Members ninja of love Posted February 12, 2006 Members Share Posted February 12, 2006 Are those Hofner basses that Paul uses any good and why aren't they more popular?Why did Fender basses catch on but Gibsons didn't?Uh...that's about it.Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members SB Posted February 12, 2006 Members Share Posted February 12, 2006 Simple answers: (I'm sure somebody will post more detail) Hofner basses: Despite being extremely lightweight and comfortable to play, they are somewhat unpopular primarily due to their short-scale design and floating bridge. The short-scale design means great playability, but lack of definition, "dead" notes below the A on the E string and intonation issues which aren't being helped by the one-piece floating bridge, which not only gets out of place from agressive playing, but also means you can never get your intonation spot on even with the most tedious and precise tweaking. You have to compromise. Aside from the above-mentioned issues, the actuall Hofners are way overpriced for what they are, so the more popular choice are the copies which are rumored to be 60-80% as good as the real thing at 10-20% the price. Most famous being the Jay Turser, The Rogue, the Brice, and the... Epiphone! Fender vs. Gibson In my opinion Fender basses caught on due to their following advantages: came out first used '34 scale Had pickups in the places giving maximum tonal versatility (many Gibsons were one-trick ponies) Ergonomic, yet simple robust design meaning affordability, reliability and ease of maintenace and modification Gibsons almost always weigh more Gibsons featured adventurous/elaborate designs that people didn't always like. So despite Gibson basses being 'cool' and sounding great for certain applications, It was Fender who won the general public with versatility, reliability and price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BigPigPeaches Posted February 12, 2006 Members Share Posted February 12, 2006 Originally posted by ninja of love Are those Hofner basses that Paul uses any good and why aren't they more popular? Why did Fender basses catch on but Gibsons didn't? Uh...that's about it. Thanks. If price tag means anything, Hofners are some of the best instruments out there. However, if you're looking for versatility, the Hofner ain't it, it's kind of a one-trick pony due to its short scale and kooky electronics.Fender basses caught on because they made more than one model: the Precision and the Jazz. Both of these had pretty wide tonal capabilities to fit multiple styles of music. There were multiple varieties of early Gibson basses but they all had pickups that sounded like a wall of mud (check out Jack Bruce's EB-3 on live cream for an example), and Gibson was much more interested in improving their guitar lines than their bass lines, so until models came out like the Thunderbird, Gibson basses were also one-trick ponies IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BigPigPeaches Posted February 12, 2006 Members Share Posted February 12, 2006 Originally posted by SB Snip. Dammit, beat me to the punch. Even using the same terminology "one trick pony".I'll get there before you one of these days, Mr. Smart Person! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members SB Posted February 12, 2006 Members Share Posted February 12, 2006 Originally posted by BigPigPeaches Dammit, beat me to the punch. Even using the same terminology "one trick pony". I'll get there before you one of these days, Mr. Smart Person! I'm not smart, I just have violin-induced finger dexterity meaning I can type faster than you and that I can do pull-offs really well..... Seriously, though, great minds think - I like! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members fretless Posted February 12, 2006 Members Share Posted February 12, 2006 Hofner instruments are very high quality , as with most makers that have made so many you will find some less quality and some factory seconds , which Hofner did sell off, with all the guitar makers you would have variables with hand winding pickups which greatly changes the instruments tone . I think Hofner basses are sweet with a Huge organic tone and recorded wonderfully as we all know Don't forget the Pyramid Strings . I love the Fender p bass my choice , I love the simplicity of it , and it's killer tone but in the beginning , the Fender was a one trick pony as well , it came with flats and string mutes in the covers and gave you a nice thud , it wasn't till a little later the bassist took off the covers and let out all the crazy tones and overtones . I like them all I think Gibson also cost a good bit more than Fender, back then .I think today you probably find one of each in a session man's collection . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ninja of love Posted February 12, 2006 Author Members Share Posted February 12, 2006 Thanks. You guys are great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Guidino Flats Posted February 12, 2006 Members Share Posted February 12, 2006 A hofner can do it all,or at least I can do it all on a hofner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ninja of love Posted February 12, 2006 Author Members Share Posted February 12, 2006 Originally posted by Guidino Flats A hofner can do it all,or at least I can do it all on a hofner. Larry Graham style popping?Julienne fries? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members LanEvo Posted February 12, 2006 Members Share Posted February 12, 2006 Originally posted by ninja of love Why did Fender basses catch on but Gibsons didn't?I think there are a few factors. First of all, Fender basically invented the electric bass guitar. For years, people just called them "Fender bass." They defined the market. People got used to the look, sound, and feel. It became the standard. Second, the construction (bolt-on neck, one-piece bridge, knobs and switches mounted on a pickguard/control plate, etc.) makes them relatively inexpensive to buy and easy to service. The set-neck Gibsons, in contrast, are much more expensive to buy and more difficult to service. Third, the Fenders have better ergonomics. They're generally lighter. They balance better while sitting down or hanging on a strap. I find them much more comfortable to play than, say, a Thunderbird. Anyway, that's what I attribute it to. Emre Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Guidino Flats Posted February 12, 2006 Members Share Posted February 12, 2006 no can"t pop, but i never go to guitar center, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Thumper Posted February 12, 2006 Members Share Posted February 12, 2006 My two cents:Hofners are nicely made basses that produce one tone. If you like it, they're great instruments.Fenders caught on because Fender produced the first practical bass guitar. They sounded good (still do), and are pretty easy for do-it-yourself players to make mods.Gibson has produced a number of bass models, some of which sound great (T-birds, Rippers) and others are not so hot. Gibsons historically have cost more than Fenders due to more complex construction.If I could have one bass only, it would be a Jazz Bass. Then a P. Then a T-bird. I know most of this has been covered in previous posts, but I couldn't resist chiming in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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