Founders of the Beat Boom
Hofner Vintage Guitars - Part 1

by Donna McGlinchey-Mahon

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Recently, I had the great fortune of running into Steve Russell and Nick Wass, two well-known Hofner enthusiasts, who kindly agreed to share their knowledge and experiences with me through a little interview, which went something like this:

So guys! Lets start at the beginning. Tell me a little bit about the origin of the Hofner Guitars? By the name itself, I’m guessing Germany?

Correct. Karl Hofner, a master luthier, founded the company in 1887. Hofner didn’t begin with guitars at all but rather with stringed instruments such as violins and cellos. Serious guitar production didn’t begin until the 1950’s. They have, apparently, produced over two million stringed instruments to date.

My interest lies in the vintage models. How many Hofner models were circulating around the 50’s/60’s?

Worldwide there would have been dozens. Unlikely as it seems, Hofner was a major manufacturer in those days and produced many models, probably over fifty in all. In fairness, many of these were variations on their archtop guitars, with different fittings, some with electronics and so forth. It is still quite difficult at times to identify a Hofner archtop with so many variations produced. The situation is made more complicated as distribution in the UK and Commonwealth was carried out by Selmer, who insisted on being provided with instruments tailored to the British market. Selmer models were generally upgraded versions of the standard European range; and even when the same as their European/USA counterparts, were given proper model names (President, Senator, Club, etc.) as opposed to the model numbers used for the standard range.

In the UK, the Hofner Presidents and Senators reigned supreme with dance and jazz bands in the mid to late 1950's. The Club models then became very popular with rock and roll groups in the early 1960’s. US guitars were almost impossible to obtain in the UK until about 1961, following the lifting of import restrictions in Britain. As the 60's progressed, many others opted for a solid body Hofner such as a Colorama, Super Solid, or Galaxie. These guitars, though superseded by Fenders and Gibsons later in the 60’s, were instrumental in the birth of the “British Beat” boom.

What was the most popular model?

Without a doubt, the best-known Hofner has to be the 500/1 bass. This was introduced in 1956, but being rather unusual it didn’t sell – that is, until a certain Mr McCartney took to using one and then sales rocketed, particularly in the US. In fact, it is probably the Beatles and the 500/1 bass that allowed Hofner to obtain a foothold in the US market from 1964 onwards. It is hardly ever called the 500/1 bass but usually referred to as the Beatle bass or, because of the body shape, the violin bass. Earlier models are now very collectable, particularly those from 1963 as that is the same year as Sir Paul’s guitar was made.

Generally speaking though, it is their archtop jazz guitars that Hofner are most respected for, and which are the guitars that most collectors covet. These range from the budget model Congress (Model 449) through to the exotic carved top Committee (468), Model 470, and Golden Hofner models. Only about 60 Golden Hofners were ever made, and these luxurious old guitars are now considered to be the Holy Grail of Hofner collecting.

What made the Hofner so special?

That is a difficult question to answer. Probably Stephen Candib, a world authority on Hofner archtops, puts it about right on his website, when he states "Hofner guitars are in a different aesthetic league. ...They draw on the best proportions of Gibson, Epiphone and Stromberg. This kind of aesthetic balance is not rare: many good guitars have it..."

One of the factors that make Hofners special today is the nostalgia thing. Hofner guitars certainly did form the basis of the UK music scene in the late 50's and early 60's. When one plays one these days, it is like holding a piece of musical history.

Hofner Vintage Guitars Continued - Go to Part 2