Paul McCartney's Hofner Beatle Bass - Discount Musical Instruments

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Paul McCartney's Hofner Beatle Bass

“I never thought of myself as a creative person,” Terry says as he looks over one of his more recent “vintageized” projects. Vintageizing, a word that describes the process of artificially aging or wearing out a guitar or bass. After dropping one of his guitars, the chunk that was left out of it together with the Fender custom vintage guitars Terry had recently seen, spurred a novel idea. “Instead of just tossing it away I decided to see what I could do with it,” he says. This started a process that has become both a personal hobby and a work of art.

“The Fender Custom Shop uses the terms, 'Relic Series,' or 'Heavy Relic Series,' to designate the level of 'distress' to each artificially aged guitar,” Terry explains. The guitars, which start out brand new, are then distressed to the desired level. Fender builds its guitars to classic specs and period-correct features, reflecting the era in which originated. Terry had a similar goal, but he wanted to replicate a piece that was a little more specific and a little more famous.

When 2Kool4Skool received a shipment of replica Hofner Beatle Basses, Terry jumped on the opportunity to mimic one of his favorite band's instruments. With images of Paul McCartney and the sound of “Yesterday” in his head, Terry began the 12-hour process.

After a completely disassembling the bass, sanding through layers of paint and wood, and roughing up the hardware, and completely reassembling the instrument, Terry put McCartney's song list on the bass to further develop the illusion of authenticity in the piece. Each guitar or bass he does is individually numbered and signed, then given to a tech for proper set-up.

As Wikipedia describes, “McCartney had seen another guitarist in Hamburg using a violin shaped bass, and when he saw one in the window of a Hamburg music store, he investigated it. McCartney bought the bass outright (for about £30, or $125 at that time), and used it through the early Beatles years.” In 1964, Paul McCartney was presented with another bass from Hofner, which was supposedly only on loan to him while he toured. For a more complete history on the Hofner Beatle Bass, click here.

While Terry's bass is more likely to be hung on his wall then played, he's humble about his creation. “I guess it's more of a destruction,” he says of the violin-shaped bass that looks more like a piece of art.

If you're interested in getting your own replica distressed Hofner Beatle Bass, please contact us.

Or you can buy one with out the distressing here.

Comments

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Yessica - Distressed Guitars

|05-01-2008 18:49:44

I never realy thought I would like these guitars but they sure add a homely feel
to something that you are playing. It's like wearing your favorite pair of torn
up jeans rather than a new one...I love IT!
YA

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