Höfner Shorty Bass BK

I bought the Höfner Shorty for my home studio just to track bass for demos. It is a very cheap and simple bass, but it sounds impressive for what it is. It is also very small. So small, in fact, that I had trouble holding on to it when I played it the first few times. The short scale is comfortable for a guitar player, but the body is so tiny that you will have to find a way to anchor it to your lap while you play. The bass is so neck-heavy that playing standing up is not really an option. On the plus side, it takes very little room and is easy just to pick up and play.

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.