Höfner Violin Bass 500/1 from 1968

Few basses are as instantly recognisable as the Höfner 500/1. Launched in the mid-1950s as a fully hollow electric violin bass built in Bubenreuth, Germany, it became one of the most iconic instruments of the 20th century through Paul McCartney — who still plays one to this day. Where Gibson's EB-1 copied the violin shape as a solidbody, the 500/1 is a true hollow instrument, closer in construction to an acoustic guitar than to most electric basses. By 1968, the year this example was built, Höfner had refined the model with the so-called blade pickups.

The sound of this bass is simply something no other instrument offers. The neck pickup delivers that famous round, deep, woody thump — play it with flatwounds and you understand why entire Beatle records were carried by this bass. The bridge pickup, on the other hand, has real bite and sharp top end, and blending the two gives everything from dubby depth to percussive definition. The fully hollow, thin-walled spruce-and-maple body is the reason: it resonates, breathes and reacts in a way no solidbody ever will. Add the 30" short scale and you get a bass that is wonderfully compact and genuinely light — for many players the most comfortable bass ever built. It is no coincidence that this design has survived unchanged for seven decades.

This 1968 example is completely original and in excellent condition. Very light play wear only — a very well-kept, fully original and desirable vintage bass, ready for the stage and studio or to take its place in a collection. It comes with its original Höfner case.

Specifications

• Model: Höfner 500/1 Violin Bass
• Year: 1968
• Country of origin: Germany (Bubenreuth)
• Body: Fully hollow, carved spruce top, flamed maple back and sides
• Neck: Set neck, beech/maple
• Fretboard: Rosewood
• Scale: 30" (short scale)
• Pickups: 2× Höfner blade pickups (original)
• Controls: 2 volume, 2 tone, rhythm/solo selector (original)
• Bridge: Höfner floating wooden bridge with metal tailpiece (original)
• Finish: Sunburst
• Condition: Excellent, very light play wear
• Originality: Completely original, no repairs, no modifications
• Included: Original Höfner case