Body of the Hofner Ignition Club Bass with Rotosound Jazz flatwound strings
Club bass beside Violin bass
Curiosity got the better of me and I ended up ordering the Hofner Ignition Series Club bass to see how it differed in tone from the Hofner Violin bass... since it looks like the same pickups are being used in both basses.
The only difference I've noticed (so far) is the body shape between these two hollow body basses. The Club bass is more comfortable to play sitting down because the body shape isn't awkward like the Violin bass. It also seems a bit more balanced.
Tone-wise, these two pretty much sound identical to me, although I did use Rotosound Jazz flatwound strings on the Club bass and LaBella Beatle Bass flatwounds on the Violin bass. Not sure how much I like the Rotosound flatwounds yet, so I may do a separate post on those in the future after I've gotten a little more mileage on them.
Specs can be found on the Hofner site. Sound Demo video can be found below.
Anyone who has read my previous blog posts knows I'm a sucker for short scale basses. And, as it turns out, I don't even have to leave home to find a new one to buy. My husband (against his better judgement) sent me a link to a Facebook listing from the Shoals Guitar Boutique (Muscle Shoals, Alabama) for a Gretsch Junior Jet II bass that had just come in on consignment. Knowing I couldn't get up to the shop for another week, I called Don Parker, the owner, and asked him a few questions about this 'like new' short scale bass before buying it over the phone for $225 (MSRP price $429/ Street price $300). The bass came with a nice padded Gretsch gig bag and all original documentation and accessories.
I picked it up the following week, and after a few minor adjustments to the neck to lower the action (and a new pair of D'Addario nylon tapewound strings), I had this bass up and running.
I'm always a sceptic when it comes to cheaper basses, but I've been pleasantly surprised with the last few less expensive short scale basses I've purchased (i.e. Hofner Ignition Series Violin bass), so I figured I'd give this one a chance too...and I'm glad I did. This little bass puts out some growl with its humbuckers and is super light--always a plus in my book since I have so many heavy basses.
What Gretsch says:
“Sporting classic Gretsch appointments, the G2220 Electromatic® Junior Jet Bass is easily capable of filling a room with massive subsonic tones.
Features include a shorter scale (30.3"), walnut fingerboard with 20 medium jumbo frets, two Gretsch mini dual-coil bass humbucking pickups, four-saddle bridge, black pickguard with Gretsch logo, synthetic bone nut and die-cast tuners.” (www.gretschguitars.com)
Around 2007, I saw Nathan East playing an acoustic/electric bass guitar at the Crossroads Guitar Festival for the blues song, "If I Had Possession Over Judgement Day" with Eric Clapton. I hadn't ever tried one of these basses, having only played electric and upright bass, so I found a lower line Ibanez model online to try it out. When it arrived, I was more than a bit disappointed. It was big, bulky, and didn't have the sound that I expected from an Ibanez. (That being said, I love Ibanez basses in general--even the cheap ones sound great 99.9% of the time).
So, after only a short period of time, I decided to sell the bass on Ebay...and that was that.
Then, I found the Gold Tone acoustic/electric M-Bass (Microbass) with its rubber Aquila "Thunderguts" strings. I decided on the fretless version of this bass and bought it on a whim. It's super fun to play and ridiculously light. But I don't always want to play fretless, so I felt that I was a bit limited with this bass.
Right before my birthday this year, I noticed that Córdoba had just released an acoustic/electric mini bass. Having owned a Córdoba classical guitar, I knew the quality of even the lower line guitars they produce, so my husband bought me one for my upcoming birthday. I decided on the mahogany version because I lean towards a darker sounding wood...and it was $100 cheaper than the natural spruce option. The bass features an onboard tuner...which is pretty sweet when you consider that it only costs $199.
Sound-wise, the Córdoba Mini ll Bass defies its name. There's nothing mini about the tone or output of this bass. It's great for practicing without an amp...and works just fine in a band setting plugged into an amp. Even with the smaller body, the mahogany body resonates just enough to know you're playing an acoustic.
It doesn't come with a bag/case, but I bought a Córdoba classical guitar padded gig bag for a 1/2 or 3/4 size guitar and that works perfectly. (I think it was around $50).
After over two weeks of moving (not to mention dozens of trips to the dump, donation store, and storage unit), we are finally settled in our new (temporary) digs--which means I can get back to real life--and blogging. Last Saturday, we decided to make an impromptu trip to the Shoals Guitar Boutique in Muscle Shoals, Alabama-- a cool guitar boutique about an hour away from our home and right up the street from the legendary FAME Recording Studio. We met the super cool and friendly owner, Don Parker, right after he opened the shop several years ago and we do our best to get up there for visits whenever we can.As usual, I had no intention of buying anything. I just needed a break from the past few weeks' intensive physical labors--and looking at new (and vintage) gear seemed the perfect way to recalibrate. We arrived just as members of the Little Rock, AR band deFrance were about to leave. (I found out a few minutes later that the bassist, Connor, had just bought a vintage Teisco short scale bass--something I definitely would've been interested in). Basses are scarce for the most part when I visit the boutique and this time wasn't much different with the exception of three five-string basses, and a couple of 4-string basses that didn't strike my fancy. Then I saw it--a teal-blue ("Ocean Turquoise" is the official color name) short scale Fender bass with Pearloid pickguard. I already owned the only short scale bass that Fender currently produces, so I quickly looked up this Fender Rascal on my iPhone as Brad plugged it into the closest bass amp. (I always get Brad to test run any bass that I'm looking at. Even after fifteen years, I don't entirely trust my judgment when trying out an instrument in a music store). After a brief search, I learned that the Rascal was indeed a short-scale (though the neck was a bit longer than my Fender Mustang) and that they were a limited Custom Shop design run made in 2014. This was the determining factor for me. When a bass is no longer available, difficult to find used, plays great--and a short scale to boot-- I want it. (Plus, I recently sold my Stagg upright electric bass, so I figured there was no reason not to). Brad replaced the strings with some D'Addario Chrome flatwounds as soon as we got home, cleaning up the fretboard and body with our Dunlop guitar cleaning kit, making this bass play and sound sweeter than it did before. I'm pretty convinced that this will definitely be the most versatile bass (with its five-way switch) that I've ever owned--and did I mention that it's a short scale bass? (Yes, I'm a little obsessed with short scales). Here are a few links and videos about the Fender Rascal: Fender's description via Sweetwater
A Hofner Violin Bass is one of the few mainstream basses I hadn't ever played in my 15-year bass playing career. I had messed around on a used Epiphone Viola bass at the Shoals Guitar Boutique in Muscle Shoals, Alabama (which is about an hour from my home) a couple of years ago. I'm all about short scale basses since I bought my Gibson SG bass in 2016. Earlier this year, I obtained one of Fender's new Mustang basses--Fender's only short scale bass--and after years of disappointment with Fender, I finally started loving their basses again.
Not only is the Hofner Violin Bass a short scale instrument, but it's also completely hollow-bodied--something I had also never owned before (other than the acoustic basses I've owned).
So, Musician's Friend was having a sale--need I say more? Long story short, I bought one at a killer price, bought a case to match (also on sale) and waited a few days for it to be delivered to my door. I also bought new D'Addario Nylon Tapewound strings to go with it because I read that the round wound strings that come on it are crap.
The bass sounded pretty good out of the box, but I was anxious to get the new strings on it. The strings arrived in a separate shipment, so I had to wait a day or two before I could put them on.
Here's the rub: Standard sized bass strings don't fit Hofner basses. No one says this in the bass description...and it wasn't until after the fact (when I was doing research) that I found out that these basses need special, smaller-sized strings. Bummer. Sure, I can use the tape wounds on my other short scale basses (I ordered short scale strings because the Hofner violin bass is a short scale bass), but it sucked that I had to reorder special strings after the fact.
Several days later, the new strings (LaBella flat wound strings for the "Beetle Bass") arrived and I finally got to hear my bass with quality (flat wound) strings on it. It sounds great, to say the least, and because of its lightweight body, it has become my go-to bass for quick practices in the living room (where I keep my little 10-pound Vox bass amp).
This is a cool little bass that sounds and plays great. You'd never know it was below the $400 range. Usually, you get what you pay for with musical instruments, but as I've found with this bass, there are exceptions to every rule.
After playing with flatwounds for over 7 years, I finally decided to try out some nylon tapewound strings after reading about them and hearing good things from a Guitar Center associate. Since D'Addario is my go-to for strings, I ordered their XL Nylon Tapewounds (medium gauge) to try out on my new Fender Special Edition Deluxe Precision bass.
Being a creature of habit, it takes a lot for me to try something new (especially when strings are close to $40/set), but I'm glad I did in this case. These strings were awesome from the get-go. New flatwound strings always seemed to take a few weeks to adjust to, but these tapewounds were comfortable from the start. They're lightweight enough to hear note definition while retaining a vintage "thumpy" sound --like that of an upright. My fingers can fly up and down the next with ease (I do a good bit of sliding), and there's zero resistance--yet, they're not so slick that I lose control.
I can't say enough about these strings...mostly because they're perfect for the style of music that I usually play. I haven't tried them with a pick, though, because I play pizzicato 100% of the time.
Back when I was hauling gear around three times a week, there were few affordable lightweight options. I loved the Genz Benz I had, but after I stopped playing so much, even that seemed heavy in addition to my other gear that I carried from place to place. The best I ended up finding was an Ampeg Micro-CL 100 watt amp around 2010. It weighed at least 30 pounds and was in two pieces...not exactly easy to carry for someone of my stature.
I considered a Fender Rumble a year or so ago, but then I found the Vox VX50 bass amp...weighing in at just under 10 pounds. Since I still had the Ampeg, I didn't want to drop too much money on essentially what would only be a practice amp. The Vox was only $229.00. After watching (and reading) many reviews, I added it to my cart and waited for Fed Ex to deliver.
Considering its speaker size, this little Vox really delivers. I can easily jam with an electric guitar and full drum set and still be heard at half volume. I haven't tried it in any other setting, but for my purposes, this amp is perfect. My amp is no longer the heaviest piece of gear I'm carrying around. And as a bonus...it has built-in compression and drive options.
Amp specs are below.
OVERVIEW
Smooth, rich bass tone that's easy to take wherever you play.
The VX50 BA offers 50W of smooth Vox bass tone for live or studio performances. The highly portable combo features a single with a 4-band EQ for thorough-yet-simple tone shaping, plus a built-in compressor to keep things tight and punchy. The cabinet construction is also optimized for low-end projection, so you're sure to sound great anytime.
The VOX VX50 BA is a compact, lightweight and cutting-edge bass amplifier with an impressive 50 watts of output power and rich, deep bass tone courtesy of the Nutube-equipped pre-amp. Beyond its impressive sound, the VX50 BA provides players with a 4-band EQ, as well as on-board compression and overdrive for dialing in tight, punchy tones. There's also a full assortment of input/output jacks for connecting your headphones, media player or PA system. Weighing in at only 9.9 lb., the VX50 BA is a fully-featured bass amp that's perfect for the bassist on the go.
The compact and lightweight VX50 BA features a VOX original 8 in. speaker, a unique bass reflex structure that ensures ample power and rich low-frequency reproduction, and warm vacuum tube sound courtesy of Nutube. There's also a 4-band EQ that allows detailed sound-shaping, a compressor effect that's indispensable for bass, and an overdrive effect that provides everything from subtle grit to high-gain overdrive.
Also provided are a full complement of input/output jacks, including an aux. in jack, headphone jack and a direct out jack for direct connection to your PA system. Aesthetically, the VX50 BA sports a red color scheme, a traditional VOX vertical logo, and a metal grille for a distinct and edgy look that's sure to stand out on stage.
FEATURES
·Ample output, and a specially‐optimized bass‐reflex structure to reproduce rich low‐frequency sounds
·Four‐stage EQ allows the bassist to precisely shape their sound
