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Hofner Flemenco Vintage Acoustic Guitar
11 results for hofner congress Save this search. Postage to 20147: Items in search results. New listing Vintage 1960's Hofner Congress With Hofner Pickup. £250.00; 0 bids. We work out the trending price by crunching the data on the product’s sale price over the last 90 days. Original Vintage Instrument. Archtop acoustic, Selmer clef logo headstock faceplate, Vintage burst finish, with original guard, bridge and Compensator tailpiece. Click HERE to go to the MAIN Instrument list for price and contact details.
Reduced price19/03/2019Purchased in 1964/5, sole owner. Guitar in very good condition, case needs repair. Collection only, cash on collection from Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire.
Vintage Hofner 522 Acoustic parlour guitar 1950/1960
21/11/2018Condition 1950â s -1960â s Professionally setup Actually the guitar is in great shape considering the age No cracks to neck or body Shows some signs of cosmetic...
Ð hand finished in UK jazz guitar archtop bridge rosewood with bone saddle
06/08/2018Archtop guitar bridge with compensated bone saddle hand finished in the UK comprises of rosewood base, adjusting screws, ox-bone insert saddle. The rosewood is...
Hofner Travel Guitar
31/05/2019For sale hofner travel guitar brand new in blace with case and in the box never been played vgc first to see will buy thanks for looking
Hofner Verithin Guitar - German-made In 1963.
Reduced price14/03/20191963 Hofner Verithin Guitar in stunning condition. As far as I can see it is all original apart from the tremolo arm and pickup wiring. The tremolo arm is a...
Guitar Case for Hofner 500/3 President Bass
24/03/2019Needs to fit a Hofner President bass guitar, which has the following dimensions in inches (millimetres in brackets): length 46.5 (1181) body length 20.5 (520.7)...
First Edition Hofner Jubilee Bass Guitar
20/03/2019Very rare first edition Hofner Jubilee bass - In mint condition, never played, new in box (only unpacked for photographs, then reboxed - note no case included)....
Hofner Contemporary Series Club Single Cut Electric Guitar
Reduced price14/05/2019A really nice guitar, a bit different and with a nod to the past but re focused to meet the needs of a modern guitar player Hofner has added a pair of high...
Hofner Senator Bass Guitar Circa 1964 Serial No 1558
14/03/2019This is a Hofner Senator semi acoustic bass guitar serial No 1558 made in 1964 in good condition, some wear as can be expected on an instrument 53 years old....
Extremely Rare and Collectable 1966 Hofner Ambassador
Reduced price24/03/2019One of the rarest Hofners, only 430 ever built, Ambassadors were made in Germany between 1965 and 1968 as Hofner s answer to the Gibson Barney Kessel. Features:...
Vintage / Specialist Guitars
22/06/2019From fender to ovation - Gibson to Ibanez. Taylor & guild collectors & signed editions. Full collection avaliable due to re-location. All price on application....
Electric Guitar - Vintage
17/06/2019The rock-solid combination of mahogany bodies and set necks, matched to top quality Wilkinson hardware and pickups means the Vintage V100 really sings! The...
Vintage v96 bass guitar
09/06/2019Immaculate condition, good quality bass guitar. Copy of the classic music man sting Ray with active EQ controls and quirky headstock. Very solid bass for a...
Vintage Vs6 Electric Guitar
Reduced price06/06/2019With its classic looks, genuine tone woods, and Wilkinson designed hardware and pickups, the Vintage VS6 delivers everything from blues to heavy rock in spades....
Vintage Yamaha Acoustic Guitar
13/04/2019Early 70's G-50A model. Well handled but only minor marks. Has small crack on neck near tuning key. Lovely resonant sound.
Vintage vs6 guitar
24/03/2019Guitar and case in excellent condition, hardly used.
Vintage Semi Acoustic Guitar
Reduced price24/03/2019Vintage semi acoustic guitar in very good condition for age except for slight tarnishing on pickups. I bought it for my husband but cannot remember if late 90 s...
Vintage Pictured Guitar Mugs
20/03/2019Vintage pictured guitar mugs, made for me approx 15 years ago, by stoke on trent potter, all perfect no defects, 10 in total, buyer collects will not post for...
'vintage' Jazz Bass Guitar
17/03/2019'Vintage' Jazz Bass guitar,Wilkinson pickups and bridge,black,mock tortoishell scratchplate vgc.with Stagg hard case.
Wilkinson Vintage Guitar
Reduced price15/03/2019Wilkinson vintage bass guitar . Looks and sounds great . Includes stand , carry case , amplifier , chromatic tuner , foot stand , music stand and book . Nice...
Vintage eko guitar
16/01/2019Eko 6 string vintage guitar made in recanati, Italy 1970s. One tuning button missing but can still be tuned. A couple of lacquer cracks and scuffs. Complete...
Guitar
17/03/2019Hofner Congress acoustic guitar.Made in late 50s.Collectors item.Got a few dings and scratches over the years but has been fairly well looked after.serial no.is...
Ibanez Roadster 1980 Vintage Guitar
13/05/2019Beautiful guitar.Great low action nice thin neck for easy playing ,can be seen on you tube by searching Ibanez roadster.Has a few dings but good for a 39 yr old...
Landola Vintage Guitar 175649 Vgc.
01/05/2019Landola vintage guitar 175649. Very good condition, case tatty. Collect b92 olton area. Being advertised elsewhere.
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Private | |
Industry | Musical instruments |
---|---|
Founded | Schönbach, Austria-Hungary 1887; 132 years ago |
Founder | Karl Höfner |
Headquarters | Hagenau, Germany |
Area served | Worldwide |
Products | Electric, acoustic, resonator and classical guitars Bass guitars Ukuleles Violins Violas Cellos Double basses Bows |
Website | hofner.com |
Karl Höfner GmbH & Co. KG is a German (originally Austro-Bohemian) manufacturer of musical instruments, with one division that manufactures guitars and basses, and another that manufactures other string instruments, such as violins, violas, cellos, double basses and bows for stringed instruments.
Much of Höfner's popularity is attributed to Paul McCartney's use of the Höfner 500/1 bass throughout his career. This violin-shaped model is commonly referred to as the 'Beatle bass'.
- 1Company history
- 1.2Distribution
- 3Notable Höfner users
- 3.1Beatles
Company history[edit]
The Höfner company was founded by luthier Karl Höfner in the city of Schönbach in 1887, at a time when the city, later to become part of the Czech Republic, was populated by Germans. He soon became the largest manufacturer of string instruments in the country. His sons Josef and Walter joined the company around 1920, and began spreading the brand's reputation worldwide. The company became involved in production for the German army in World War II producing wooden crates and soles for boots. After the war Germans were expelled from the Sudetenland and Hofner was forced to move to West Germany. The company initially moved to an ex-work camp at Möhrendorf in 1948 but soon became involved in the development of a new township and factories in Bubenreuth. The new Höfner factory was opened in 1950. This was expanded three times between 1953 and 1960. Karl Höfner, the founder, lived to see the company revival and died in Bubenreuth in 1955. In 1964 a further factory was built at Hagenau about 5 km from Bubenreuth. This was used for the machining of wooden parts that were then assembled at Bubenreuth. The factory at Hagenau was expanded twice in the 1970s.
The daughter of Walter Höfner, Gerhilde, began working for the company in the mid 1950s taking an active part in all aspects of management. Her husband, Christian Benker, joined the company in 1963. They would together become the driving force for the company as Josef and Walter entered retirement in the 1970s.
Changes of ownership[edit]
In 1994, Höfner became part of the Boosey & Hawkes Group, and was able to expand and upgrade its facilities with the influx of cash. In 1997, the company moved from Bubenreuth to Hagenau.
After a near-bankruptcy in 2003 Boosey & Hawkes sold its musical instrument division (including the Höfner and Buffet Crampon companies) to the Music Group, a company formed by rescue buyout specialists Rutland Fund Management, for £33.2 million.[1]
Höfner remained a part of this conglomerate until December 2004, when the Music Group sold the company to Klaus Schöller who had been the general manager of Höfner for many years, with his wife Ulrike Schrimpff, the finance director at Höfner along with Rob Olsen and Graham Stockley who were USA and UK partners. Klaus Schöller and Ulrike Schrimpff remain as the owners of the business today.
Distribution[edit]
Europe[edit]
The Höfner company has always been responsible for much of its own distribution within Europe.
The exceptions to this have been:
- To the Netherlands where the distributor in the 1950s and 1960s was the Van Wouw company. (Company closed in the 1970s.)
- To Spain where the distributor is Keller.
- To the United Kingdom, in the 1950s, 1960s and early 1970s Höfner instruments were distributed by Selmer of London (not to be confused with The Selmer Company). Today electric guitars are distributed by Barnes and Mullins while classical guitars and stringed instruments are distributed by Clive Guthrie.
United States[edit]
EMMC based in NJ was the distributor for bass guitars for many years until 1995 until Boosey & Hawkes bought the company in 1994.
Boosey & Hawkes took over distribution from 1995-2003. During these years the improvements of quality and brand exposure were significant. The overall bass and guitar lines were redesigned and new successful 6-string jazz guitar models were created and introduced in late 1999.
The Music Group, a Venture Capital Company took over Boosey & Hawkes from 2003 until 2004 when the Hofner company was purchased via a management buyout.
In 2005, Höfner's United States distribution was picked up by Classic Musical Instruments (CMI) based in Kenosha, WI. CMI ceased trading in 2012 and distribution passed to Musical Distributors Group (MDG) based in New Jersey. In late 2018 MDG merged with Adam Hall North America and is the current USA distributor.
The Rob Olsen1998-Current.Rob Olsen was employed at Boosey & Hawkes as Hofner Product Manager in late 1998 and is still involved with USA distribution today. He designed or co-designed many key Hofner models and managed the overall quality and increased visibility of the Hofner company (especially from 1999-2012) Rob Olsen era Hofner models include: Jazzica Custom, Verythin Classic, The New President, The Vice President, Verythin Standard, The Chancellor, The Club Bass reissue, The 50th Anniversary Violin bass, Club 40 John Lennnon limited edition, Violin finish guitars and basses, Colorama reissue, H5 jazz guitars and others but he may be best known for creating the flagship Icon/Ignition series basses and guitars. Rob Olsen was responsible for negotiations and creation of the Ed Sullivan Series basses and Beatles Rockband connections.
Rob Olsen opened and managed the Hofner Custom Shop (Still in operation today) where special instruments and colors are produced for many shops and artists including Wilco, Lenny Kravitz, Cheap Trick, Bon Jovi, Tesla, Sheryl Crow and others. Possibly the most famous custom shop model is the Paul McCartney Jubilee bass that Paul used for the Concert For The Queen in 2012 where Paul sported a painted in a transparent colored Union Jack flag on the top of the famous Violin bass.
Rob Olsen along with Graham Stockley in the U.K. (and later based in Germany at the Hofner workshop) were key players in exposing and bringing the brand to desired status by creating quality features and models, signing many visible artists (officially with Paul McCartney), rapid dealer growth and the creation of the ad campaigns during the USA Hofner brand launch years.
Selected models[edit]
The names of these guitars were devised by the Selmer company for the UK market. Elsewhere, they wereknown by model numbers.
- The Ambassador. A thinline semi-acoustic with two florentine cutaways.
- The Chancellor. A high-end archtop guitar available in limited numbers.
- Club 40, 50 and 60. Hollow bodied electric guitars without soundholes. Still manufactured, the current Clubs have Gibson Les Paul style bodyshape.
- The original Coloramas were inexpensive semi-solid body electric guitars with plywood construction. The current Chinese made ones are solid bodies with retro styling.
- The Committee was the top-of-the-range archtop.
- The Congress, a non-cutaway archtop guitar. Early models had a 12th fret neck join.
- J17. The current range of archtops.
- The President: a family of mid-range archtops, with a single cutaway. A version, the 'New president' is still manufactured.
- The Senator: a family of archtops, with many variations.
- The Shorty. A relatively recent (1982) travel guitar[2] Now made in China.
- The Verythin. A semi-acoustic guitar with a 30mm deep body. They produced regular, Bigsby and stereo versions.
- Violin guitar. Introduced subsequently to the violin bass.
- The V2 and V3 solid body electric guitars with a stratocaster like body shape.
Notable Höfner users[edit]
Beatles[edit]
Beatles guitarists George Harrison and John Lennon used Höfner electric guitars. Harrison used a President model and a Club 40 early on in his association with the group. Lennon's first electric guitar was a Club 40 model purchased in 1959 from Hessy's music store in Liverpool. He used this for about one year then purchased a Rickenbacker 'Capri' model. The Club 40 was briefly loaned to Paul McCartney and then it was sold. The band's original bassist Stuart Sutcliffe played a Höfner 500/5 Bass.[3]
Paul McCartney[edit]
The company is most famous through its association with Beatles singer and instrumentalist Paul McCartney, who is a longtime user of the Höfner 500/1 model hollow-body electric bass, first manufactured in 1956.[4]
McCartney played two left-handed 500/1 basses during most of the group's career – a 1961 model with pickups mounted close together towards the neck, and a 1963 model, with the second pickup mounted closer to the bridge. McCartney used the 1961 bass until the recording of With The Beatles in late 1963, when he obtained his second 500/1. McCartney used his 1963 bass almost exclusively during The Beatles' touring career, using his 1961 bass (which was repaired and refinished in 1964) as a backup. Although by 1965 McCartney had begun using a Rickenbacker bass in the studio, he did bring out his 1961 model for the 'Revolution' promo film in 1968 and for the documentaryLet It Be the following year. During the shooting, however, the 1961 bass was stolen, and McCartney used his newer Höfner for the remainder of the film, including the famous rooftop performance. McCartney has continued to use his 1963 Höfner extensively throughout his solo career and continues to use it today.
Höfner 500/1 bass players[edit]
- The Beatles and Wings bass guitarist and singer Paul McCartney
- Amy Winehouse bassist Dale Davis
- Barenaked Ladies bassist Jim Creeggan
- Beach Boys guitarist Carl Wilson on 'Lei'd in Hawaii' (1967), and Alan Jardine on Carl and the Passions – 'So Tough'
- Big Star bassists Andy Hummel and Ken Stringfellow, and Alex Chilton bassist Terry Manning
- Deerhoof bassist Satomi Matsuzaki
- Fleet Foxes bassist Christian Wargo
- The La's bassist John Power, in the meeting that had the band in 2005
- Peter Tosh bassist Robbie Shakespeare
- Sum 41 bassist Cone McCaslin recorded bass lines for some songs from Screaming Bloody Murder with Hofner bass[5]
- Tame Impala members Kevin Parker and Nick Allbrook
- The Bright Light Social Hour bassist Jack O'Brien on Space Is Still the Place (2015)
- The Searchers bassist Tony Jackson
Höfner 500/2 bass players[edit]
- Talking Heads bassist Tina Weymouth used a 500/2 bass
- Tom Petty performed with Mudcrutch playing a 500/2, and appears with a 500/1 in the liner notes for Playback
- Prolific session bassist Justin Meldal-Johnsen often plays a 500/2 bass
- Nicolas Godin of Air French Band
- Tony Scherr played on a 500/2 live with Bill Frisell
Höfner guitar users[edit]
- Bert Weedon, now best known for his tutorial works, had a variety of Höfners.
- Hank Marvin's first guitar was a Congress.
- Hugh Cornwell ex member of The Stranglers used a Höfner Razerwood S7L solid-body.
- Eric Clapton learned to play on a Höfner acoustic.
- The young Ritchie Blackmore played a club 50.
- A Senator was Peter Green's first real guitar.
- Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones traded in a stack of records in order to purchase his first guitar, which was a hollow-body Höfner cut away.
- Folk Baroque pioneer Davy Graham played a Congress.
- Mark Knopfler's first guitar was a V2 solid.
- At the age of 13, Jimmy Page made his first televised appearance in 1957 on BBC1 playing a Höfner President.
- The Stone Roses' John Squire used a Höfner semi-acoustic guitar (featuring a self-applied Jackson Pollock-style paintjob).
- The Auteurs' Luke Haines uses a Committee.
- Jamie Hince' of The Kills
- Early Beatles bassist Stuart Sutcliffe used prize money he won in an art competition (50 guineas) to purchase a Höfner President bass.
- Albert Lee's first guitar was a Höfner President acoustic.[6]
- Tav Falco has played only a Höfner violin guitar, with built-in factory fuzztone, since 1980.
- Tonny Koeswoyo used Höfner Galaxy Series & Verythin Series
- John Lennon of The Beatles bought a Club 40 as his first electric guitar in 1959.
- Chris Rea's first guitar was a Höfner Verithin 3, which he played until 1979.
See also[edit]
- Paul McCartney World Tour booklet, EMAP Metro, MPL Communications 1989
References[edit]
- ^Fagan, Mary (2002-08-24). 'Boosey Nears Sale of Instruments Division'. The Daily Telegraph.Osborne, Alistair (2003-02-11). 'Boosey Plucks £33.2 million (or, about $67 million) for Instruments'. The Daily Telegraph.Wray, Richard (2003-02-12). 'Boosey & Hawkes Sells Instruments Arm for £33.2m'. The Guardian.
- ^'The Hofner Shorty - Fact File'.
- ^'Harrison Hofner'.
- ^'Hofner 500/1 Violin Bass'.
- ^Sum41 (6 February 2010). 'Sum 41 Studio Day 6' – via YouTube.
- ^'Albert Lee - Official site of the Grammy Award-winning guitarist'.
Further reading[edit]
- Acoustic Guitars: The Illustrated Encyclopedia. New York: Chartwell Books. 2011. ISBN978-0-7858-3571-4.
External links[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Höfner. |
- Gerhilde Benker NAMM Oral History Interview (2008)
- Christian Benker NAMM Oral History Interview (2008)