By 1964 Höfner, which was expanding its line in the wake of the Beatles boom, came out with the 500/2. Nicknamed the “Club Bass,” the 500/2 owes much of its pedigree and appeal to its association with the 500/1. The single-cutaway body shape is the only real difference between the 500/1 and 500/2. The body was adapted from Höfner’s Club series of guitars, which were popular with many young European players of the time. One can only guess at the motivation of Höfner’s backward progression from a design standpoint, but perhaps some players wanted an alternative to being a “McCartney clone” while enjoying all the positive aspects of a Höfner bass: impossibly light weight, a fast and slim neck, and the full, round, resonant tone that helped those Beatles records jump out of small radio speakers around the world.
This 1964 version, owned by Gary Nicholson, is in great shape, and it’s so fab to play it’s hard to put down. The body is German spruce top with flame-maple back and sides, the three-piece maple/beech/ maple neck is still fairly straight, and there’s nice inlay work in the binding, bridge, and nut. The action is fast, and the intonation—usually a weakness on Club and Beatle basses—is surprisingly accurate, thanks to an excellent setup and the adjustable bridge saddles.
This bass has its share of assorted acoustic rattles, but once plugged in, the famous Höfner low-end boom wipes out any distractions! The pickups are Höfner’s classic 511B “staple” types with adjustable polepieces, which followed the earlier “toaster”-style pickups in 1963. The controls are two volume knobs, on/off switches for each pickup, and a rhythm/solo switch that boosts volume in the solo position—kind of like a mellower version of the Gibson EB-series “mud button.” The McCartney tone is easily found with the neck pickup on and the solo switch on—a big, round mound of sound!
The Club Bass was discontinued in 1970 and has been reissued a number of times in various versions. Occasionally you may see the pickups placed in what is known as the “Cavern spacing,” with the bridge pickup moved toward the middle, as it was on Paul’s first Höfner. His better-known ’63 500/1 has wider spacing, like this bass, and probably contributed to his favoring the front pickup over the years. I prefer the Cavern spacing because it provides more usable options with the rear pickup, but in the end, the lovable, woofy Höfner tone we know is in the neck pickup, and is worth the price of admission. The Club Bass is slightly more comfortable to play for some folks than the classic 500/1 Beatle Bass, but you can close your eyes and feel the Liverpool vibe. Your ears won’t know the difference!
As one of Nashville’s busiest studio bassists, Dave has played on hundreds of recordings. He’s also a producer, bandleader, and solo artist. His latest projects are Three Ring Circle and Supercool. www.davepomeroy.com.