HISTORY:
The Hofner 500/1 bass was conceived in 1955 by company president Walter Hofner who believed that a violin shaped electric bass would be easy to manufacturer along side of his existing upright acoustic bass production. The 500/1 was introduced at the 1956 Frankfurt Music Fair however would be not be distributed worldwide until after a sudden surge in demand in 1963.

FATE STEPS IN:
In April 1961 an up-and-coming band called The Beatles started a four-month residency at the Top Ten Club in the Reeperbahn, Hamburg’s red light district. The band's line-up included John Lennon and George Harrison on guitar, Stuart Sutcliffe on bass, Paul McCartney on piano AND guitar and Pete Best on drums. Soon after taking the gig, however, Sutcliffe made the fateful decision to leave the band to study at the Hamburg University of Fine Art.

The problem, Paul would later explain, was that "none of us wanted to be the bass player. Bass players were quiet and stood in the back. We all wanted to be up front singing, looking good, to pull the birds." Nonetheless, with no bass and two and-a-half guitar players, the band "unanimously" elected Paul for the job.

To complicate matters, the fledgling band did not own a bass guitar. Paul tried "converting" his Rosetti 6-string guitar but finally broke down and went to Hamburg's Steinway Musikhaus where he was taken by a German-made violin shaped bass called Hofner. He would later recall that as “I was left-handed, it looked less daft because it was symmetrical". With little money at the time, Paul was also drawn to the guitar's reasonable price (roughly half the cost of a comparable Fender) AND the store's 10-payment finance plan.

Of course, the Hofner would, for the next six decades, become Paul's signature instrument. Earning the nickname "The Beatle Bass", the 500/1 would achieve its own "celebrity" status and become, forever, a symbol of the most influential band of all time.

SELMER SERIAL #990:
Oddly, Hofner did not start assigning serial numbers to their instruments until the mid 1970's. However, Hofner's licensed distributor for all of the British Commonwealth, Selmer Co., DID apply their own sequence of serial numbers to the instruments that they imported.

500/1 # 990 (embossed on the back of the headstock) was acquired in 2024 from an retired British ex-pat living in the SF Bay Area who said to have purchased the bass years ago from a music store on the Isle of Wight where it apparently had hung for years on a wall as a promotional piece.

Original components include its tobacco sunburst finish, pickups, pickguard, pots and tuners.

DATING THE HOFNER:
There are a number of characteristics that confidently date this bass to 1964:

- Per the attached chart (see photos) compiled from surviving Selmer delivery documents, #990 falls squarely in the middle of deliveries in 1964, the first full calendar year that Selmer imported the 500/1 into the UK.
- Per the attached photos, the pots are date-dated "204" and "214" translating to the 20th and 21st week of 1964
- Per the interesting website violinbasses .com, there are a number of features original to this guitar which are consistent with 1964 production:

- the small frame staple-style pickups (1963 to 1964)
- the small cream pearl control panel (1961 to 1964)
- the long style tailpiece (1961 to 1964)
- the individual ‘open-axis’ tuners (1963 to 1966)
- the raised cream logo (1963 to 1967)

In addition to the above, other features that appear to be original include its nitro cellulose lacquer finish, bridge, pickguard, 3-layer nut, rosewood fretboard and all wiring.

CONDITION:
The overall condition of the bass is Very Good.

When acquired, the neck had a modest bow that could not be sufficiently adjusted so the guitar was sent to Tim Frick (timfrickguitars.com), a luthier with extensive Hofner experience. Tim completed a full NECK RESET AND REFRET.

The finish which has a fair amount of crazing and some bruises (which, I might argue, adds to the guitar's character. Still, the original sunburst finish reflects a nice sheen. There is also tarnish, consistent with its age, to the finish on the bridge mounting plate.

Overall the guitar presents VERY nicely and plays flawlessly. The fretboard and markers are immaculate. The electronics all operate as designed as do the tuners.

The bass comes with a fitted hardshell case which appears to be period correct and is in very good condition.

VALUE:
The 2026 Vintage Guitar Magazine Price Guide places the value of a right hand 1964 Hofner 500/1 in top condition at between $4,000 and $6,500.

This All-Original 500/1 represents an opportunity to play and enjoy an instantly recognizable piece of music history. A cornerstone (centerpiece!?) of any good collection, correct early-60's Hofners are becoming more scarce. As a result, it is hard to imagine how these iconic, all-original Horner’s will not, over time, continue to increase in value.