The Twen Star looks and plays about just as good as a Höfner 500/1 or an Eko 990, and sounds rather better, with a really “woodish” voice and despite the short scale (30 “) an astonishing capacity to emulate when needed the tone of a double bass, but also has presence from the bridge pickup that can be dialed in for a tone that cuts more.
This bass has the classic Höfner “boom” from the neck pickup and the back picku spits out a respectable “tic-tac” sound when played pickstyle while palm muting. The E string has a punch that cannot always be found in a short-scale bass, the stringto- string balance is excellent, and the notes sound even all over the neck. The intonation and playability are excellent, the volume and tone knobs are smooth, and the 3-position pickup switch is simpler to use than the Hofner switch system.
Klira was a German company founded in 1887 by Johannes Klier in the town of Schonbach. Originally violinmakers, Klira made the switch in emphasis to guitars and basses in the 1950s. By this time, the company was based in Bubenreuth, which in postwar Germany was also home to Höfner and Framus.
This Klira model 362 bass, also known as the “Twen Star,” was the company’s top-of-the-line violin bass, manufactured in 1967–68. At a little over five pounds, the 362 is lightweight, but it feels substantial and plays solidly. The 30"-scale neck is still straight and true. The bass incorporates many of the classic elements of the 500/1—the violin-shaped body, a zero-fret, “trapeze” bridge and wooden saddle, and ivory binding, and adds a few unique design touches, especially the “cat’s eye” ƒ-holes, crescent-shaped pickguard, and Gibson-like headstock inlay. The tuners, somewhat small but still quite effective, are easier to manipulate than the typical ivory button tuners of that era.
