Description
Easily one of THE most recognizable basses on the planet, the Hofner 500/1 has most definitely earned its place in the pantheon of four-string beauties. This ultra cool 1964-1984 model celebrates the 20th anniversary of Sir Paul introducing this iconic model to American audiences on the Ed Sullivan show & subsequent tours. Featuring a super comfy neck with some gorgeous flame figuring & a pair of dynamic sounding "blade" pickups for true Merseyside tone. Professionally set up & ready for action straight out of the case thanks to the experts here at Cream City Music.
Cosmetic Condition: Used, but not abused, with typical play wear for its age - various minor nicks, chips, dents & dings; scratches & mild weather checking. There are a couple of small round marks on the back of the body. Not exactly sure what's going there; perhaps the previous owner attempted to put strap buttons there, but that's just a guess. Overall the bass has a great vibe with a nice patina.
Neck: Medium/slender profile maple neck in sunburst finish with some nice flame figuring. Nicely aged white binding & black side-dots. Rosewood fingerboard with mother of pearl dot inlays. Frets are in great shape with practically no wear. Closed-back nickel tuners in good working condition. 1 9/16" nut width with zero fret; 30" scale length. The raised Hofner logo on the headstock is not original, but an aftermarket logo that was attached with a strong adhesive by the previous owner. The original silkscreen logo is underneath it. The raised logo looks cool so we left it on.
Body: Double-bound, violin-shaped body in sunburst finish. Nickel trapeze tailpiece with adjustable ebony bridge. 3-ply pearloid pickguard with black Hofner silkscreen logo. Spruce top with gold Hofner decal. Maple back & sides with some light flame figuring throughout. Bass weighs 4 lbs 15.2 oz.
Electronics: Hofner "blade" pickups with black bezels. Dual volume controls with unoriginal "cupcake" knobs. Both knobs sit a little off-center on the shafts so they tend to wobble a bit when turned, but are on tight. Rhythm/Solo, Bass & Treble sliders. All electronics are in good working condition.
Case: Original hardshell case included.