB0/6 conversion, laying out nut string spacing was tricky. I usually make equal distancebetween outside of strings, but ended up with wider spacing between EADG. Took about a year to play the six stringer properly, but now I have no problem going from EB6 to EB3 - as long as the nut width is the same (about 44mm) but if I pull out my later '67 EB3 it's not comfy at all.. too skinny, at 38mm. 
Title: Re: '62 500/5... blonde and gorgeous
Post by: mc2NY on September 24, 2014, 05:45:35 AM
*
Title: Re: '62 500/5... blonde and gorgeous
Post by: ilan on October 02, 2014, 03:44:41 PM
'61 500/5... brunette and gorgeous

http://www.ebay.com/itm/HOFNER-500-5-President-Bass-1961-ULTRA-RARE-/111476396403

(http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/MTYwMFgxMjAw/z/KGEAAOSwEK9ULBZ4/$_57.JPG)

Title: Re: '62 500/5... blonde and gorgeous
Post by: Pilgrim on October 02, 2014, 04:16:11 PM
That, Ilan, ranks as bass porn. 
Title: Re: '62 500/5... blonde and gorgeous
Post by: amptech on October 03, 2014, 12:36:24 AM
That, Ilan, ranks as bass porn.

Yup, axes like these can ebonize anyone!
Title: Re: '62 500/5... blonde and gorgeous
Post by: gearHed289 on October 03, 2014, 07:55:17 AM
I've got '64 and '02 blondes that are gorgeous.  :mrgreen:

(https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xpa1/v/t1.0-9/10665691_862932920384487_1173518041216436813_n.jpg?oh=c30bf0c06c1222a42b87e88751a921b4&oe=54B5DA4E&__gda__=1422404342_e06a9662b1455fac7cf23d45b6c8df18)
Title: Re: '62 500/5... blonde and gorgeous
Post by: Highlander on October 03, 2014, 03:14:04 PM
Sweet... ;)
Title: Re: '62 500/5... blonde and gorgeous
Post by: Nocturnal on October 03, 2014, 09:42:00 PM
Nice Tom  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: '62 500/5... blonde and gorgeous
Post by: Pilgrim on October 04, 2014, 07:50:35 AM
The resemblance is very clear.  Nice photo!
Title: Re: '62 500/5... blonde and gorgeous
Post by: ilan on November 04, 2014, 09:09:55 AM
Will Lee is selling his 500/5 (http://www.ebay.com/itm/Will-Lees-early-60s-Hofner-President-Bass-Hollow-4-String-500-5-video-below-/281484099106). $5K starting bid, $8K BIN. I guess he factored in the celebrity element. He calls it a President but it's not.

Beautiful bass, but the back of the neck is painted black for some reason, and the action looks too high, and the bridge was probably shaved, since the height adjustment screws go through its top. So I assume the bass will need a neck reset and a new bridge.

(http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/MTA2NlgxNjAw/z/h-sAAOSwGWNUVFXo/$_57.JPG)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lT_zleJJ-hw