![Strat and Höfner Violin Bass with Strong British Rock Heritage]](https://backingtracksfullcollection.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Strat-and-Hofner-Violin-Bass-with-Strong-British-Rock-Heritage-758x406.jpg "Strat and Höfner Violin Bass with Strong British Rock Heritage] 1")
Many vintage Stratocaster fans will have a favourite year, and 1963’s features tick a lot of boxes. Of course, having a famous owner never does any harm to a guitar’s value and – although not best known as a Strat guy – Noel Gallagher owned and played this one. Gardiner Houlgate’s dedicated guitar auctioneer Luke Hobbs takes up the story.
“The Strat has had a body refinish and a replacement pickguard. There are some body stamps under the ’guard with four numbers and the initials ‘BK’. Somebody suggested to me that they might indicate a factory refinish, but I don’t believe that.
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“Besides the Noel Gallagher connection,” Luke continues, “it’s basically a player-grade ’63 Strat, but it benefits from a really good refret with larger than vintage wire that enhances playability. The neck profile is absolutely classic for the year and the one that everybody seeks. It has a bit of chunk, but nothing too much, and it’s just edging towards the bigger ’64 profile.
“We have no information about what records it may have been used on. The guy who is selling it was after an early 1960s Strat, went into Vintage ‘n’ Rare in Bath and the guitar just caught his attention. There was no mention at all of Noel Gallagher when he was trying it out and it was only after he had paid for the guitar that they brought the case out and he saw the stencil.
“The shop told him that it had allegedly been one of Noel’s guitars, but they hadn’t mentioned it since he was an older gentleman and they didn’t think he’d have any interest in Oasis. Later on, Andy Lewis at Vintage ‘n’ Rare was sent a letter from a company of solicitors with an attached photograph purporting to show Noel Gallagher’s Stratocaster propped up against a Marshall stack.”
“They also apologised for taking so long to locate the photo and hoped that it could be passed on to the new owner. The photo has the guitar’s serial number inscribed on the back, along with a note saying ‘demos for the new LP’. Also inside the case is a hand-written Bill Puplett job ticket that shows the guitar’s serial number and the name of Jason Rhodes; he was Noel’s guitar tech at that time.
“So with the case stencil, solicitor’s letter, photograph and job ticket, we think it’s highly probable that it was Noel’s guitar. Through people I know who have done work for him, I have tried to make contact with Noel’s camp to glean some further information, but as always with these famous-artist things it’s like hitting a brick wall.”
“Funnily enough, when the owner first contacted me a couple of years ago, he just said he had a ’63 Strat he was thinking about selling and I gave him a hammer price estimate of £6,000 to £8,000. He didn’t even mention Noel Gallagher until he brought it in for evaluation and that’s when I had to raise my estimate quite substantially.
“He was also moving on an ES-335, and when I gave him my initial estimate he wasn’t that interested in selling the Strat because it does sound excellent and he thought he’d have trouble finding another one that good. But with a potential hammer price several thousand pounds higher, he changed his mind.
“Oasis are hot at the moment [due to the 2025 tour], and a lot of Oasis-related gear has come up for sale. So you could argue that the market has been a little diluted by excess stock, but there can’t be that many pre-CBS Strats that were owned by Noel.”
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Höfner 500/1 Violin Bass
Höfner violin basses will forever be associated with Paul McCartney, but as with so many of the Fab Four’s iconic instruments, the Beatles association has never resulted in stratospheric market values or collector frenzies.
Very decent and original Gretsch Duo Jets, Tennesseans or Country Gentlemen, Epiphone Casinos or even Gibson J-160Es can still be purchased for less than the cost of pre-CBS Strats or early ’60s ES-335s.
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With Fender’s first electric bass appearing in 1951 and the Gibson EB-1 following in 1953, Höfner wasn’t too far behind. Höfner was a long-established maker of violin family instruments and Walter Höfner had the idea of marrying a maple guitar style neck to a bass viol-shaped body.
The resulting 500/1 Violin Bass was launched at the 1956 Frankfurt Muiskmesse in Germany, and glossing over its physical resemblance to Gibson’s EB-1 is probably the most diplomatic option.
Bodies were made from laminated wood pressed into arches both front and back – although earlier backs were flat. On the back the outer layer was generally figured maple (or possibly sycamore) and on the front it was spruce. Early models had an oval control plate, but by the time the future Sir Macca acquired his, 500/1s had the better-known rectangular version with two volume control knobs and three switches.
If you’ve never played a 500/1, the switches can be somewhat baffling. The Bass On switch actually turns the bridge pickup off, and the Treble On switch turns the neck pickup off…
The uninitiated may assume that these switches should be in the ‘on’ position in order to hear both pickups together, but there won’t be any sound at all.
To get these bass pickups working together both switches must be in the off position. The Rhythm/Solo switch promises a bass boost in the solo position, but in actuality it merely bypasses the Rhythm mode’s preset bass cut.
Earlier 500/1s had closely spaced single-coil pickups with black plastic covers before Höfner introduced metal-covered ‘toaster top’ pickups around 1960. The following year Höfner changed to a ‘diamond’ top design, and in 1962 the pickup spacing was widened to give each pickup a more distinct voicing and increase the tonal range.
The 511 pickup arrived in 1963, with distinctive ‘staples’, threaded steel pole screws and Alnico magnets. In 1967 Höfner introduced the “high efficiency” 513 ‘blade’ pickups with ceramic magnets for increased output that are fitted to this example.
Violin basses started out with traditional dovetail neck joints and they are prone to failure. No doubt Höfner became aware of the problem because sometime during the 1960s the joint was changed to a mortice and tenon design with a greater surface area for the glue.
Most modern bassists would probably regard Höfner 500/1s as novelty instruments that can provide a distinct sonic flavour once in a while, but not everyday players. But their short 762mm (30-inch) scale, lightweight construction and engaging unplugged tone makes them ideal for the guitarist who likes to dabble with bass.
This pictured bass was formerly owned by Damon Minchella, of Ocean Colour Scene fame, and used on the Moseley Shoals and Marchin’ Already albums.
The main bit of provenance is that Minchella used the bass at Abbey Road Studios on a recording of Come Together for a 1995 charity album Paul McCartney was putting together
“The main bit of provenance, however,” Luke Hobbs tells us, “is that Minchella used the bass at Abbey Road Studios on a recording of Come Together [for The Help Album], a 1995 charity album Paul McCartney was putting together. McCartney was playing and producing, and the band included Paul Weller, Noel Gallagher, Steve Cradock and Steve White, performing as supergroup the Smokin’ Mojo Filters.
“There’s a video of the session and the Höfner bass Minchella was using had blade pickups just like this one. He was also able to confirm that Paul McCartney autographed the body at the session. The signature and the fact it was used on a charity record with links to The Beatles adds more to the value than anything else in the Höfner’s history.
“It’s actually a 1970s 500/1 model with its original Selmer case in good unmodified condition. Everything works and it doesn’t appear anything has been changed. There are a few dings and marks, along with some minor fretwear. It is what it is and this type of instrument tends not to get battered.”
Both instruments sold at Gardiner Houlgate’s December 2025 auction with the 1963 Stratocaster achieving a hammer price of £9,000 and the Höfner bass £7,200.
