Build Quality:4.8 out of 5 stars
Hardware:4.9 out of 5 stars
Electronics:4.8 out of 5 stars
Sound:4.8 out of 5 stars
Value:4.8 out of 5 stars
Average:4.8 out of 5 stars

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Hofner HOF-HI-CB-SB 4-String Bass

Pros:

  • Les Paul Inspired
  • Flexible Sound
  • Great Bridge

Cons:

  • Cheapish Nut
  • Polarizing Sound

The roots of the bass guitar lie deep within the bowels of classical instruments. The contrabass is the ancestor of every single bass guitar, and the electric bass guitar is no exception. Unfortunately many designers forget the role of the contrabass, and leave it way back in ancient memory. Fortunately the very same manufacturers are quite adept of taking classical electric guitar designs and incorporating them into bass guitars. Let us take a look at the Hofner HOF-HI-CB-SB 4-String Bass and see what makes it such a great, classical design.

Body Quality

The design of the guitar is made in the spirit not of a bass guitar, but in the spirit of an electric guitar. The spirit of the electric guitar chosen is a classic one, with the design being borrowed, lifted or being an imitation of the ever so popular Les Paul shape. With a single cutaway, a rounded bottom and an overall vintage look and feel, this bass guitar is very good looking. It is even painted to have a vintage feel to it, though the paint feels new and fresh when you look at it. Great stuff.

The body of the bass guitar is built out of a less traditional hardwood in the electric bass guitar world. The tonewood of choice is maple, which you do not see too often, and yields result that some might find polarizing. It is widely known and accepted that maple is exceptional at resonating with tones in the high end of the spectrum. This instrument is no exception, so the guitar has some powerful and expressive mids and highs (whatever highs a bass guitar can have). Maple is moderately weighted and is very sturdy, so it makes a great hardwood for the purpose of a solid body guitar.

The neck of the instrument is much more traditional in choice. The hardwood used is maple, which makes this guitar one large piece of maple, and what a beautiful piece of the maple it is. The neck is sturdy and warp resistant because of the hardwood choice so the guitar will be in service for a very long time. The set through the body neck design of the instrument further reinforces it, and gives the neck so much more useful stability. The fretboard of the guitar is made out of rosewood, giving it a nice contrast with the brightness of the rest of the guitar.

Hardware

The guitar comes with an individually adjustable bridge system. This gives you the ability to control the action for each one of your strings individually, while also providing a solid level of string stability.

The nut of the guitar is made out of a cheapish plastic material, which is to be expected, since no instrument can ever be perfect. Still, thanks to the presence of humbuckers, the instrument sounds clean and clear.

The tuning machine of the guitar is made to look rather exceptionally handsome on the guitar. Unfortunately the tuning stability is not as good as the design, though it is not something I would trash the guitar for.

Electronics

This bass guitar come with a dual humbucker setup, with one being located at the neck of the guitar and the other being located at the bridge. The two humbuckers are custom-made and are removable, which means they are easy to replace. Though you won’t be looking to replace the pickups soon, as they have a nice level of output and tonality. Still, eventually, you might want a more powerful set up on your guitar, so the manufacturer made it easy on the future you.

The guitar comes with a detailed set of controls, with one master tone control, ne master volume control and treble, mid and bass EQ controls.

Hofner Violin Bass Sound

The sound of the guitar is lovely. Thanks to the combination of the humbuckers and the maple body, the guitar has a well-balanced sound, with a wide range of tones available to the instrument. The highs and mids are detailed, with the low tones being powerful enough. Though for some the mids and highs might seem a little too focused on, which might cause some to dislike the sound of the bass. For me, personally, it is rather great.

Conclusion

This is a great electric bass guitar that is incredibly affordable and provides a whole lot of value for the musician. It has a great, flexible sound, interesting tonewood combination and some fun design. Highly recommended.

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