Hofner hollowbody electric semi acoustic bass c1958 50’s vintage old instrument

PHOTOS: For more detailed photos, please view this item in our ebay store here (link below) just remember to click back to our site to save money by buying direct from us, or save even more by popping in to see us . Here’s the pics:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/306538212234

Summary:
I am not sure on the actual model name / number so if any vintage Hofner fans out there can shed any light then please do !

A very rare find indeed !
This is a lovely old girl from a classic jazz / rock n roll era. There’s some writing inside the ‘F hole’ that indicates it might have been built in 1958 !
It’s in fairly good condition considering it’s age and if it had Fender or Gibson on the headstock one could expect a value of in excess of £30,000 !!
It’s been through our workshop and at the time the neck was coming unglued from the body and in a right state, the action was just too high so we had it sent off to Rob Williams Guitars in Wales where it was completely removed, repaired and reset. Then back to our workshop for a full test and set up.
It now actually plays and has a very reasonable action.

Make: Hofner
Model no: t.b.a
Year built: c1958 ?
Weight: 5lb 5oz / 4.4 kg (approx)
Hard case or Gig Bag? – No, but will trile box it for secure shipment. Collection referred !

Body Condition: 6/10
A vintage guitar in pretty fair vintage condition.
Covered in scuffs, scratches, dents etc – see pics
Lacquer has sunk everywhere, which is normal on this type of guitar / bass.
Structually it has been repaired and improved with a recent professional expensive neck reset. The repair is good quality and stable.

Neck: 6/10
The frets are in average condition with signs of flat spots and wear.
This has only a minor impact on play and it doesn’t really need a re-fret or even a fret dress in our opinion. The playability is commensurate with the age and style.
The Rosewood fingerboard is showing signs of natural wear and tear and ageing.
The rear of the neck has scuffs and dents and dimples.

Hardware: 7/10
The machineheads seem to be original and in fair working order, signs of tarnish.
The stop tail and saddles are also in fairly good condition with signs of ageing and light corossion commensurate with age.

Electrics: 5/10
Sockets, pots and switches etc are wear and tear items. The electrics on this bass have been serviced, cleaned and tested and are in working order, but on an instrument of this age one MUST expect sticky switches, noisy pots and the odd crackle and age related issues.
We have tested this through an amp and it performs very well with a lovely mellow vintage tone, aided by the old flat wound strings.

My standard disclaimer is it’s a used bass and one must expect SOME occasional electrical ‘scratching’ noise, crackling and popping when adjusting pots and switches. In our opinion the electrics on this bass exhibit average ‘noise’ in normal play but there’s no guarantee how long they will stay in this condition.

Playability:
This lovely old bass has been lovingly set up by Jon, one of the UK’s most highly regarded and experienced guitar techs.
That doesn’t mean this bass is the best playing bass ever, it just means that he has taken the time to set it up. Adjust the action, intonation etc so that it plays as well as can be expected and stays in tune as good as any guitar of this type does.
We all have differing styles and demands from our instruments. Some of us like fast n low actions for fretboard burning licks, others prefer a high n mightly action for show stopping windmills and downtuned heavy riffing and everything in between. No one set up suits all!
This specific bass has been set up sympathetically for it’s style but does actually have a fairly low action, and minimal fret buzzing.

Case: A very old tatty hard case, maybe original but will be very very well boxed for shipping