Right, the live recordings like "Hollywood Bowl" would show the sound of the Hofner pretty well.
Just some trivia, his original reasons for buying that particular bass was it's very light weight, and he (and the other Beatles) liked how it looked "symmetrical", i.e. neither an obvious lefty or righty bass. Of course, then it became his "trademark", and he always played a Hofner live in The Beatles. Still plays one now!
But The Beatles in general were not "gear freaks", except maybe George. They had no "guitar techs" or anyone like that. You can count the number of different guitars Lennon played on one hand, same with McCartney's different basses. But as Al said, McCartney could make the Hofner do what he wanted, within it's technical limitations.
There's a great scene in the "Imagine" film where Lennon complains that his Epiphone Casino is getting to be unplayable. No surprise considering how much he used it and the beating it took. But when you see that scene, you say to yourself, "So then get a new guitar, John!". Right? He's got the money!
walrus