Höfner Shorty Violin Bass

14

Electric Bass

Inspired by its legendary predecessors, it combines the charm of the Shorty Bass with the vintage flair of a real Violin-Beatles Bass.

  • Body: Mahogany
  • Neck: Maple
  • Fretboard: Rosewood
  • Nut width: 42 mm
  • Scale: 760 mm
  • 24 Frets
  • Pickup: 1 Höfner humbucker
  • Volume and tone controls
  • Original Hofner Tea Cup knobs
  • Fixed bridge
  • Open vintage machine heads
  • Chrome hardware
  • Colour: Höfner Vintage Sunburst
  • Includes gig bag
Available since March 2022
Item number 522568
Sales Unit 1 piece(s)
Colour Sunburst
Body Mahogany
Neck Maple
Fretboard Rosewood
Frets 24
Pickup System H
Elektronic Passive
Incl. Case No
Incl. Gigbag Yes
Electric Bass Guitar 1
Top Non
Scale 760 mm
Saddle Width 42 mm
Pickup Configuration H
Show more
$199
The shipping costs are calculated on the checkout page.
In stock within 1-2 weeks
In stock within 1-2 weeks

This product is expected back in stock soon and can then be shipped immediately.

Standard Delivery Times
1

A 50s classic in a small package

Höfner's famous "Beatle Bass" with its distinctive violin shape has been popular since its launch in the mid-1950s, and the German guitar manufacturer now offers a smaller and more space-saving version: The Shorty Violin Bass. Despite its diminutive looks, however, this bass is no toy, but a genuine short-scale instrument with a bolt-on maple neck, a rosewood fingerboard, and a body made from mahogany. The bass features Höfner's typical "Shorty" headstock design, and a covered Höfner humbucking pickup in the neck position provides a full (if slightly nasal) sound. The scope of delivery also includes a basic gig bag.

Fast neck - long sustain

With a full 24 frets at their disposal, bassists who pick up the Höfner Shorty Violin Bass can look forward to virtually limitless playing enjoyment, and the pleasantly flat neck profile and dot fingerboard inlays will ensure both comfort and easy orientation for playing single-note runs and melodies. The Shorty Violin Bass also features the 76cm (30") scale length found on the majority of short-scale basses, together with the same proven fret size and spacing, so this instrument will not take any getting used to, and its slim neck taper - with a nut width of just 42mm - also means that guitarists will not feel out of their depth. The flush-mounted pickguard covers around a third of the Shorty Violin Bass's top in order to prevent damage to the finish when it is played with a plectrum, and its solid-body construction also ensures extra-long sustain.

For fans of retro instruments

The Höfner Shorty Violin Bass is the ideal companion for anyone who wants a bass with a standard short scale length to take on the road. And fans of retro instruments will certainly appreciate its authentic "Beatle Bass" flair, which is complete right down to Höfner's characteristic "tea cup" knobs for the volume and tone pots and enhanced further by the vintage sunburst finish, chrome-coloured hardware, and vintage-style open-gear machine heads. An additional bonus is the fixed bridge with its four individual saddles, which allows the intonation of each string to be adjusted easily and accurately. The compact, one might almost say "pocket-sized" Shorty Violin Bass thus gives players a fully-fledged instrument at a budget-friendly price.

About Höfner

The Höfner company has a long tradition and was founded by Karl Höfner in Schönbach at the end of the 19th century. Initially, the product range consisted mainly of bowed string instruments, and the first guitars were added around 1930. After the Second World War, the company was relocated to Möhrendorf in Bavaria. In the 1950s, the company flourished thanks to new musical trends, and basses were now introduced in addition to guitars. Legendary models were created during this time, such as the President, the Committee, and the 500/1 short-scale bass, which made music history a short time later with the Beatles. The subsequent boom in Beat music quickly brought Höfner enormous demand and enduring world fame. Today, Höfner is one of the best-known and largest manufacturers of bowed string instruments and of archtop, semi-acoustic, and solid-body guitars, as well as a wide range of basses.

From practice session to party performance

The reduced length of the Höfner Shorty Violin Bass makes it very easy to transport and thus the ideal travel companion for everyone who can't NOT play bass while on vacation, and its scale length also makes it ideal for practising scales and exercises while watching TV at home or while colleagues are out of the office. Combined with a small battery-powered amp - and of course with a buddy playing a Höfner Shorty guitar - it can also provide the perfect musical accompaniment for garden parties, barbecues, and even around the campfire - time to ditch those hiking songs in favour of some good old Beatles classics.

14 Customer ratings

4.4 / 5

You have to be logged in to rate products.

Note: To prevent ratings from being based on hearsay, smattering or surreptitious advertising we only allow ratings from real users on our website, who have bought the equipment from us.

After logging in you will also find all items you can rate under rate products in the customer centre.

features

sound

quality

13 Reviews

J
More than just a travel bass!
Jonwbd 04.04.2022
I was in the market for a travel bass for a while and was close to buying the original Höfner Shorty, but Höfner shared an image on social media of their prototype Shorty Violin Bass so I decided to hang on until they released it.

On the post, Höfner asked their fans for feedback on the prototype. In the comments, people suggested they move the pickup from the standard shorty position to near the neck for a mellower sound and to fit a pickup more like the type you’d find on a violin bass as the one on the prototype was the same pickup you’d find on a shorty.

I didn’t hear any more about it for about two years, but then one day I was checking out the basses on Thomann and found that Höfner had released it! Not only that, but they had changed the design to be more to what their followers had requested.

Suffice to say, I’m glad I waited. I placed my order and waited a few weeks for the stock to come in. The bass arrived and it exceeded my expectations.

The bass has a neck that is comfortable to play with a satin finish on the back which feels smooth and doesn’t impede playing. The sound is pleasant, mellow but doesn’t sound muddy or disappear in a mix with other instruments. The tuners are robust and do their job perfectly, I’ve clocked hours of play on this now and it hasn’t slipped out of tune once.

It’s a joy to play!

As you would imagine for an instrument in this price range, a little bit of setting up was required to get it playing perfectly, but it still played quite well out of the box. There was a little bit of buzz coming from the frets due to the neck being completely straight, a very slight truss rod adjustment fixed that and Höfner had even supplied the required allen keys to do both truss rod and bridge adjustments (you will also need a screwdriver though). The nut slots were cut perfectly and the action and intonation were dead-on already, so 5 minutes work and I was ready to go.

If you need advice on how to set up your bass, just check YouTube for some videos. It’s really easy, Thomann have made a few themselves.

The gig bag is suitable for carrying, but won’t protect the instrument, so treat it with care. There’s also a pocket for accessories, I treated myself to a Höfner strap to go with the bass and I keep mine in there.

I travel to play music with a friend who lives a few hours away and I drive a small car, so I really just wanted a bass that wouldn’t be a hassle to transport. The Shorty Violin Bass does everything I needed it to, but I’m so taken with mine that I’ll likely use it for recording too and maybe also some gigs.

I’d definitely recommend the bass, you can’t go wrong for that price.
features
quality
sound
13
0
Report

Report

R
Surprising sound!
RobUSA 05.10.2022
This short scale bass will not likely be everything you need in a larger full scale bass. That being said, it's fun to play and sounds surprisingly good. It's a niche travel bass that sings! With one humbucker at the neck position it's got a deeper fuller sound than you'd expect. I put nylon tapewound strings on it and it's got a perfect Motown sound with a tad more sustain than an actual violin bass. It has less thud than an arch top, but the thud is still quite pronounced. It's kind of like a PBass and an arch top put together.
features
quality
sound
4
1
Report

Report

BB
Great Mini Beatle Bass
Beatle Bass Parts! 07.07.2022
Its a cool mini Beatle bass, well made, and sounds great! Well packed and shipped quickly by Thomann!
features
quality
sound
4
1
Report

Report

t
A Travel Bass With Vintage Vibe
tnjgr 17.01.2023
Build quality is OK. The tone is better than i expected. I like its stylish look and portability. Neck is sanded but not polished, feels kinda weird. Frets and fretboard need some cleaning and polish also. Overall, I'm happy to bought it.

If you need a good lookin' travel bass, it's the right decision.
features
quality
sound
1
0
Report

Report

YouTube on this topic