I bought the Hofner 500/1 Vintage 62 Electric Bass. All I can say is wow! My first impression was a little dissapointing because when I opened the nice bullet case, I found the pickguard a little of of place. I had to push it back in. After getting over that, I was amazed by the nice and smooth look of the bass. Hofner did a great finish job on it. When plugging it in the amp, I got a great 'woody' tone out of it. It is a sound that is only made by Hofner. No doubt about it!! I don't have the best amp, just a 50 watt, but if it sounds good on mine, I'm sure it will sound better a nicer amp. The Hofner makes my knock-off Rogue violin bass sound like a 1960s beginner bass. It comes stock with flatwound strings and feels like silk. Yes, it has a pricey tag on it, but you only live once and is WELL worth the money.

I am 26 and have been gigging exclusively with this bass for a year and a half now. I gig one to three times a week, indoors and outdoors, big and small clubs. I tend to play the bass pretty hard- no slapping, but some hard plucking when I really get into a song i.e. fast blues walks and funk. I have to say, this guitar sounds and plays fantastic. I couldn't possibly be happier with it. It's reliable, it rarely goes out of tune (thanks in part to the hard shell case), and it's light and comfortable. I have only made minor adjustments to the fretting height in the past year and a half. I also purchased the genuine Hofner strap and polish- very good investment. I didn't have to drill into the bass to attach the strap, it is designed to wrap around the base of the neck where it attaches to the body. The bass tone is phenomenal- I have never heard another like it. It doesn't have very much sustain- kind of like an upright but a little longer. It also plays well out of just about every amp or PA I have run it through.... clean, deep, and punchy if I want. The strings feel like they are made of silk- after some research it turns out they are hand wound Pyramid Gold pure nickel flats.... E string is only .95... very light gauge, easy to play with my fingers or with a pick. Other than the fret wear, these strings should last a while (I've read stories about guys seriously keeping them on for decades), and they seem to sound better with age. I'm still happy with the originals myself. There are lots of other little things to list- the strings are closer together which makes both picking and plucking much easier once you get used to it. Rosewood fret board..... mother of pearl pick-guard, top and bottom pickups give you 2 distinctly different tones without changing any settings- one rich and deep and the other light and plucky. Low fretting action; short scale neck makes for easy navigation. I honestly can't say enough about this bass. I love the tone, the feel, and the look. It has become my signature, and has helped start some great conversations.

I played this bass and I shouted at the top of my lungs, "THIS IS AMAZING!" It's almost as nice as my Squier. I bought 5, one to play, 3 to display at my mansion in Malibu, and one to jam with Eric Clapton with. Buy one.

I got this bass yesterday, when I removed it from the case I was amazed by its beauty (It doesn't look real!). I was also amazed by its tone, it sounds just like Paul's. It is louder than my Mccartney Texan because its semi-hollow. This is also the lightest bass I have ever played it only weights 5 Lbs. If you want one by this one.

Ok. Here goes- this isn't the kind of bass you would regularly play in a band. Get a Steinberger for playing out-it's the lightest and Warwick for recording. Look, if you're a Paul McCartney fan and love the look, then this bass is truly the COLLECTOR'S item. It can only appreciate..that's a guarentee with time. If you have the extra money, go for it. You only live once...unless your James Bond, then YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE!