Epiphone Viola Electric Bass Guitar Vintage Sunburst

This is a great bass. I had tried the Hofner Violin basses, there were nice, but this bass just feels right in your hands. It has a more solid and nice feel; very nicely made. It’s a little heavier than the Hofner basses, because it’s a semi-hollow instead of fully hollow. This I like actually, because it’s a perfect mix between hollow and solid, and this makes the bass very versatile, from mellow jazzy tones, to hard rocking fuzzy riffs. I definitely recommend putting on flatwound strings. It suits it perfectly, and I don’t even play The Beatles on this bass. IT’S GOOD FOR OTHER STUFF TOO. It’s very versatile. I’ve had this bass for a few months now, and am recording my debut solo album with it. The only problem with this bass (and any other violin bass, or any bass with a moveable bridge) is that getting the intonation perfect is near impossible. But with a little bit of adjusting and fiddling you can get it pretty close and sounding great.

I think there are fair comments suggesting that $800 or $1500 or $2000 guitar made by master craftsman will perform better. My experience in this matter was around the epi SG and gibson sg. My first decent playing guitar (after deciding to take playing as a serious hobby) was an epi sg. I was thrilled with it – compared to my starter. I loved the way SG feels in my lap (compared to strat, les paul & casino)…so when the time came – I bought a cheaper gibson sg…and man….what a difference….now that I had some idea of appreciating the difference. Often after a practice session with my gibson – I will pick up my epi and play a little. I still like it and would proudly give it away to a serious student (in my circle of family & friends)…..OK so today – I picked up this viola (my first bass). All the comments here really helped my make my decision. I’m expecting it to be a little top heavy….to sound good – not as a Hof…but a reasonable bass sound (hummers). I also expect it to look beautiful…and be fun to play…especially as I am a big Beatles fan. Hope this helps.
UPDATE
The guitar arrived in 3 days. It was packed by the Epi factory and then UPS pack that. It arrived safe and sound. The construction was flawless – the woodwork in excellent – nice grain that compliments the instrument – front & back. The factory setup was perfect for me – after tuning it was ready. It plays as I expected….I am recording (as a hobby) and don’t really need a big cabinet – so I cannot speak to that. But I was able to add a bass track to a loop I have been working on and playing over. Now it really sounds nice. Now I just have to learn not to play the thing like a 6-string….instead to provide a nice backbeat.

Ok – so I would say this is the best $299 I have spent in a while. I’m no expert…But for me this guitar is a real treat. Fun to play..sounds good……and looks beautiful.

Bought this for my son, who plays violin abd wants to learn bass. I’ve always liked the look and sound of the Hofner, and this seems like a great copy for a new bassist, or someone on a budget.

So nice. It came out of the box only slightly out of tune. Tuned it, plugged it in and was very pleasantly surprised. Sweet tones, and real depth. Obviously, the 1969 Hofner stands alone, but, the Epiphone, new, is a fifth of the price. I tried the new Hofner equivalent of this imitation of the original German Bass and the Epiphone is sturdier and much better sounding. They are both heavier than the “real thing” which is hollow. I sent back the Hofner copy and I am keeping the Epiphone. It’s a beautiful aesthetic addition to any music room as well. Get a little mini Vox, plug in nice headphones and go nuts. With the money you save, buy a Beatle Wig, a Nehru jacket, take some Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds, and play along. A Time Trip.

The Epiphone Viola Bass is a well made bass….finished nicely with decent action…..but while this instrument resembles the fabled 500/1 Hofner Beatle Bass in appearance, it does not remotely resemble the Hofner sonically…..the Epiphone generates a decent enough generic bass sound, but the Hofner posesses the punchiest and cleanest bass tone on the planet, with a very unique timbre…..in fact, the Hofners i have owned were buzz free in the studio, and their tone was like a punch in the gut….
however, all of that said, i would recommend this Epiphone over the new Hofner lower priced basses….and while many Epiphones these days are cheaply built and finished, this instrument is very servicable and a great value for the money…..but, if you ever muster up the dough to buy the real deal, do yourself a favor and get a new (don’t buy a vintage one, the necks warp and they are not easily repaired) top of the line Hofner…there is nothing like it….

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+The viola shape will be a bit awkward to wrap your arm around in order to play notes.
+The semi hollow body makes the instrument very neck heavy.
+Despite a neck length that’s on par with Epiphones EB-0, this model will require medium scale strings due to them being wraped across the body of the guitar
+This thing is gorgeous, make sure you have a sturdy rack to put this on
+Has a floating bridge that will is protected with a layer of foam, the only way to remove the foam is the release the bridge and then retune the guitar–or use a wooden toothpick and delicately scalpel the foam away