Agent00Soul wrote:
I've owned a 70s-era Hofner and a Korean made Epiphone Viola which cost $400 and I'm sad to say that the Epiphone was a better instrument in all respects except pickups. And they come out of a factory that produces pretty much every low-end violin bass to many manufacturers.
I love the sound of hollowbodies in general, but top level Hofners have to be the biggest ripoff in bassland. You can get the same the sound at a third the price elsewhere so I suspect that the cheaper Hofners themselves are a better way to go (unless you're in a Beatles tribute band or something).
As an owner of both a cheap Rogue VB100 Beatle bass knockoff and a real Hofner Club, I have to concur. i love the classic Hofner sound, but If I didn't happen to get the Club for a great closeout price, I probably wouldn't have bothered. Tonally, the Rogue is 99% there, and arguably better than the real thing because there's some additional clarity to the notes whereas the Club can sound a bit muddy. The Club is light as a feather and feels rather flimsy and fragile, whereas the Rogue just feels more solid (It's heavier too). Aesthetically, yes the control plate and knobs on the Club are pearloid and overall much nicer looking than the Rogue, but they're still cheap crap, IMO.
Hofner had no choice but to issue their own cheaper versions because they were losing money to all the copycats who were producing instruments that capture their tone/look at a fraction of the cost. And since a Hofner is such a niche instrument with very limited tonal versatility, most of us probably can't justify spending over $2000 on one. (Nigel not withstanding).
