LeftyBassist.com

Probably most of you have seen this by now:

What Paulie is playing here is a customized Vintage '62 German-made Hoffy done especially for the Jubilee concert. Hofner has released a very limited edition of these basses (only 60) but using the Chinese-made Contemporary bass instead. And a retail price of £750 - more than a typical Contemporary, but much less than a German-made bass.

None of the sixty basses are left-handed. I have written and posted a letter (not an email) to the head of Hofner, Herr Klaus Schöller, asking him to explain to me why they can't be bothered to produce a single left-handed version for sale. The Contemporary 500/1 Violin bass is one of the few models that Hofner does produce in a sizable quantity for left-handers, so they can't say that there was any 'retooling' or 'extra' production costs involved. With such a small number of Jubilee basses available, it's not likely that any LH models would be gathering dust on some dealer's wall for months (or longer). So what reason other than 'We don't care about you people'?

I also wrote to Paul c/o MPL in London on the off chance that it might somehow make its way to him. He probably knows that Hofner is making a limited edition of basses to match his, but he may not know that he couldn't play any of them. I figure it's worth a shot.

I'll let you know if I receive a reply from either, other than a canned 'thank you for your letter' response. Whatever your opinion of Paul or Hofner basses, this should make you angry. It's typical of the attitude that extends to Fender, Gibson and many other companies. And it's why writing to complain, making your voice heard, is so important.

Hofner's address, BTW, is:

Karl Höfner GmbH & Co. KG
Egerlandstraße 38
D-91083 Baiersdorf-Hagenau
Germany

Good for you and you're absolutely right! (Beautiful bass, BTW). It's unfathomable that lefties aren't being offered, considering the most famous lefty musician in the world (or possibly the most famous musician, period) single-handedly put them on the map and they built the bass specifically for him.

I'm writing to them now.

I'm writing too. As you say, this makes no sense on any level.

Reply from Hofner:

"With reference to your letter dated June 12th 2012.

Herr Schöller has passed this letter to me and asked that I reply to you.

Höfner guitar production is carried out so that the company can remain sufficiently profitable to stay, at least, in business. In an extremely competitive market and with production runs available to us only in several hundred units it is not economically viable to manufacture left handed guitars for all models. Where we are able, and where there is actually sufficient demand, we do make left handed models.

Your remarks suggesting Höner is a discriminatory company and comparing us to the sort of discrimination leveled against black people and women is unwelcome, and frankly, offensive.

for Höfner, this matter is now concluded.

Yours sincerely

Nick Wass
Marketing Manager"


Can anybody find the words "Jubilee bass" in this reply? I certainly can't.

Your papers are not in order.
If it wern't for a couple left-handed basses they'd have go out of business years ago.

For clarification, here is the section of my letter that Mr. Wass found so offensive:

My feeling is that Hofner discriminates against left-handed musicians. I cannot think of any other group of people that this behaviour would apply to, alienating a potential 7 - 10 percent of your customer base. For example, if Hofner announced that they would no longer sell instruments to black people or women, the public outcry would be enormous. But you refuse to make your most popular models for left-handers, and nobody thinks this is unusual.

I used this same comparison on a post in this very forum, and nobody here batted an eye.

OK I see, that's not an accusation per say, it's a comparison. It must have been hard not to invoke Godwin's Law on them...

I do think AustinLeftyBass' comment would have really stung them because it's the 500(/1?) ton elephant in the room that no on speaks of. But everyone here knows it, the entire music industry has known it for decades and no one knows it better than they do:



How do THEY sleep?

Höfner guitar production is carried out so that the company can remain sufficiently profitable to stay, at least, in business.

A company that would have faded into obscurity decades ago if not for a certain lefty. A company that owes the majority of it's success to a lefty. Well done, Höfner.

Here's what I suggest: pick up an (arguably better) $250 Rogue, strip it, and paint a Union Jack on it yourself.

I dunno. I'll play devil's advocate I guess. It's a pretty niche instrument in my view. A lefty Höfner violin bass with a British flag on it? Eh, I don't see that selling very well either. But i also think the thing is hideous and I'm not a nationalistic type of guy, so I'd feel like a douche sporting a flag of any kind on my instrument. What do I know though?

That's not the point, however. It's all about not having the option. Who knows how they'd sell as a regular item, but as far as I can determine, all sixty of the basses available are spoken for.

I felt I was speaking to the point. The option doesn't exist because they feel the bass wouldn't sell well enough.

Sorry; I can't agree with that. They do make a lot of 500/1 Violin basses, and they must be selling. Even if they made half the run (30 basses) available left-handed, I have no doubt they would sell as fast as the right-handed versions.

Just because you wouldn't buy it doesn't mean other people wouldn't, just as a bass you might really like might not appeal to other people.

If Hofner really thinks they couldn't sell 30 copies of this bass to left-handers, it's no wonder they can't be bothered to make anything else available.

I never said the damn thing wouldn't sell just because I don't like it. And I never said just because I don't like it that others would or should feel as I do. As I stated above, the option isn't available because THEY (meaning Höfner) don't feel it'll sell. I was echoing what Höfner's reply said and adding my personal opinion on the bass as others have done.

I know they make tons of lefties in other versions and models, as I currently own one. They apparently feel that they can't sell enough to justify producing lefties and in this particular case I tend to agree.

Edit: I'll add that I could very well be wrong about how well a flag-adorned lefty 500/1 would sell.
I wouldn't want it assumed again that I feel my own opinion holds so much weight that everyone should agree with me

That being said, I do of course agree that they owe their popularity (and I'll guess their continued existence) to Sir Paul. It would be hard to argue otherwise.

I'd never argue with someone who agreed with me.

If it had been a Canadian flag on that bass, I'd have gone ape-shit over not being able to get one.

Well now you've done it, Matt. You've opened up a whole political can 'o worms.

Why is it jingoism only seems to apply to Americans? Slap an American flag on a guitar and the connotation is you're some sort of right wing redneck, but put a Union Jack on a guitar and you're ultra mod cool. That being an American's view of things, as I'm not sure people in the UK look at the wearing of a Union Jack in quite the same way. But I have to believe if McCartney, The Who, or Oasis proudly wear it then there's none of that negative political association or controversy. We Americans really need to rediscover country pride without shame or inner conflict.

I will proudly root for Americans sporting the flag on their Olympic garb this summer and hang a flag on national holidays, but wear an American flag myself? Nah, too much baggage associated with it. As for wearing the Canadian flag, do you know how many people around here would taunt me for not wearing a Rangers, Devils, or Islanders jersey? Canada means hockey here.

Now back to our regularly scheduled programming.

As an American living in the UK, I can say that very few British people would bother wearing a Union Jack on anything. And you rarely see them flying the flag over any buildings. Whereas the England/Scotland/Welsh flag is another matter entirely. The Union Jack is seen as cool only in the States, oddly enough.

The bass in the photo at the top of this thread has a Union Jack on it solely because of the Queen's Jubilee. And the 60 special edition basses have it solely because McCartney played it. So there's no sense of "Hey, we're British; we're cool".

Regarding American jingoism, I agree that rednecks seem have hijacked using the American flag, but I remember what it was like in the US in the weeks that followed 9/11; we all wore our flags with a great deal of pride then.

As an American and a vexillologist, I have some flag from US history flying at my home most days.