What a great gift for a 16 year old; a CNC manufactured instrument set up by an experienced (and concientious) player - compare that to what a lot of us started with 30 or 40 years ago. As ever, thanks for the video.
Mark von Wisco - 715Aquaristik I'm sure you're right, but yeah, it is! Pity to have wasted it on a Hofner copy, but at least we can be grateful it didn't get squandered on a real Hofner, haha!
I made the mistake buying shorts for mine as well. It's how the tail piece is on these. Of course Sweetwater doesn't mention this when you buy the bass and order strings. I saved the strings for another bass. I bought another set of medium length strings elsewhere. The Viola bass sounds different than my Hofner. Not better or worse just different. I like them both.
For my 17th birthday that was 5 days ago i got an epiphone les paul made in Korea in 2003 and the thing is high quality to my specs. Just needed the action raised and a new set of strings and its a beast. I love epiphone and honestly i dont think ill change from team epiphone
This bass is so meta. The Hofner was essentially a copy of the original Gibson EB that was designed to resemble a double bass and now Epiphone copied a copy
The Epi bass is heaver than an EB. And they do sound quit different. The Viola bass is a semi hollow body making it more resonant. My short scale EB is really a different animal than the Viola. They sound different to me. Still they sound good. I do agree the Viola sounds and feels closer to an EB than a Hofner.
From someone who's not a bass player, how many players on here play, or have played, short scales designs? What are their merits and what are they like to play, in contrast with the more popular longer scale counterparts As a drummer, I'm always thinking of and listening for the bass player. As I like to say, bassists are the Rodney Dangerfield of the band - they don't get no respect.
Short scales are much lighter and the frets are generally closer together. This seems to take a little of the fullness out of them, but you can compensate for that in the mix. Fun to play. Stanley Clarke, Paul McCartney etc. play short scales. My Hamer Cruise is kind of like a slightly downsized jazz bass and has the best feel to me out my arsenal of basses so it gets played the most. Just a matter of preference really.
Short scales, Jeffrey, are a very nice alternative to the 34" scale. As boomer mentioned, the fret spacings are closer together so if you play six-string guitar it's not much of a jump to play bass. Also, some of us oldsters have less stamina to schlep a 10 lb. bass over our shoulders as we did in the eighties and the lighter weight makes for a more comfortable play. The string tension on short scales tends to be lighter and I think it's just an easier instrument to play. If ya like the tone they put out, you'll be hooked for life.
7:29 You set something in motion when you plucked that harmonic. Any idea what it is? Can you hear it? Like a oscilatior having the frequency turned down. It kept going until the next cut.
Yeah, any Hofner-type bass with the trapeze bridge needs medium scale strings. Love these basses--immense bottom end. Perfect if you need to fill out a mix.
Yep. The real fun with trapeze tail basses is at regular 34" scale. Depending on how the manufacturer made the trapeze you're looking at extra long scale and maybe even brand specific extra long scale that gives you the extra inch you need to go from won't work to will. My Washburn takes 38.75" strings (ball to taper) and it's truly suffering trying to buy new ones. Dairy oh extra long? Too short by 3/8". Labella? Same. Ernie Ball will sort of work at 38.5" ball to taper. Best is Rotosound xl (39"), as well as DR xl (which no store carries in stock ever), Ken Smith, Fodera, and Sadowsky. If Washburn had just made the tailpiece an inch longer it would have saved a world of headache in this regard.
At 7:02 what is that bench tuner? I've never heard a tuner that has audio output before, and that could come in real useful for me as a blind guy. ... just not real portable. :)
Cool gift-I had a notion to get one of these a while back, and went to Guitar Center to check one out, but the one they had on display was so badly set up, that it was unplayable-I passed on it.
when I go to GC to play drums to waste time the drums are terribly set up so I just take a couple minutes to set them up properly so if someone does come by looking to buy one they don't have to play a crappy kit. gc really needs to keep an eye on their products...
I'm presently a little confused as to which strings to get. I bought a Beatbass from Germany and it came with roundwounds. It actually sounds quite nice BUT I bought the bass to get those 60s type tones. I tracked down Pyramid Gold flatwounds but the suppliers are offering two gauge sets for Hofner type basses. 40-55-70-100 40-60-80-100 I'm guessing that the thinner set with the 55 D and 70 A are the more traditional gauge. Any ideas on what effect the heavier 60 D and 80 A might have on the sound ?
Is it really a big deal if the taper is in the nut? I recently restringed a similar style bass from the 60s with short scale strings and even though the taper was in the nut it still plays great.
In future, please add your measurements used in the comments (relief on feeler guage, string height on E and G, bridge and neck pickup height, etc). Thanks much! Good stuff!
well im sure other than Paul McCartney, the hofners around are not really very good. they were cheap in the 60s, made cheap in the 70s and played just that way, but Epiphone makes some nice guitars and this one is pretty and with your expert setup im sure this teen will have a wonderful experience with this guitar. not being a base player, but can play a base, fender and Rickenbacker have them all covered to me. thanks dave for the video I watch them all and love them. Larry
Yes, the Hofners of today are made much better than my original 1968 one. I got mine because it was used and sold to me cheap in 1972. I have both Hofner and Epiphone basses. as for me the best beatle bass is the Rickenbacker 4001S bass.
Dave I would like to know what size feeler gauge that you're using and I need to know I'm working on a Les Paul Epiphone Les Paul Standard the g-strings saddle is loose a little and makes it Buzz a little bit should I change just the saddle or the whole Bridge
It is indeed a compromise, if necessary you can also slant it slightly. The bridge has four slots running across it for the metal saddle bits allowing finer intonation. If I need to loosen the strings for whatever reason I place masking tape around the floating bridge so I dont have to faff about after. I've settled on tapewounds on my viola bass, roundwounds were very clangy on it and my brain couldn't cope with the cognitive dissonance- it needs to thump!
Snow?! What the 'H' is going on? We're not tropical paradise on Van. Isle, BC, but it is at least 65 degrees F plus. Gee whiz, did u guys forget to pay the Hydro bill!
My Viola bass, 2019 model, has a hum when I turn the volume and/or tone to 9 or 10. Does yours do the same thing? It should have NYR/NYT mini humbuckers.
I knew those strings wouldn't work as soon as I saw them! I even yelled at the screen haha I didn't learn it the hard way thankfully but I have those strings on my SG style bass with a badass bridge which is a string through bridge design. They work fine. I recently bought a Fender Mustang bass which is string through body and thought I'd take em off the SG and try them on that bass and discovered the same problem.
Bought two of these back around 2009 (one for gig use, one for backup) and set them both up to use flatwound light strings. Bottom line: sold the backup one on eBay ($300, same price I paid for it) and still use the first one to this day (May 2020). Dave is right, medium gauge is best for this bass and you don’t have to spend $1,800 on the reissues just to show off to your buddies that you have $1,800 more debt than I do. 😎
Hmm, Gibson makes an affordable version of another company’s famous instrument, while also doing some technical improvements that differentiate their own take on it. Where’s the cease-and-desist letter?
No you don't. Besides Pyramid which makes Hofner strings, LabBella makes a set for Hofner as well as Thomastic Infeld who has a very nice set of low tension flats that fit great.
Paul S. Why should Hofner sue Gibson who right after Fender produced the first violin shaped electric bass titled EB-1 a few years before Hofner made their's. I have both beatle basses. you could say Epiphone copied Gibson who is owned by the same brand. Who copied who is the question ?
The correct method: 1. Control neck relief with a metal ruler. 2. Control the nut. File if necessary. 3. Control the string height - capo on first fret - with an allen key with the fitting thickness between string and fret. First - thickest string - maybe at the 12th fret, next string at 14th fret and so on. If action is wrong, retry point 1 and 3. No feeler gages or rulers for string height needed. It's easy. Everything else is entertainment without a precise result. Guitar makers control the curve of the neck and the string height with their eyes. :-) I do it by measurement.
As someone who has grand mal seizures, I could use one of those. It'd be the 21st century equivalent of a medic alert *snickers* Besides, someone would certainly have a fit if they saw what Gibson did to some of the brands they acquired. That's my viewpoint anyways.
What a great gift for a 16 year old; a CNC manufactured instrument set up by an experienced (and concientious) player - compare that to what a lot of us started with 30 or 40 years ago.
As ever, thanks for the video.
Agreed, the entry level instruments are a lot better compared to what was available when I was starting out.
My first guitar-family instrument was a Sears Silvertone, on which the strings were about an inch off the fingerboard at the 12th fret.
I don't agree. For me is an ugly present for a 16 yo girl. Maybe if she is getting 61.
@@foxmulder8862 No, it's when she's 64!
@@foxmulder8862 - while it's not a p or j bass, it's light and a short scale. Perfect to start for a 16 year old -
That is one hell of a sweet 16 present. Hopefully she'll put that viola bass to good use and join a band.
I have one and I'm in a band British invasion style band too
I know that it's probably veneer, but that flame maple top is really nice!
Mark von Wisco - 715Aquaristik I'm sure you're right, but yeah, it is! Pity to have wasted it on a Hofner copy, but at least we can be grateful it didn't get squandered on a real Hofner, haha!
I made the mistake buying shorts for mine as well. It's how the tail piece is on these. Of course Sweetwater doesn't mention this when you buy the bass and order strings. I saved the strings for another bass. I bought another set of medium length strings elsewhere. The Viola bass sounds different than my Hofner. Not better or worse just different. I like them both.
Tone on full, bridge pick-up off, play at the bottom of the neck and it surprisingly becomes a reggae monster !
For my 17th birthday that was 5 days ago i got an epiphone les paul made in Korea in 2003 and the thing is high quality to my specs. Just needed the action raised and a new set of strings and its a beast. I love epiphone and honestly i dont think ill change from team epiphone
Good job Dave. I think she's gong to love it.
What a great present! Nice job per usual Dave and thanks for the video! Be well everybody!
Cool present, hope the kid enjoys it.
What a pretty little bass.
Today is my birthday.. I'll gladly accept one of those
HAPPY B-DAY.
This bass is so meta. The Hofner was essentially a copy of the original Gibson EB that was designed to resemble a double bass and now Epiphone copied a copy
The Epi bass is heaver than an EB. And they do sound quit different. The Viola bass is a semi hollow body making it more resonant. My short scale EB is really a different animal than the Viola. They sound different to me. Still they sound good. I do agree the Viola sounds and feels closer to an EB than a Hofner.
Very cool..i have a epiphone violin bass thanks for info....
From someone who's not a bass player, how many players on here play, or have played, short scales designs? What are their merits and what are they like to play, in contrast with the more popular longer scale counterparts
As a drummer, I'm always thinking of and listening for the bass player. As I like to say, bassists are the Rodney Dangerfield of the band - they don't get no respect.
Short scales are much lighter and the frets are generally closer together. This seems to take a little of the fullness out of them, but you can compensate for that in the mix. Fun to play. Stanley Clarke, Paul McCartney etc. play short scales.
My Hamer Cruise is kind of like a slightly downsized jazz bass and has the best feel to me out my arsenal of basses so it gets played the most. Just a matter of preference really.
Short scales, Jeffrey, are a very nice alternative to the 34" scale. As boomer mentioned, the fret spacings are closer together so if you play six-string guitar it's not much of a jump to play bass. Also, some of us oldsters have less stamina to schlep a 10 lb. bass over our shoulders as we did in the eighties and the lighter weight makes for a more comfortable play. The string tension on short scales tends to be lighter and I think it's just an easier instrument to play. If ya like the tone they put out, you'll be hooked for life.
That was interesting about the string length. You just never know.
7:29 You set something in motion when you plucked that harmonic. Any idea what it is? Can you hear it? Like a oscilatior having the frequency turned down. It kept going until the next cut.
Requires flatwounds
for sure !!!!
I would put flatwounds on it, but it's preferential.. not required..
Roundwounds add a bit of versatility tho
beautiful bass
Yeah, any Hofner-type bass with the trapeze bridge needs medium scale strings.
Love these basses--immense bottom end. Perfect if you need to fill out a mix.
Yep. The real fun with trapeze tail basses is at regular 34" scale. Depending on how the manufacturer made the trapeze you're looking at extra long scale and maybe even brand specific extra long scale that gives you the extra inch you need to go from won't work to will. My Washburn takes 38.75" strings (ball to taper) and it's truly suffering trying to buy new ones. Dairy oh extra long? Too short by 3/8". Labella? Same. Ernie Ball will sort of work at 38.5" ball to taper. Best is Rotosound xl (39"), as well as DR xl (which no store carries in stock ever), Ken Smith, Fodera, and Sadowsky. If Washburn had just made the tailpiece an inch longer it would have saved a world of headache in this regard.
At 7:02 what is that bench tuner? I've never heard a tuner that has audio output before, and that could come in real useful for me as a blind guy. ... just not real portable. :)
LaBella Flatwounds. This ain't no Chickenbacker!
The Date Dave, well you are in the right year.... :)
If I was more talented and had some good recording equipment.
I would take that bass line Dave always plays and turn it into a theme song!!
Cool gift-I had a notion to get one of these a while back, and went to Guitar Center to check one out, but the one they had on display was so badly set up, that it was unplayable-I passed on it.
when I go to GC to play drums to waste time the drums are terribly set up so I just take a couple minutes to set them up properly so if someone does come by looking to buy one they don't have to play a crappy kit. gc really needs to keep an eye on their products...
My daughter's name is viola
I wonder if your daughter watches "2 Set" YT channel?
Curtis Lee 😂🤣
my daughter's name is epiphone - what are the chances of that?
I'm presently a little confused as to which strings to get.
I bought a Beatbass from Germany and it came with roundwounds.
It actually sounds quite nice BUT I bought the bass to get those 60s type tones.
I tracked down Pyramid Gold flatwounds but the suppliers are offering two gauge sets for Hofner type basses.
40-55-70-100
40-60-80-100
I'm guessing that the thinner set with the 55 D and 70 A are the more traditional gauge.
Any ideas on what effect the heavier 60 D and 80 A might have on the sound ?
Nice lookin bass. Lucky girl.
Is it really a big deal if the taper is in the nut? I recently restringed a similar style bass from the 60s with short scale strings and even though the taper was in the nut it still plays great.
In future, please add your measurements used in the comments (relief on feeler guage, string height on E and G, bridge and neck pickup height, etc). Thanks much! Good stuff!
look it up on google I did :)
Yeah Dave love those outta the box guitars ...set up about as good as your weather! LIKE ASS
Definitely flat wounds for that authentic Hofner sound. Also, they won't dig into the frets.
well im sure other than Paul McCartney, the hofners around are not really very good. they were cheap in the 60s, made cheap in the 70s and played just that way, but Epiphone makes some nice guitars and this one is pretty and with your expert setup im sure this teen will have a wonderful experience with this guitar. not being a base player, but can play a base, fender and Rickenbacker have them all covered to me. thanks dave for the video I watch them all and love them. Larry
Yes, the Hofners of today are made much better than my original 1968 one. I got mine because it was used and sold to me cheap in 1972. I have both Hofner and Epiphone basses. as for me the best beatle bass is the Rickenbacker 4001S bass.
Dave, plug it in and play a quick riff..
Dave I would like to know what size feeler gauge that you're using and I need to know I'm working on a Les Paul Epiphone Les Paul Standard the g-strings saddle is loose a little and makes it Buzz a little bit should I change just the saddle or the whole Bridge
Question: How do I raise the string height, clockwise or counterclockwise???
Dave what is the meaning of a 2 way truss rod thanks i enjoy your shows very much thank you
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Truss_rod#Dual_action_truss_rod
How do you set intonation with that type of bridge? if you move it slightly for one string, doesn't that throw the other strings out?
It is indeed a compromise, if necessary you can also slant it slightly. The bridge has four slots running across it for the metal saddle bits allowing finer intonation. If I need to loosen the strings for whatever reason I place masking tape around the floating bridge so I dont have to faff about after.
I've settled on tapewounds on my viola bass, roundwounds were very clangy on it and my brain couldn't cope with the cognitive dissonance- it needs to thump!
One size fits all.
Bravo!
Snow?! What the 'H' is going on? We're not tropical paradise on Van. Isle, BC, but it is at least 65 degrees F plus. Gee whiz, did u guys forget to pay the Hydro bill!
Dave what's the recommended amount of relief and string height for an Explorer guitar?
Behs!
My Viola bass, 2019 model, has a hum when I turn the volume and/or tone to 9 or 10. Does yours do the same thing? It should have NYR/NYT mini humbuckers.
it is not mine
Hey, snow happens.
I knew those strings wouldn't work as soon as I saw them! I even yelled at the screen haha I didn't learn it the hard way thankfully but I have those strings on my SG style bass with a badass bridge which is a string through bridge design. They work fine. I recently bought a Fender Mustang bass which is string through body and thought I'd take em off the SG and try them on that bass and discovered the same problem.
Snowing?! Just a typical May in Canada? hehehe
What bass strings do you use personally?
Dave's World of Fun Stuff aah great strings
Why does Facebook hate Dave?!
I think Dave may have clicked the private view button on his FaceBook cover
Bought two of these back around 2009 (one for gig use, one for backup) and set them both up to use flatwound light strings. Bottom line: sold the backup one on eBay ($300, same price I paid for it) and still use the first one to this day (May 2020). Dave is right, medium gauge is best for this bass and you don’t have to spend $1,800 on the reissues just to show off to your buddies that you have $1,800 more debt than I do. 😎
And if i paid cash?
you didn't level the frets
@8:28 the bridge not being inline with the pickups would drive me crazy, come on David sort it out.
@ I agree but if you look he only has to move the bridge up not towards the pickup the intonation will still be the same.
I bet your FB group got hacked and the hacker deleted it.
That's my theory and I'm sticking with it.
Hmm, Gibson makes an affordable version of another company’s famous instrument, while also doing some technical improvements that differentiate their own take on it. Where’s the cease-and-desist letter?
They should be flats...
Hope the young lady has a strong fretting arm to counter the 'neck-dive'; or else she sits down to plays it!
Dave! Will it chug? Oops, wrong show! 😎
Whatever you meant, it wasn't clever
I was hoping to hear tax man! Better than a Hofner eh?
@Malchik Blue and you have to use their strings. You can check Dave out when someone sent him one for a set-up job.
The Epiphone is much better imho.
No you don't. Besides Pyramid which makes Hofner strings, LabBella makes a set for Hofner as well as Thomastic Infeld who has a very nice set of low tension flats that fit great.
Lets hope that Hofner sues Gibson for using a Hofner design!
@paul s if that were the case hofner should sue rogue , brice , jay turser , giannini et al.they never thought to trademark the violin shape .
Paul S. Why should Hofner sue Gibson who right after Fender produced the first violin shaped electric bass titled EB-1 a few years before Hofner made their's. I have both beatle basses. you could say Epiphone copied Gibson who is owned by the same brand. Who copied who is the question ?
85% of your contents are basses.
Thankfully ;)
@@chlindh1 I guess because basses are high tension guitars. You always end with a bow.
He's a bass player
As it should be
The correct method:
1. Control neck relief with a metal ruler.
2. Control the nut. File if necessary.
3. Control the string height - capo on first fret - with an allen key with the fitting thickness between string and fret. First - thickest string - maybe at the 12th fret, next string at 14th fret and so on.
If action is wrong, retry point 1 and 3.
No feeler gages or rulers for string height needed. It's easy. Everything else is entertainment without a precise result.
Guitar makers control the curve of the neck and the string height with their eyes. :-) I do it by measurement.
Wonder how many think an Epiphone is a phone for folks with Epilepsy. ?
Wonder how many think groovedodger is a pink-panty-wearing idiot?
As someone who has grand mal seizures, I could use one of those. It'd be the 21st century equivalent of a medic alert *snickers*
Besides, someone would certainly have a fit if they saw what Gibson did to some of the brands they acquired. That's my viewpoint anyways.
Very heavy bas. Veneer over plywood. Jay Turner much better choice. Well I should say first gen Turner.
Jay Turser....
Plywood is light tho
@ lol didn't even think about that, but dude says it heavy! Guess he's never played an old peavey bass.
Wrong pickups, wrong control panel, wrong strings... But maybe she just likes the shape of the bass.