The Violin Beatle Guitar with Built-in Fuzz and Treble Booster! NOT WHAT YOU THINK! 🤘

I'm playing a 1968 Hofner 459 TZ Beatle Violin Guitar that has built in Fuzz and Treble booster effects. I expected it to sound like the more famous Viola basses that often have a dark muffled tone and a limited dynamic range. The guitar is nothing like the bass though to me. Wonderful big balanced and dynamic tone. I'm playing it through a 2019 Marshall SV20H Studio Vintage head and a 1971 Marshall model 1982B 4x12 cab with Celestion Pulsonic G12H30 55Hz Greenbacks.

[@acidfuzzpedals9986]

Thanks for the demo. What a fun guitar🎸✌🏼

[@linoholstensson1529]

Very cool guitar that I didn’t even knew existed! I thought the tone from the pickups differed between humbuckers and single coil pickups, very warm and good clean tones, but at the same time very punchy with high output. What would RUclips be like without your channel? The content you provided us with is the best!

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks my friend, makes my day to hear that!

[@bengtjohansson6364]

Thanks for "takin' us on road less travelled" from time to time! Really interesting to see and listen to rare gear, and this was a pleasing acquaintance. I really liked the fat distorted sound after 4:30.
I'm starting to wonder what your demos tell us, actually. Everything you play sounds great, in one way or another.

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks Bengt! That’s kind of you.

[@KozmykJ]

Fascinating find that 459.
I recently bought a Beatle Bass copy.
It came with roundwound strings fitted and sounded decidedly modern, though it wouldn't slap at all, the tones from finger and plectrum were most usable.
It wasn't until I put some proper Pyramid Flatwounds on that it started to sound 'dead'.
And that 'old' tone was what I was after.

[@jcoulter43]

That's a strange beast! But, you rangled some sweet tones out of it. God bless and rock on 👍😎🎸

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks my friend

[@Raff654]

Sounds much better than I thought it would . What a find 👍🏻 .. 😀

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks Peter!

[@mikejordan6093]

Great video. I had seen many Japanese violin style guitars but never knew that Hofner themselves had made one. Interesting tones you’re getting. Very 60s and very cool! Cheers!

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks Mike! Cheers!

[@mikemunro811]

What a great instrument! Some serious mojo!

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks! Glad you like it

[@vadimkorob2689]

I definitely need one of this!!!

[@marijandesin8226]

What an incredible sound!! 👏

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks Marijan!

[@willyecharte]

Looks incredible great! and sounds lovely

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks Willy! Glad you like it

[@ac81017]

Woooooow love that fuzz. Great demo as usual 👌

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks my friend, the DOD you gave me is a killer Fuzz too!

[@EJ_Crough]

the fuzz on these is so great!

[@JohanSegeborn]

Yeah really fat tone

[@EJ_Crough]

@@JohanSegeborn I've got one of the bigger body versions of these... i tend to stay away from the treble booster, but really under celebrated pickups.

[@pcbullets8726]

Never have heard one of these before, very awesome, has a unique sound. Cheers!

[@JohanSegeborn]

Great to hear that! Cheers!

[@erlgro]

beautiful guitar!! and great fuzz!

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks!

[@lewis1902]

tone is amazing

[@innocentoctave]

Höfner made - and still make - some interesting guitars, and many of them have had distinctive proprietary pickups. It's hard to find definitive information on the 459TZ, but it seems likely that it was manufactured only briefly: probably 1967-69. It doesn't appear in the 1970 catalogues. Perhaps it lacked the caché of the bass, not having been used by The Beatles.
Some nice tones here. Early active electronics were still rather gimmicky and prone to failure - no integrated circuits in those days - and in this case it seems to be agreed that the fuzz worked better than the treble booster. In any case, the uneffected sound is excellent. Pickups are Höfner's own 512 single coils. I wonder what this would sound like through a Vox Top Boost and an external fuzz pedal of the period?

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks Paul! Great feedback!

[@karst41]

In the Sixties The Beatle bass naturally was a seller and the guitars did not sell very well due to Armstrong Vox Gibson and fender. But this git fiddle you are playing has that woody tone and just perfect on the last riff you played.

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks, I’m glad to hear that

[@siegfriedwashburn3484]

Hi, Johan!
I love those vintage instruments, but I don't know, if I will ever see this guitar, so greatest thanks to you!
Siegfried

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks man, yeah the vintage ones are pretty rare I think

[@kencreten7308]

Very cool guitar. One time, when I was young, my guitar teacher let me use his Vox guitar, which had a bunch of effects built in.

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks Ken

[@skraegorn7317]

Oh man, that fuzz sounds great, I think it’d be even better in a small amp like a Gibson GA-5. It reminds me of a Pignose with the volume turned up, nice and punchy.

[@Boogiethrash]

Now THAT is MOJO

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks! :-)

[@obsessedwithguitars3157]

Whoa. What a doom machine that thing could be! Unreal fuzz!

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks! :-)

[@pulpero666]

Jamie Hince from The Kills said he love those pickups

[@IrenESorius]

Cool,, 🤩❣️
Cheers Johan,, 🍻😎👍‍‍👍‍‍

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks Irene! Glad you like it!

[@andreaskragh9464]

Johan, you should use the riff at 2:29 in a song, it’s really catchy. Da-da-da-da, da-da-da-daah 👍

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks man, it’s a variation of the Kraftwerk Computer Love/ Coldplay Talk riff

[@andreaskragh9464]

Ah, yes. Coldplay lifted it from Kraftwerk I guess…

[@jensk4140]

Brad the guitologist owns one to

[@nickangelo3283]

Such a cool and unique instrument. The kind you buy and construct a whole sound around. Only downside is that it looks like it would be a bit awkward to play. Odd shape and doesn’t seem to balance well for seated playing.

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks Nick! I thought it was pretty comfortable to play seated actually

[@nickangelo3283]

@@JohanSegeborn Really? That is interesting. With the shape and where the neck is set, it seems like it’s be extremely neck heavy and would not balance. I stand corrected. Thanks Johan.

[@pellesvensson8200]

Its my old guitar, fun to se☺

[@crflores76]

Very “Woodstock bands” style, so dark, but punchy… really amazing…
Uses a battery, or another dc supply?

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks! I have to open it up to see

[@bjeizus521]

This thing would be awesome for some doom

[@FACTBOT_5000]

I'd really like to see the fuzz and treble boost circuits inside.

[@JohanSegeborn]

I’ll take a look how accessible they are

[@FACTBOT_5000]

@@JohanSegeborn That would be pure gold!!!

[@JONNIE_ROCKER]

👍👍. Jäkla häftig

[@JohanSegeborn]

Tackar! :-)

[@rodrigobelinchon2982]

Every guitar is better with that system on board !

[@JohanSegeborn]

Yeah it should be mandatory 😁

[@fon267]

Awesome fuzz… do you know what type of transistors does this thing use Johan?

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks, that’s a good question. I’ll try to open it up

[@jamiegustkey2573]

Ill take ✌🏻please... ♥️👍🏻

[@JohanSegeborn]

Cheers Jamie

[@alexknip]

2:28 Computer Love by Kraftwerk

[@JohanSegeborn]

Or Talk by Coldplay

[@jayyoung4055]

I had one! With whammy bar. It was foolish of me to sell it.

[@JohanSegeborn]

It’s a huge sounding guitar for sure

[@jayyoung4055]

@@JohanSegeborn
At gig volume, it could be prone to undesirable feedback. But at outdoor gigs where you got a distance from the amp, it RULED!

[@benwright6330]

..when he asks for it back just tell him you sent it to sir Paul McCartney 🤷

[@benwright6330]

..full hollow, or semi?

[@mkwofficialchannel4985]

compare a Hughes Kettner tube with the Marshall`s

[@almostliterally593]

Þey really ſhould reiſſue þis mo del. Guitars wiþ pedal circuits inſide ſhould be more com̃on.