Vintage Bass Guitar – Hofner 500-1
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The Hofner 500/1 (also known as “Cavern Bass”) is a vintage bass guitar that became very famous because some struggling young British musician couldn’t afford the guitar he really wanted. The rest, as they say, is history.
History 101
In 1955, a German violin and guitar maker called Hofner developed their violin bass and introduced it to the world at the Frankfurt Music Fair in 1956. This vintage bass guitar was a hollow bodied semi-acoustic bass that was electrically amplified and designed like a double bass. Due to its construction, it was very light weight but produced a warm rich tone.
No one knows for sure if they came up with the design on their own or if they were influenced by guitar maker Gibson, who three years earlier released their solid body violin bass called the EB-1. But the double bass tone and compact size of the Hofner violin bass made it a favorite of musicians as it was comfortable to play and sounded great.
That 1956 bass was not the one that became famous, however, that version would appear 5 years later. As the story goes, that young British musician I mentioned earlier was part of a band who was forced to switch from playing guitar to playing the bass when the bassist left to get married.
He needed to buy a new bass because the one the band had was broken. He walked into a Hamburg music shop one day in 1961, looked around and inquired about the cost of a Fender bass, but it was more than he could afford. Then the violin bass caught his eye, at least it was in his price range.
It was a right-handed model (he was left-handed) but since it was symmetrically shaped, unlike some other basses, it would look “less daft” if he played it left-handed. That’s one version of the story, the other is that he actually ordered a left-handed model and that is what he used. Of course the musician was Paul McCartney and the Hofner 500/1 would forever be known as the “Beatles Bass”.
Obviously the Beatles became the Beatles and the Hofner company couldn’t be any happier. They were so happy in fact that they presented Paul with a brand new 1963 version of the 500/1 vintage bass guitar which he used throughout most of his Beatle days.
Production
The Hofner 500/1 is still in production today as the “Contemporary Series” and as reissues of the originals, which the company refers to as Vintage. There are the Vintage ’58, ‘59, ‘62 and ’63 models.
They also produced a limited edition 50th anniversary bass in 2006… only 150 of these were ever made.
The picture on the left is of an original 1956 model (photo courtesy of Dieter Serowy). The picture on the right is of a left-handed 1962 version, similar to the McCartney model.
The pictures show the design changes through the years. From 1956-1958, the control consol was oval with four knobs. That changed in 1959 when control console became the one we’re most familiar with, rectangular with two knobs and three switches.
1962 Hofner 500/1 Specs
I chose to feature the 1962 model since this was the most famous model year. Although Hofner gave McCartney a 500/1 model in 1963, the bass he received was built to 1962 specifications so technically it was a 1962 model.
• Semi-acoustic, hollow body
• Two piece maple neck, 30” scale length
• Antique-brown sunburst finish
• Two ‘Staple’ humbucking pickups with individual volume controls
• Spruce top, maple back and sides
Collectibility
The Hofner 500/1 bass never was as popular in the United States as it was in Europe. Even the U.K did not start importing the bass until 1963. It wasn’t the first electric violin bass to be produced and it didn’t change the face of music as the Fender Precision Bass did. In fact, its only claim to fame was the Beatles.
In today’s market, a 1956 original 500/1 vintage bass guitar in excellent condition is worth about $4,500, only slightly more than a 1962 lefty version of that same model.
In comparison, you can get a 1962 or 1963 reissue for roughly $2,100.
These prices are a far cry from what Paul paid for his 1961 vintage bass guitar. He shelled out 30 pounds which was the equivalent of $84 back then.
Paul and his 1961 Hofner 500/1 3/4 scale
Hi, I have a Hofner solid body bass guitar circa 1963. It is still in the original case which is a bit battered but could be retored. The bass plays perfectly except for the fact that the volume and tone controls have been disconnected and the pickups are either on or off via small switches. Could you tell me if there any re-sale value for this guitar? I could send you some photographs via email. The guitar is in the same condition in which I acquired it in 1983. It was my first bass guitar and is easy to play because the neck is shorter than a Fender and feels more like a normal guitar.
Thanks for your service.
Kind regards,
Barry.
Assuming it’s a 4-string bass it sounds like you might have a Hofner model 185. The 185 has 2 volume control knobs, 2 tone control knobs, pickup control switches and a short 30.5″ scale length.
A lot goes into determining the value of an instrument and one of the most important is condition. For example. in order to be classified in excellent condition it could have some slight wear but no major blemishes, no repairs or damage and it must have all its original parts and finish as well as be in working order.
I’m not an appraiser but I checked around and my best guess is that in excellent condition it could be worth 400-500 US$. Naturally anything in less than excellent condition will have a reduced value.