LeftyBassist.com

Here's what I have at the moment:



Back row:

• Engelhardt upright bass (restrung left-handed)

Front row (l. to r.):

• Kingston (restrung left-handed)
• '78 Fender Precision
• Fender Jazz (Mexican)
• Hofner V62 500/1
• Indie Acoustic-Electric
• Hofner 187 "Shorty"

nice

very nice indeed. That's the first time I ever saw (or heard of for that matter) a Hofner 'Shorty'. when was it made?

Shorty guitars in general date from around '84. There were several styles of guitar (one with a built-in speaker), and the 187 bass. I'm told that Hofner only made six left handed basses as a batch for a special order (and no LH six-string versions). This is the only one I've ever seen. It's a 28" scale (the 500/1 bass is 30").

Hofner has reintroduced the Shorty series, with the bass having just come out this year (in 30" scale). They've told me that they should have some LH models by late Summer or early Autumn.

Your '78 P looks beautiful. Have you had any work done to it?

Nope; I have a tech in Nottingham that does most of my instruments, but he'll probably never see this one. The action is stupidly low, and after three decades together, like an old married couple we're used to each other's ways. It's totally stock. Somehow I lost the pickup & bridge covers years ago. Even the strings are from the mid 80's. I know lots of people like modding their instruments, but I'm not one of them. It wasn't pristine when I got it (Orlando, 1981, for $400 used), and it's got plenty of grime and little dings, but it's one of my most prized possessions. It's the one you grab in case of fire.