I almost gave up on this Hofner Shorty. It was a novelty purchase last year because I always have a soft spot for single pickup guitars. This one came with a horrible action so that was taken care of quickly. The fretboard was pale & that one was looked into promptly as well. I had to clear these anomalies before being able play it, really. Oh, one more thing, it's almost impossible to play this one without a strap. That body design has very little purchase in terms of placement when played sitting down.
The other thing that bothered me was the default pickup. It's awful to say the least. It's below what an entry level model from other brand names would offer. So the blade-type humbucker there was the replacement & it's way beyond my expectations when it comes to high gain settings. I managed to spend some time playing this guitar yesterday & it's an enjoyable 22min before my skin started to give way.
I'm dealing with the side effects of my chemo in the mean time. It thins the skin & there's numbness at the fingertips but the urge to play is always strong. My playing time would be cut short by the skin being skimmed by the strings, especially the wound ones. That 22min of playing time was indeed the longest since I started playing after my discharge from the hospital. Music & guitar-ing are my escape from this ordeal. It distracts me from the astronomical hospitalization bills that arrived just days ago. On that note, you won't be reading any entries about me buying gear this year until I recuperate financially, among other things. Thank you for reading, my friends. Wishing you a good weekend ahead. 👍
