Hofner Violin Beatle Bass 2011

The Hofner Model 500/1 Violin Bass, also known as the 'Beatle bass' because of its best-known user, is one of the most recognized bass guitars ever made. In two recent auctions, these prized basses fetched prices of $175,000 and $200,000. In this book, Joe Dunn provides an overview of the guitar, including a brief history of the Hofner company, specifics about the model 500/1 (made in the late 50s and early 60s), a look at some later examples, and a profile of Paul McCartney. This high-quality, full-color book is a loving look at this famous instrument, perfect for all bass enthusiasts and Beatles fans.

Technology and the Stylistic Evolution of the Jazz Bass traces the stylistic evolution of jazz from the bass player’s perspective. Historical works to date have tended to pursue a ‘top down’ reading, one that emphasizes the influence of the treble instruments on the melodic and harmonic trajectory of jazz. This book augments that reading by examining the music’s development from the bottom up. It re-contextualizes the bass and its role in the evolution of jazz (and by extension popular music in general) by situating it alongside emerging music technologies. The bass and its technological mediation are shown to have driven changes in jazz language and musical style, and even transformed creative hierarchies in ways that have been largely overlooked. The book’s narrative is also informed by investigations into more commercial musical styles such as blues and rock, in order to assess how, and the degree to which, technological advances first deployed in these areas gradually became incorporated into general jazz praxis. Technology and the Jazz Bass reconciles technology more thoroughly into jazz historiography by detailing and evaluating those that are intrinsic to the instrument (including its eventual electrification) and those extrinsic to it (most notably evolving recording and digital technologies). The author illustrates how the implementation of these technologies has transformed the role of the bass in jazz, and with that, jazz music as an art form.

(Reference). The Hofner Violin Bass Guitar is one of the most instantly recognizable musical instruments ever made. Its fame was assured when a certain young English guitarist walked into a shop in Hamburg in 1961, saw exactly what he was looking for, and ordered a left-handed version. The rest, as they say, is history. Also known as "The Beatle Bass," or more formally as the "500/1 Model," Walter Hofner's creation has acquired a loyal following of enthusiastic owners all over the world. This fully illustrated book charts the complete history of the Violin Bass, beginning with the rebirth of the Hofner Company after the Second World War and the conception of the bass in 1955. Its development over the years is described, including the full story of the re-issue models. Finally, the Contemporary and Ignition models are covered, as is the surprise appearance of a Union Jack bedecked Violin Bass at the 2012 Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Concert in the hands of Sir Paul McCartney. The Complete Hofner Violin Bass Story has been produced using the Hofner Company archives, and with help from, and a foreword by, Walter Hofner's daughter Gerhilde. The book provides the reader with a unique insight into this famous bass guitar, and of the many people who have influenced its path over the last 60 years. Also covers: dating a violin bass, serial numbers, body dates, pickup information and much more. A must have book for all collectors 320 pages!

Robert Louis Stevensonwho understood a thing or two about the selves we refuse to knowonce said I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. Surely it was the likelihood of an accident, the unparalleled joy of stumbling upon himself now and then, which Stevenson most cherished in the going. A bit like Stevenson, Bart Reitter is a man who revels in the great distance between here and there. His memoir The Horseman is a wonderful account of the selves forged and found during his travels across the first half of a lifetimea heartfelt testament to the wisdom of refusing to stand still. --Professor Greg Coln Semenza, University of Connecticut For those who have ever spent time on the road for a living this book will awaken memoriessome fond, some downright scary. Its the diary of a young man plying his trade as he jets around the world while climbing the corporate ladder. Bart Reitter writes in exacting detail. A delightful read. --Thomas J. Gibbons Jr. Retired Staff Writer, Philadelphia Inquirer The Horseman is an excellent story about one mans travels. The book drew me in and I found myself reading longer than I had allowed for. Reitters enthusiasm for travel has rekindled my own excitement for the many business trips I have planned for this year. --Rich Dibernardo, President, Initech, LLC Reading The Horseman brought back fond memories of my travels with Bart. I also have been infected with the travel bug and the cure is to get me on the next flight to anywhere. --John Lin, Senior Territory Sales Manager For author Bart Reitter, the journey is the destination. In this travelogue, he narrates his lifelong journey of discovery through travel. Written with stark clarity and emotional honesty, The Horseman begins with a six-year-old boys first joyful trip to Disney World and concludes with a 26,000-mile circumnavigation of the globe. Compiled from journals kept while traveling the world and interwoven with personal reflection and unique historical perspective, The Horseman voyages through the joys and frustration of global travel as well as the introspection aimed at understanding lifes meaning. It presents an emotional, scientific, funny, and irreverent window into Reitters mind as he seeks to understand the insatiable wanderlust that drives him forward. From the eastern United States to Singapore, and from the streets of Paris to the jungles of Thailand, Reitter communicates a unique point of view of life on the road that pictures rarely tell. From the euphoria of successful business deals to the loneliness of sterile hotel rooms, the story is never boring. In the end, with the help of his daughters, he discovers the best journey of all is the journey home.

Between 1963 and 1965 The Beatles undertook six amazing UK tours and met many fans along the way, whose memories of these encounters tell the real story of what actually happened when the Fab Four hit the road. It was loud, chaotic and as exciting as anything Britain had ever seen. It was Beatlemania!

This book celebrates the glory years of Hofner, the company made famous by the Beatles' bassist Paul McCartney's use of their left-handed 1962 500/1 model. Beautifully illustrated in colour and black and white, the volume is packed with detailed information about classic Hofner guitars as well as interviews with Paul McCartney, David Gilmour, Ritchie Blackmore (of Deep Purple), Albert Lee, and others. The famous 'Memorabilia' chapter includes crisp reproductions of pages from the vintage Selmer catalogs (the UK's Hofner distributors and makers of high-quality guitar/bass amps and other instruments through 1993); a guide to dating Hofner guitars; and a wonderfully insightful interview with Christian Benker, the company's former managing director.

'Too often we treat popular music as wallpaper surrounding us as we live our lives. Jude Rogers shows the emotional and cerebral heft such music can have. It's a personal journey which becomes universal. Fascinating' Ian Rankin 'Moving and absorbing, The Sound of Being Human mixes memoir, analysis, anecdote and personal chronicle into a mosaic that evokes what music means to the individual and the human tribe. A candid, beautiful read' Stuart Maconie The Sound of Being Human explores, in detail, why music plays such a deep-rooted role in so many lives, from before we are born to our last days. At its heart is Jude's own story: how songs helped her wrestle with the grief of losing her father at age five; concoct her own sense of self as a lonely adolescent; sky-rocket her relationships, both real and imagined, in the flushes of early womanhood, propel her own journey into working life, adulthood and parenthood, and look to the future. Shaped around twelve songs, ranging from ABBA's 'Super Trouper' to Neneh Cherry's 'Buffalo Stance', Kraftwerk's 'Radioactivity' to Martha Reeves and the Vandellas' 'Heat Wave', the book combines memoir and historical, scientific and cultural enquiry to show how music can shape different versions of ourselves; how we rely upon music for comfort, for epiphanies, and for sexual and physical connection; how we grow with songs, and songs grow inside us, helping us come to terms with grief, getting older and powerful memories. It is about music's power to help us tell our own stories, whatever they are, and make them sing.

Updated to include Paul McCartney’s knighting and the deaths of John Lennon and George Harrison. Philip Norman’s biography of the Beatles is the definitive work on the world's most influential band—a beautifully written account of their lives, their music, and their times. Now brought completely up to date, this epic tale charts the rise of four scruffy Liverpool lads from their wild, often comical early days to the astonishing heights of Beatlemania, from the chaos of Apple and the collapse of hippy idealism to the band's acrimonious split. It also describes their struggle to escape the smothering Beatles’ legacy and the tragic deaths of John Lennon and George Harrison. Witty, insightful, and moving, Shout! is essential reading not just for Beatles fans but for anyone with an interest in pop music.