For Sale: Hofner New President hand carved archtop hollowbody

amusiathread · #3 02-15-2010, 05:39 PM

That's a beautiful guitar. A shame that I just bought one yesterday. Why are you selling it?

derek · #4 02-15-2010, 05:43 PM

I have played one of those before. Very nice. Good luck with the sale.

NSJ · #5 02-15-2010, 05:55 PM

Eh, I just saw what looks like the same guitar posted on the local Chicago CL. Location is listed: "Belmont Cragin"? Where the hell is this? CL is supposed to be for local deals. Doesn't sound like it's exactly "local" to me. Same price, too. $1700.

FS: Hofner New President hand carved hollowbody archtop w/ HSC

"In pristine shape. Bought from Elderly Instruments last year. Nicest guitar i've ever owned. Hand carved in Germany. The Hofner pickup has the depth of a humbucker but the burn and chime of an awesome DeArmond. Really really pretty guitar. The setup was perfect from Elderly. Color is natural. Includes original Hofner branded hard shell case It currently has flatwound 13's on it. "

mr. beaumont · #6 02-15-2010, 06:00 PM

NSJ, Belmont-Craign is a neighborhood on the northwest side..more of a "realtor's neighborhood" name than what the locals call it. think just NW of kelvyn park.

$1,700's a good price...too bad i can't justify it...

spiral · #7 02-15-2010, 06:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by amusiathread

That's a beautiful guitar. A shame that I just bought one yesterday. Why are you selling it?

A bunch of reasons. I also have a Gretsch G6040MCSS with a custom TV Jones and i couldn't justify keeping both (well i could but not with as much as i owe in taxes). I also wanted to try composing with a guitar with MIDI and that is going to be a investment so something had to go. It's a nicer guitar in the Gretsch in build and acoustic sound.

Quote:

Originally Posted by derek

I have played one of those before. Very nice. Good luck with the sale.

Thanks derek.

Quote:

Originally Posted by NSJ

Eh, I just saw what looks like the same guitar posted on the local Chicago CL. Location is listed: "Belmont Cragin"? Where the hell is this? CL is supposed to be for local deals. Doesn't sound like it's exactly "local" to me. Same price, too. $1700.

It's because it's the same guitar.NW side. South of Portage Park. It's the first result on a google search. Why the skepticism? You are welcome to come see it (and lovely Belmont Cragin).

BigDaddyLoveHandles · #8 02-15-2010, 06:10 PM

I'd waiting for Randy to cave and buy it. He could do a Gibson/Heritage/Höfner comparison!

spiral · #9 02-15-2010, 06:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mr. beaumont

NSJ, Belmont-Craign is a neighborhood on the northwest side..more of a "realtor's neighborhood" name than what the locals call it. think just NW of kelvyn park.

Hey now! It's just not as fancy-pants as Portage Park or Wicker park (we need a park) but it's called that on maps and by people that live here. I figure if Yelp recognizes it as legit we are good to go.

mr. beaumont · #10 02-15-2010, 06:34 PM

hey, no offense intended! i knew a cat who lived up in that general area, and he always called his 'hood "hanson park." He was the cat that told me "belmont craign" was a "realtor's neighborhood," (like "new city"--we all know that's back of the yards") as most folks either identified with "craign" or "belmont central" depending on what side of central they were on...but that was some 10 years ago...

I've hung up there--great neighborhood.

spiral · #11 02-15-2010, 06:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mr. beaumont

hey, no offense intended! i knew a cat who lived up in that general area, and he always called his 'hood "hanson park." He was the cat that told me "belmont craign" was a "realtor's neighborhood," (like "new city"--we all know that's back of the yards") as most folks either identified with "craign" or "belmont central" depending on what side of central they were on...but that was some 10 years ago...

I've hung up there--great neighborhood.

np. I was half kidding. We are trying to put it on the map! Admittedly there isn't much around here that is "cool" except maybe the Portage Theatre.

So yeah. It's a real place and the guitar is really at my house (i am selling a Lionheart 5w amp too), in Belmont-Cragin ... aka "west of Logan Square" aka "south of Portage Park".

Thanks for looking and the positive comments about the Hofner.

X-500 · #12 02-15-2010, 07:32 PM

Wow! For less money than an Asian import of similar appointments you can buy a German made solid carved top archtop! This should go quick. If I had seen this before I bought my Guild X-700, it certainly would've been a contender. Good luck selling this and sorry to see it go from your possesion.

This baby deserves a Homer drool ...

randyc · #13 02-15-2010, 08:47 PM

Spiral, it's a beauty and I want it

Please PM me with your e-mail address. BDLH, you are not too far away from the mark.

Jeff, any chance of you taking a look at the guitar for me? I have no idea of the geography involved, so if it's more involved than a ten minute drive, feel free to tell me to pee up a rope.

Thanks,
Randy

NSJ · #14 02-15-2010, 09:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by spiral

A bunch of reasons. I also have a Gretsch G6040MCSS with a custom TV Jones and i couldn't justify keeping both (well i could but not with as much as i owe in taxes). I also wanted to try composing with a guitar with MIDI and that is going to be a investment so something had to go. It's a nicer guitar in the Gretsch in build and acoustic sound.

Thanks derek.

It's because it's the same guitar.NW side. South of Portage Park. It's the first result on a google search. Why the skepticism? You are welcome to come see it (and lovely Belmont Cragin).

Sorry for doubting you, wasn't sure. When I think of NW side, I think of where all the police and fireman live, by Caldwell Woods/Metra stop.

(I was once shocked that my landlord once referred to my neighborhood, as "West Bucktown"--were they trying to get rid of the stigma of it being a Porto Rican neighborhood or something?

Mainly, I've lived in Rogers Park).

Those are very nice guitars, the only issue I've found (and this happened to one guitar bought by my guitar teacher) is the factory necks often have to often resanded/planed, as the left and right sides don't line up right, and a conventional setup/truss rod adjustment won't do). The guy who fixed my teacher's guitar was Goeff Benge up on Damen and Addison, and he says it happens a lot with these guitars.

If you got it from Elderly, I trust them to set it up correctly.

mr. beaumont · #15 02-15-2010, 09:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by randyc

Spiral, it's a beauty and I want it

Please PM me with your e-mail address. BDLH, you are not too far away from the mark.

Jeff, any chance of you taking a look at the guitar for me? I have no idea of the geography involved, so if it's more involved than a ten minute drive, feel free to tell me to pee up a rope.

Thanks,
Randy

randy, it's a pretty good haul from me-- wouldn't be able to get up there for the next week or so. would feel bad putting such a delay on spiral's sale...

randyc · #16 02-15-2010, 09:15 PM

No problem, Jeff, thanks for the response - spiral please PM me, I'm definitely interested.

pierre richard · #17 02-15-2010, 10:41 PM

one of my students has one of these...really nice...

I like the sound from it...but he plays rather well anyway...so it's not just the guitar but the player...all stock...no aftermarket stuff..

time on the instrument...pierre

randyc · #18 02-16-2010, 12:58 AM

It's close to 10:00 PM here and I haven't heard from spiral. So which one of you guys snatched up that pretty guitar?

I'm guessing one of you corrupt Chicagoans - you have that "Capone" reputation to live up to, elbowing out the competition ... as well as immediate opportunity

A very nice guitar. Those of you who think that quality instruments are out of your reach and that your choices are limited to variations of Samick copies - NOT.

cheers,
randyc

derek · #19 02-16-2010, 11:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by randyc

It's close to 10:00 PM here and I haven't heard from spiral. So which one of you guys snatched up that pretty guitar?

I'm guessing one of you corrupt Chicagoans - you have that "Capone" reputation to live up to, elbowing out the competition ... as well as immediate opportunity

A very nice guitar. Those of you who think that quality instruments are out of your reach and that your choices are limited to variations of Samick copies - NOT.

cheers,
randyc

I totally agree. I played one of these new a few years ago at a store in St. Louis. It was not set up very well, but you could tell by the fit and finish, it was just a wonderful guitar. Next time I went back to that store a couple months later, it was a gonner. Was a darker color IIRC.

Hope you wind up scoring it Randy. At least we will all get to hear about it and enjoy the great review and comparison I know you will write.

NSJ · #20 02-16-2010, 12:33 PM

The Old Town School of Folk Music sells Hofners (as well as Eastmans), and they have had a blonde New President for sale for a while, now--at least months and months and months. No one's buying, it seems. I don't think anything but the very low end guitar market is really selling much, these days, given the economic downturn.

By way of a comparison, the Old Town's price on the Hofner is $1999 (plus 10% sales tax, so that's $2200 out the door, right there). So, that's a difference of $500 in price for the same guitar. Quite a difference in price.

Actually I think they're pretty much done trying to sell Hofners and Eastmans--no one's really buying em. They now deal in Godin's. The premise being, affordable, decent priced guitars (Godins, Hofners, and Eastmans).

BigDaddyLoveHandles · #21 02-16-2010, 12:57 PM

That's a doorbuster price on a new "New President". Are you sure? J. Hale lists them for $3,649.

Hofner Guitars from J Hale Music

Stringbean · #22 02-16-2010, 01:16 PM

I don't know....

Over on the pocket knife EDC forum, word is, some stuff marked German manfactur is actually made in Asia.

derek · #23 02-16-2010, 02:55 PM

The place I saw them was Fazio's Frets and Friends. They still list Hofner as a vendor, but I do not know their current inventory.

Welcome to Fazio's Frets and Friends-St. Louis MO USA

X-500 · #24 02-16-2010, 04:50 PM

Well, I'm waiting with bated breath ... anyone from this forum bought this beauty ... Randy?

randyc · #25 02-16-2010, 05:12 PM

Nope, not me, Alex. After using the forum for his own ends, I would have hoped that the OP would post a note thanking us for our interest ...

NSJ · #26 02-16-2010, 05:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigDaddyLoveHandles

That's a doorbuster price on a new "New President". Are you sure? J. Hale lists them for $3,649.

Hofner Guitars from J Hale Music

Yes, I called them this morning, in light of this thread.

the Guitar advertised here: $1700
the same guitar at the Old Town School: $2200
the one my guitar teacher bought from CL: $1300--(plus $300 in additional expenses related to the replanning, resanding and refretting due to the left and right sides of the neck being concave in different directions where the neck meets the body).

These are all USED prices, which may account for the difference in terms of the figure you are citing. So, yeah, it may lose half its value just as soon as you walk out the door.

They are nice guitars--Bobby Broom plays 'em/endorses 'em. But, like I said, no one's bought the Old Town School axe yet, and it's been collecting dust for months, maybe even more than a year now.

Who knows? Maybe this guitar had the same neck issue, too? Wouldn't know until you test it out.

randyc · #27 02-16-2010, 09:42 PM

Actually, before I made the decision to buy the guitar, I looked around briefly on the internet and $2200 was about the highest price that I found. Used ones were going from $1400 up to that price.

My justification for paying $1700 + shipping was the apparent condition of the guitar, as indicated in the photos. Too bad the guy didn't want to work with me; I would have enjoyed owning my second German guitar (first was a nice old Framus with a pair of floaters - feedback city).

PS: it occurs to me that the above "reads" like I actually bought the instrument. Unhappily he never responded to my two overtures

JimBobWay · #28 02-16-2010, 09:47 PM

I'm in Chicago this week, and I would love to check this baby out if it is still on the market. I've played one before, which was professionally set up and played by a local jazz legend, so I know what it should feel & sound like. I've already got my ideal guitar, but if I can help this one find a good home, I'm happy to do it. You know where to find me Spiral.

spiral · #29 02-18-2010, 02:53 PM

Holy jeeeze. Isn't this forum supposed to email you when there are replies? I'm just now seeing all these replies. Going to reply now!

spiral · #30 02-18-2010, 03:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by X-500

Wow! For less money than an Asian import of similar appointments you can buy a German made solid carved top archtop! This should go quick.

No offers yet.

Quote:

Originally Posted by randyc

it's a beauty and I want it

I PM'd you my phone #.

Quote:

Originally Posted by NSJ

the one my guitar teacher bought from CL: $1300

Are you sure it was a "new" New President? ie. modern? Hofner has a few guitars that look similar, or are named President. I would find it hard to believe he bought one at that price unless it was in a flood.

Quote:

Originally Posted by randyc

Too bad the guy didn't want to work with me; I would have enjoyed owning my second German guitar (first was a nice old Framus with a pair of floaters - feedback city).

Sorry man. I thought this board emailed when there were replies. I got emails the first day but nothing after. I sent you my phone #. I have it listed 4 other places and have no interest other than "that's beautiful ... i can't afford it!".

Quote:

Originally Posted by JimBobWay

I'm in Chicago this week, and I would love to check this baby out if it is still on the market.

You are welcome to come see it. PM me your phone #. I work at home so am here all the time.