Hofner Contemporary Series Verythin Guitar

HOFNER CONTEMPORARY SERIES VERYTHIN GUITAR & VIOLIN BASS £425 & £450
ELECTRICS & BASS GUITARIST INTERACTIVE
104 SUMMER 2006
models, and it makes it hard to keep
your credit card in your wallet.
The rising quality of manufacturing
means China is producing some scarily
good instruments and that’s certainly
the case here. This is a beautifully
constructed bass that will fool even
the best of experts into thinking it’s
the real thing, without some very
close inspection indeed. The two
visible giveaways are the laminated
neck construction and the second
strap button, and neither of these is
noticeable when you’re playing.
While the top has nothing fancy in the
grain department, the rear sports some
lovely fl amed maple. Construction
is much the same as always – a fully
bound hollowbody – but this version
has an internal block to aid stability and
add robustness. This makes it safer to
carry and the added weight is minimal.
The curious German ‘open circuit’
wiring is also retained, where each
switch turns off the other pickup, so
when they’re both switched to ‘on’,
they’re actually both off. Brilliant!
These idiosyncrasies create this
instrument’s unique appeal, and we
reckon that holding with tradition is
absolutely correct in this instance.
SOUN D S: The lack of bulk and weight
is slightly unnerving to the average bass
player, and the desire to make sure the
bass is still there is unavoidable. The
neck has the old ‘broom handle’-type
feel, with a deeply rounded profi le and
relatively meagre tapering from body
to nut. The shorter scale means less
of a stretch too, so this falls nicely into
the comfort zone. The scale length,
fl atwound strings and surprisingly
high output mean it delivers a hefty
thump, with an even output across the
strings and up the board. Compared to
most modern basses, the tonal range is
restricted, but it can be improved with
roundwound strings. However, this
tends to destroy the very fabric of what
the Violin bass is all about.
Verdict
While not fi tted with Hofner’s own
smaller humbucking pickups or
tramline fi ngerboard inlays, and erring
on the side of convention with the
Gibson-style bridge, tailpiece and
control set-up, this new Verythin CT
still retains enough personality from
the original design to please most
lovers of this famous German maker.
In fact, these compromises make it an
altogether more rounded and usable
instrument in today’s hotly contested
‘budget semi’ market.
Sonically, the Verythin has a range
of voices that, while suited to many
modern styles, also manage to retain
that all-important individuality. Build
quality is excellent, as we’ve come to
expect from China, and playability
is well up to par. However, what the
Verythin has over almost any other
brand in this market – except perhaps
Gretsch – is a unique heritage that links
directly to one of the most infl uential
periods in popular music.
Ditto the Violin bass. If you want the
‘real thing’ but have a limited budget,
then this is defi nitely the one to buy. It
has the looks and feel, while the sound
is remarkably close to the German-
made full-price model. It even includes
a second strap button, so at a third of
the price of an original, it’s hard to fault.
However, perfectionists should note
that this pre-production model has a
cream scratchplate and control panel,
whereas the production model will have
a white pearl scratchplate and panel.
If that’s a problem, though, you really
need to get a life!
The Violin bass, even more than the
Verythin, provides a unique playing
experience, and while it won’t be to
everyone’s taste, there have been many
converts over the years, including
yours truly and Mr McCartney.
Both of these instruments represent
really affordable tastes of Hofner’s
heritage, and with bands like The
Zutons and The Coral putting Liverpool
right back on the musical map, this
could be the perfect time to try one.
VERYTHIN
Ibanez AS103NT £549
Yamaha SA500 £ 299
Gretsch Electro Hollow
G5129 £599
You don’t always think
of Ibanez when it comes
to thinline semis,
but the AS103NT
is a great-looking,
affordable guitar with
high specs, including
an adjustable Quik
Change Ultra tailpiece,
all-maple fi nish with
maple pickguard, gold
hardware, and a pair of
Super 58 humbucking
pickups. Yamaha’s
excellent SA500 is a
steal at under £300.
With all-maple centre-
block construction, it
also features ‘fi nger’
string retainers and
twin, open-topped
humbucking pickups.
Gretsch’s admittedly
singlecut Electro
Hollow has all the vibe
of the Hofner, with a
distinct rock ’n’ roll
edge. Featuring a pair
of DeArmond pickups,
a rosewood ’board with
neo-classic markers
and, of course, a
Bigsby vibrato, it’s as
cool as a cucumber!
VIOLIN BASS
Tanglewood RVB-2
from £250
Epiphone Viola Bass
£399
Duesenberg DBV Violin
Bass £865
Epiphone’s Viola Bass
is probably the closest
in character to the
original. It features
three rotary controls on
a pearloid panel but
has no scratchplate.
The Duesenberg also
benefi ts from modern
construction methods
and also presents a
more effi cient circuit,
with three surface-
mounted controls.
It’s another German-
designed bass and
while it retains the
shorter scale length, it
has a cleaner delivery
and a wider tonal
range. Consequently,
it costs more than the
others. Tanglewood’s
RVB-2 bass is fantastic
value for money and
is available in a left-
handed model. From a
distance, it looks pretty
authentic, although it
lacks the sonic punch
associated with the
original
The rivals
Hofner Violin Bass CT
RATING
Hofner Verythin CT
RATING
There’s real personality to the Verythin’s tones, with
a range that would make it suitable for anything
from jazz through to blues, pop and light rock
Hofner’s vine inlay
and script logo add a
touch of class to the
Verythin’s trad looks
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