How Low Can You Go?

Despite being a bassist for twenty-five years, and probably considering it my first instrument (though that's a bit of a fluid subject), I've only ever owned one bass guitar: my trusty Tanglewood replica of a violin bass. So I think I was entitled to upgrade to a real Hofner, which I finally did this week.

Arty Hofner shot (as it's known in the trade).

I approached this purchase with guilt and trepidation, as I do when I buy anything significant, despite paying in instalments and not being expensive for what it is. Surely I'm allowed a new bass every quarter-century? Particularly when it's literally* for work. And yet I can't shake the sense that I'm treating myself at a time when money's tight (and that's before today's massive fall in the pound's value on the stock market, which I probably triggered by buying it).

However, I bought it to be better equipped next time some muso work comes up. While my old bass has done remarkably well considering I've been using it since I was a teenager, and it's accompanied me on several tours, it's now a bit battered, and I couldn't keep turning up for gigs with it. It's no longer reliable, much like me. So why do I still feel like I've bought myself a new toy?

Big Day Out, circa 1998, with my violin bass already in action.
Perhaps it's because it's enjoyable to play. My previous experience with vintage Hofners wasn't good (the last one I used had a neck like a mantelpiece), but the reviews of this model praised it enough for me to take a punt. And the good news is it was worth it. One thing going for my old bass is it's always been easy to play (not least as I learnt to play on it), and my new Hofner is very similar, encouraging the playing style you'd expect from a Beatles bass while being super light and, basically, a better version of the one I already owned, which was what I wanted. And it looks smart (not least for having the correct name on the headstock). Now I just need to sell a kidney to pay for it; I wonder how much I'd get if I offered both as a job lot? Gumtree, here I come (with a freezer bag to hand).

*One of the few times this word is accurate.

Still playing the Tanglewood, in 'Glad All Over!: A Sixties Celebration',
circa 2012 (photo by Tim Parker)

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