HÖFNER, HAGENAU, GERMANY, 2010

Details

STEVE EARLE: A 'BEATLE BASS'
HÖFNER, HAGENAU, GERMANY, 2010
The hollow-body electric bass guitar, 500⁄1 Vintage ‘63, with logo Hofner applied to the headstock, Genuine / Höfner / Original / Made in Germany to the reverse along with MATT UMANOV / GUITARS / NEW YORK decal, labeled internally Höfner / since 1887 / Model 500⁄1 Vintage ‘63 / serial No. L07011 / Made in Germany, the top of spruce, the back and sides of maple, the maple neck with East Indian rosewood fingerboard with faux-pearl dot inlay, original aluminum hardshell case, manufacturer’s manual
Length of body: 18 ¼ in. (46.4 cm.)
Overall length: 43 1⁄8 in. (109.5 cm.)

Provenance

Purchased by Steve Earle from Umanov Guitars in New York City.
Acquired from Carter Vintage Guitars, 2015.

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Lot Essay

Steve Earle is a lifelong Beatles fan, frequently covering their songs, and always wanted a Höfner ‘Beatle bass’. This example is unlikely to have been played by Earle, as it still retains the plastic covers over the pickups.

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