Hofner HCT5001 CT Series 4-String Electric Bass

No longer available at zZounds
Featuring the original Staple-Top pickups popularized by the Beatles, the Hofner HCT5001 electric bass offers the warm, open tone that Hofner fans expect.

What's special about this item?

Feature: What it does:
Maple body with spruce top Smooth highs and crisp low midrange tone
Hofner Staple nickel pickups Focused Hofner low end; warm and defined tone
30-inch short scale Feels easy to play; exceptional note bloom
Bound rosewood fretboard Warm rosewood tone; beautiful binding

Your Hofner HCT5001CT Series electric bass is a modern reissue of the iconic Beatles bass that Paul McCartney played. With vintage looks and a few fresh tweaks, this bass mixes the best of the old with some exciting new features. A resounding sustain block inside this baby's spruce topped maple body offers lingering tonal presence, and a pair of German made Staple-Top pickups fuel that infamous tone known to the world. Other features include a bound rosewood fingerboard of 22 frets, a bound headstock, a comfortable set-in maple neck with a zero fret, dual volume controls, and bass on, treble on, and solo boost switches.

Pair of German Made Staple-Top Pickups

This bass fuels a tone of notoriety heard all over the world from the Beatles' unparalleled career, and your two Hofner Staple-Top pickups capture that sound perfectly. These two baddies sound great together, and with your two volume controls, you'll be able to mix together just the right amount of signal from each pickup to get the sound you're looking for.

Spruce-Topped Maple Body with Resounding Sustain Block

The spruce top on your Hofner HCT5001 bass has a distinctive grain pattern that goes really well with this baby's vintage, violin-like look. Maple provides a fixed resonance with tight lows that won't get too punchy. Your HCT5001's body also houses a sustain block that provides additional resonance and lingering color to your playing.

Comfortable Bound Set-in Maple Neck

Your HCT5001 features a read more smooth bound set-in maple neck. As with this baby's body, maple necks have a pleasing but not overbearing snap to them. The bound rosewood fingerboard is smooth to the touch and features a zero fret at the headstock. Some guitarists argue that a zero fret gives your open notes a "fretted" sound, offering more overall consistency to your playing when you play those open notes in conjunction with fretted ones.

Bass, Treble, and Solo Boost Switches

The controls on your HCT5001 bass include two volume knobs for your pickups and three signal switches. Your bass on and treble on switches allow you to set your lows and highs to your liking, and your rhythm/solo switch gives a little boost to your signal if you want to play a more melodic-oriented lead. All three switches are located between your two volume controls for simple easy access.

Features:

- Spruce-topped maple body
- Bound set-in maple neck
- Rosewood fingerboard with 22 frets
- Bound headstock with zero fret
- Pearloid button tuners
- Sustain block inside body to give a semi-hollow sound
- 30" scale
- A pair of German-made Staple-Top pickups
- Two volume controls with treble on, bass on, and rhythm/solo switches
- Trapeze tailpiece and ebony-based bridge

Get the ultimate in Beatle-bass style with the HCT5001 -- the most faithful recreation of Paul's original Hofner.
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For support or warranty questions, please contact the manufacturer:
Phone: 973-335-7888

Hofner HCT5001 CT Series 4-String Bass

The Hofner HCT5001 is the contemporary series version of the famous Beatle Bass by Hofner, upgraded from the Icon series. The CT Series is an almost exact copy in the true sense of the word, it's hard tell it apart, side by side, with the German made instrument. Features include a sustain block inside the body that makes for a modern deep resonating bass with superior sustain. Comes with the original Hofner (German made) 'Staple-Top' pickups, Zero Fret, Binding, Parchment tinted pickguard and control panel.

Features:

- Maple body with spruce top
- Set in maple neck
- Pearloid button tuners
- German made Staple Pickups
- Rosewood fingerboard with zero fret
- Bound Neck and Head Stock
- Finish looks exactly like the German made Bass
- Block Inside making it Semi Hollow with more Sustain
- 30 in. scale
- Ebony based bridge with trapeze tailpiece
- Volume with solo boost

Reviewers gave this product an overall rating of 5 out of 5 stars. (42 ratings)
Submitted May 20, 2009 by a customer from yahoo.com

"Hofner Contemporary Bass has looks, sound, and mojo"

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars
(see rating details)
I'm keeping this one. Maybe someday I'll get the German one--but not any time soon.

Sound
The pick-ups are great--loud, no buzzing, better than my Jaguar Bass. Because of the nature of the bass, you do have to be careful to avoid microphonics--it's just the nature of this beast, not a defect in the instrument. But those microphonics also create a warm tone, and can make it sound a bit like an acoustic stand up bass. The sustain block and the controls for volume, bass/rhythm are great. The bass/rhythm set-up is more of an equalizer than just a pickup selector--very nice.

Features
Decent case, but nothing special. The finish on the body, the fretboard, the frets, is perfect. Very nice. It feels like the $2000 bass, just a little heavier than the German made one. That being said, this is simply the easiest bass to strap on you back that I can imagine, except for the slightly lighter German version.

Ease of Use
The feel and fit of this bass is phenomenal. I can do complex Beatles bass lines with ease. It works beautifully with muting. You may find it a little difficult to get used to picking it, but it passes. Picks work better than fingers for this one--the thick rubber ones make a great sound.

Quality
This is just a wonderful =ly put together bass. It is a bargain at $750 or so. Easily worth a could hundred more. This is, by its nature, a more read more delicate bass than a Fender P-Bass, for instance, so you do have to keep it protected from hot weather, etc.

Value
I have difficulty with long scale basses. They are heavy, thick, and too difficult for me to fret. This bass made playing fast, complex bass lines a possibility for me. It improved my playing almost immediately. For younger players, those with physical limitations, or those who tire holding a "bazooka", this is a great sounding, beautiful one to work with. It just feels right to me.

Manufacturer Support
No problems. Web site a little terse. Instruction manual pretty good.

The Wow Factor
It's right up there with a 12-string rickenbacker--it's got that mojo and look. Grabs the attention of all who see it. Simple, light, perfect.

Musical Background:
hobbyist/semi-pro

Musical Style:
Rock, Blues, Country
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48 of 49 people (98%) people found this review helpful. Did you?
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No longer available at zZounds

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