* 1895: The Hofner company was founded. This is the origin of the company, but not the specific model of the bass.
* 1950s: Development of the "Club Bass" and later the "Violin Bass". These models, later to become iconic, were developed and refined throughout this decade.
* 1957: The first "Violin Bass" was produced. This is often considered the "birth" of the Hofner Bass that became famous.
* 1960s: The Hofner Violin Bass gains massive popularity. Paul McCartney's use of the bass with the Beatles propels the model to stardom.
So, depending on what you consider the "birth" of the Hofner Bass, you could choose either 1950s for its development or 1957 for the first production of the iconic model.