{"product_id":"1970-hofner-500-1-beatle-bass-vintage-violin-bass-left-handed-100-original-w-blade-pickups-case","title":"1970 Hofner 500\/1 Beatle Bass Vintage Violin Bass, Left Handed w\/ Blade Pickups, Case","description":"Up for sale, a 1970 Hofner 500\/1 Violin \"Beatle Bass\" in perfect working order, complete with the original hardshell case. A rare factory left-handed version of the bass indelibly linked with Paul McCartney and the Beatles, this genuine vintage 500\/1 captures the round, pillowy thump and definition of the Beatles sound, strung with a set of 45-100 roundwound strings.There's a distinctive pluck, percussive cut, and hollow thud that this bass delivers even unplugged, with a broad sonic range between the two \"blade\" pickups. There's more nasally upper midrange cut and sweet growl from the bridge pickup and a girthy, broad thump from the neck position. Controls include individual Volume knobs for each pickup as well as a two-way Rhythm\/Solo tone switch which adds a tic-tac cut and presence in the “Solo” position. Featherweight at 4lbs 14oz, this fully hollow instrument has been professionally setup here at Mike \u0026amp; Mike's Guitar Bar with comfortable action and accurate intonation.The maple neck has a round, substantial C-shaped profile carve which fills the palm and chords effortlessly, measuring .880\" deep at the 1st fret and .965\" at the 12th. The rosewood fretboard retains the original slender frets which show only very faint wear on the crowns of frets 1-5, playing cleanly in every register. The scale length is 30\", and the fretboard width at the zero fret is 1 9\/16\", forward of the carved bone nut. On the headstock, the Hofner logo is in great shape, and on the back of the headstock the stickered serial and Hofner “Made in Germany” decal is intact. The original sealed back tuners with white hexagonal buttons turn smoothly and hold pitch well.The electronics work as intended, and the Hofner-embossed blade pickups are wired to a modern premium German-made Hofner harness. The original harness is also included and complete with Preh pots that date to the 41st week of 1970 (there are a few functionality issues with the stock switches and knobs, thus the swapped harness). There is light patina across the blade pickup covers and trapeze tailpiece. The original ebony floating bridge is intact too, as is the white pearloid pickguard.The original Sunburst gloss finish shows broad lacquer checking, with some finish spotting and a light reaction in the clear coat adjacent to the control plate on the treble side lower bout. There is also buckle rash central to the back and various small nicks and scuffs on the instrument as a whole. The gloss finish is smooth and clean, with only a few minor marks on the profile length.The original black hardshell case with red plush interior is included, along with the original wiring harness.","brand":"Hofner","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42875248673024,"sku":"ISI16553","price":3799.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0550\/4437\/4714\/products\/medium_a26e82bd-b835-47c3-9ffb-a35c9497a791.jpg?v=1751527512","url":"https:\/\/mmguitarbar.com\/products\/1970-hofner-500-1-beatle-bass-vintage-violin-bass-left-handed-100-original-w-blade-pickups-case","provider":"Mike \u0026 Mike's Guitar Bar","version":"1.0","type":"link"}