Höfner Ignition SE

I wanted a violin bass but didn’t want the expense of a German made original as it is a novelty instrument for me. The contemporary series were out of stock so I opted for an ignition. I was shocked at how bad the set up was out of the box. The fret board was so dry and part of the finish on it was cracking. The frets were so dull they scraped against the strings. Disappointingly came with round wounds strings meaning I had to spend another €30.00 for Hofner strings bring up the price further though I was aware I’d have to do this. I also had to pay for a pro-set up at my local music shop which I was not expecting. These two things considerably increased the price of the bass. Neck was far too straight and buzzing out and the intonation was haywire too. Neck is so thick on the Ignition SE it’s almost unbelievable. I did give serious consideration to sending it back!?! Now the good news-once the bass was set up it played great and with the flatwounds it took on a whole new character. It certainly looks the part and has a nice finish. There was a nice cert and a bass man sticker included and also a lovely high quality booklet. The SE comes with tea cup knobs and the tuners are excellent given the price point. The pickups and electronics are okay and the bridge and tailpiece may be getting switched out for original parts at some point. It sounded better than I expected to be honest. I’m quite fond of it now though. Overall a good bass at a fraction of the price of the German original. I would recommend the Hofner Ignition SE but be prepared to get a decent set of flat wound strings and a professional set up and add these into the purchase cost . Out of the box these things are unplayable. Happy I bought it but still annoyed at the issues on the fretboard. Average at best but the novelty and nostalgia factor (and a set of nice flatwounds) rescues it from a totally negative review. Overall, average value for money but with a great fun character and fantastic retro style and sound.