Hofner 500/1 Violin Bass 1964 with Apollo Matching Guitar 1960

This legendary Höfner Violin Bass ranks among the most iconic bass guitars ever made, immortalized by Paul McCartney’s use of it during the early Beatles years. This stunning vintage instrument transports you straight back to the Swinging Sixties in London!

When German Höfner instruments were distributed in the UK, they were given model names to match their model numbers, and the 500/1 became known as the Violin Bass. Today, it is also frequently referred to as the "Beatles Bass." Its violin-shaped hollow body—featuring maple back and sides with a spruce top—delivers that authentic, warm, and rounded tone so characteristic of the Violin Bass. Weighing in at a featherlight 2 kg, this bass offers unmatched comfort during long gigs—a quality that made it so popular back in the day.

The tonal character of this vintage Höfner is unique; the hollow-body construction, combined with its distinctive humbuckers, produces a beautifully resonant, full tone that suits both melodic basslines and understated accompaniment perfectly. The original switching options—including the rhythm/solo switch and separate bass and treble switches—offer a surprisingly wide range of tonal possibilities. The maple neck with rosewood fretboard offers a pleasant playing experience thanks to its comfortable C-profile, while the short 30" scale length makes playing complex basslines easier. Over the years, this bass has developed a beautiful patina that only enhances its authentic vintage look.

This Höfner 500/1 Violin Bass features characteristics that date it to around the mid-1960s. It is equipped with 513 'Blade' pickups featuring an engraved logo, and the tuners have plastic buttons. A gold Höfner logo decal adorns the headstock, from where the strings run over a replaced nut and an ebony bridge to the short tailpiece. The neck joins the body at the short heel (without a cover). Sound controls are mounted on the large pearloid plate, featuring black switches and cream-colored 'teacup' knobs with brass inserts.

This Höfner 500/1 is in excellent condition, showing the authentic signs of play and patina expected of an instrument over fifty years old, along with a minor lacquer repair on the top. A unique feature of this particular instrument is that it comes with a matching 1960 Apollo guitar, giving you a complete set from the same era. Apollo guitars were manufactured in Japan but distributed by St. Louis Music in the US.

The bass and guitar come in a hardshell case with a TFOA passport, ready for their next musical adventure!