Höfner Shorty Bass BK

I bought this bass 4 months ago because I wanted to try a short scale bass and it had a good price and looked very elegant. I didn?t quite know what to expect so now I decided to write an extensive review of what I thought of this peculiar bass.
Body and neck
First of all the finish is perfect, very smooth and shiny.
The body shape and size make it very transportable but not as comfortable and most of the standard shapes. It seems to not be quite at the right angle on the leg and I can?t sit in just any position. A small friend of mine (1,50 m) tried it and seemed more comfortable so maybe the design isn?t meant for an average sized woman (1,65 m).
The body weight, which I thought would make it very back friendly while standing, creates a huge neck dive, making it impossible to play while standing (at least for me without strap locks). While sitting I have to support my right hand on the body to balance the neck dive (this was weird at the beginning but now I am used to it and don?t mind).
The neck is pretty good but needs a fret job. It came very dry but nothing lemon oil can?t fix. The tuners?the tuners are the saddest thing ever. They look like cheap plastic acoustic guitar tuners and they don?t keep the tuning very well. I think there is no possibility of exchanging them because I don?t want to add any weight to the head (more neck dive).
The size of the neck is a big pro for the bass. It is short scale, so the fretboard is perfect for my thin kinda long fingers and the neck thickness is very comfortable.
Sound
The humbucker sounds good and the sustain is surprisingly high (since the body is so small). It has a lot of static and some background noise when turning the tone knob (expected). There are some trousers, made of synthetic materials, which make the pickup click when my right hand comes close to it, so I just don?t wear them while playing.
Conclusion
I don?t regret having spent the money on this bass. I had to get used to the playing position because of the neck dive and shape of the body but the sounds is very satisfying and the size of the fretboard is a big advantage. I wouldn?t recommend it if you are a medium to big sized person and want to play a long time, but for small build persons, or if you want an easily transportable bass, for some practicing I think you should try it.

I've only had my Höfner Shorty Bass BK for less than a week and I think I'm in love. This little bass is extremely well made. It is as elegant as it is robust. It comes with a nice well stitched gig bag which contains in it's front pocket a free cable and Allen keys to adjust the level of the fine tuning bridge and truss rod. Neither of these things was necessary on arrival as it comes perfectly set up with a very smooth action. I have tuned mine down to standard bass tuning (e) even though on a short scale it should be like having a capo on at fret 3. This means that it is very gentle on the fingers and so long as I don't play too hard it sound great. If I feel like doing some slap and ping techniques it needs tuning up to its optimal string tensions. The pickup is of a very good sound quality for the price. Over all I would highly recommend the Höfner Shorty Bass BK if like me you are on a tight budget and pressed for storage space.

I'm not a full-time bass player, my main instrument is classic guitar. I bought this bass to make simple bass backings for my classic guitar songs. It's a really light, portable and handy bass. The sound it makes is great. It sometimes may produce some fretting sounds if played with force and speed, but only from the outside (actual strings sound without amp). The sound coming from the amplifier is just fine! I gave this 4 stars for it's value as a product and not in comparison with higher-end basses. I'm sure there are plenty of super-basses out there, but for my simple needs this bass did the job perfectly at an amazing price.