Have a hankering for a Hofner Verithin or Verythin. Thoughts?

[Rob MacKillop]

There are quite a few for sale in the UK dating from the 1960s, and some look very cool and have aged well. None around Edinburgh to try out, so has anyone got one or tried one? Prices are all over the place.

The year 2000+ Verythins were great guitars - I’m told - but are still quite expensive. Are they a world apart from the ’60s models?

[AllanAllen]

Speaking of 1960's thinline reissues, have you seen the new Silvertones? I'm eager to try one of these out.

NEW! 1446 TTSB – Silvertone Guitars

[Rob MacKillop]

That looks fun.

[dmorash]

I had a newer Verythin Classic for a while. It was a very unique guitar. It is one of the few options for a semi hollow with a long(25.5) scale. Really different to anything else out there. Really good sustain, lightweight. Felt like the neck was extended away from the body more so than other guitars. Quirky but charming with a lot of character.

[Hammertone]

The Höfner Verithin (1960-@1970) and the Höfner Verythin (2000-@2016) are similar-looking but different instruments. I love them both.

VERITHIN
The Verithin was a completely hollow instrument, with a neck/body joint at the 14th fret. It went through a variety of iterations. Pickups were updated as on other Hofner models, from single coil units to humbuckers. Some were made with three pickups. Many were equipped with Bigsby tailpieces. Florentine cutaway versions were introduced @1966. Control arrays changed, from the radio panel to 4 knobs/no switch to 3 knobs /3-way switch. Bridges were changed from ebony/fretwire to Micromatic to metal/sliding clear plastic. There was an active version. As well, there were various domestic European / export market versions with numbered model names that were essentially the same. Verithins all have a @25 1/4" scale.

Plenty of info here about all sorts of Höfners: Hofner Guitars - Steve Russell's Vintage Hofner Website - Index Page

I've had many of them over the years, and kept one, from 1968. They typically have excellent, big necks. They typically have very shallow neck sets, so their bridges are typically quite low. Nothing wrong with that, but one of their problems is that, if the necks have moved up even slightly and not been reset, the cheap solution results in bridges being shaved down to impractically shallow dimensions.

Höfner used the Verithin body shape from @1978 - 1985 for their "T-series" semis (T2N, T2S, T4S, T4ST). These guitars had 19th fret neck/body joints, deeper rims, blocks, and a variety of electronic configurations, typically with two humbucking pickups. They were replaced by the Nightingale series in 1985, which also had various humbucker-based electronic configurations. The Nightingales had internal blocks, and were like miniature ES-335 shaped guitars, with sadly misshapen ears.

VERYTHIN
My first recommendation when I started working for Höfner as a consultant in 1999 was to discontinue the Nightingale and re-introduce the Verithin.

This actually happened, and the Verythin Classic was introduced in 2000. It had the 1 1/4" rims, 18th fret neck/body joint, 22 frets, modern mini-humbuckers by Schaller made to look like '60s pickups, a Schaller roller bridge mounted directly into the top, and a trapeze tailpiece. It had a laminated spruce top, laminated anigree rims and back, funky Jazzica soundholes and a solid spruce block. One-piece maple neck, ebony board, mother of pearl block inlays, gold-plated parts. Theoretically it had a 1 3/4" nut width and a slightly asymmetrical neck carve, but many have slightly narrower nut widths and the asymmetry was more of a concept than a reality. Verythins all have the same @25 1/4" scale.

A couple of versions of it followed - a John Stowell model (single pickup, ebony bits) and a "Vintage" version (radio control panel). It went through various small changes and improvements until it was discontinued @2015. One key change was to sink the neck further into the body and sink the mini-humbucking pickups into the body as well (not done on the Stowell). Fewer than 550 were made.

In 2002, the Verythin Standard was introduced. It had the 1 1/4" rims, 18th fret neck/body joint, 22 frets, modern mini-humbuckers by Schaller made to look like '60s pickups, a tune-o-matic bridge and a stop tailpiece. It had a laminated anigree top, rims and back, standard f-holes, and a solid spruce block. One-piece maple neck, rosewood board, dot inlays, nickel-plated parts. Like its fancier sibling, it theoretically had a 1 3/4" nut width and a slightly asymmetrical neck carve, but many have slightly narrower nut widths and the asymmetry was more of a concept than a reality. These Verythins all have the same @25 1/4" scale as well. The model also went through some changes. It acquired simplified (and better-looking) dot inlays. Like the Classic, the neck was sunk further into the body along with the mini-humbucking pickups. It had a mahogany block for a couple of years, and full-sized humbuckers. After 2016, a handful were made every year with a different colour or decorative scheme but essentially the same features, all with full-sized humbuckers, mostly with laminated spruce tops and spruce blocks.

A new Verythin Classic was introduced @2018 that combined features of the Classic and the Standard but only a handful were made. Höfner continued to make a few Standards yearly until they went into bankruptcy protection at the end of 2025. Fewer than 500 Standards were made.

Neck shapes tend to have a lovely C profile, but neck sizes vary considerably over the years. Many of them are neck heavy. Using a strap with a suede backing usually solves the problem. Installing a Bigsby always solves the problem.

Pickups, supplied by Schaller, were on the hotter side for the first couple of years, then were revised to be quite underwound. The Classics had a clever tone circuit that rolled off bass to provide the option of a more single-coil-ish but still relatively noiseless humbucking sound, which worked really well.

These are unique instruments, not copies of the ES-335.
In 2007, Höfner introduced the Chinese-made Contemporary or CT Verythins. Various models were made until 2024. Some are pretty good. I wouldn't bother.

[Rob MacKillop]

I was hoping the Resident Hofnerologist would drop by!

[Hammertone]

I was hoping the Resident Hofnerologist would drop by!

What it all means is that these guitars need to be assessed individually: there are some great Verithins, and some dogs; some great Verythins, and some dogs. You are in the right country to have plenty of choice when it comes to the old ones, and a bit of choice when it comes to the newer ones. Happy to answer any questions.

[Hammertone]

1968 Model 4574 - the Verithin made for the European/export markets;
2006 Verythin Standard - rational neck dots, full-sized humbuckers, anigree top/rims/back. mahogany block.

[Hammertone]

There are many terrible demos of guitars and amps out there. Here's Rory Ronde demoing some Koch stuff (Jupiter hybrid head with tube preamp/ss power), using his late 1960s Höfner 4600 - essentially a Verythin with a bolt-on neck. Late '60s staple pickups, neck position. Not terrible!

[Rob MacKillop]

Not terrible by a LONG way.

Thanks for all that, Hammer, as usual. We are lucky to have you here!

[GuyBoden]

The Hofner John Stowell model very thin is a great guitar too.

I sold one a few years ago.

Quite rare and more expensive, but a good guitar.


Edit: Apparently, it's laminate. So, it's a very expensive laminate guitar.

[Rob MacKillop]

You can tell they were great guitars from that 2000 decade, as there are none for sale now!

[Hammertone]

The Hofner John Stowell model very thin is a great guitar too. I sold one a few years ago. Quite rare and more expensive, but a good guitar, totally carved wood.

The Verythin John Stowell model was built with a laminated spruce top, laminated anigree rims amps and back, and a solid spruce block.

[Rob MacKillop]

My hankering has been quenched or squashed, something along those lines. Cool guitars, but not for me right now.

[AllanAllen]

My hankering has been quenched or squashed, something along those lines. Cool guitars, but not for me right now.

I look forward to the next hankering.

[george4908]

I had a 2001 Verythin Classic as described by (and purchased from) Hammertone. Lovely guitar, very well built, brighter and poppier than I might have expected. As he suggested, while the full neck was technically asymmetrical, it was slight and if no one pointed it out, you might not even notice. The guitar was a bit neck heavy, otherwise a lot of fun. Can't keep 'em all, alas.

[jim777]

Thay are all very good looking instruments though

[Hammertone]

I had a 2001 Verythin Classic as described by (and purchased from) Hammertone. Lovely guitar, very well built, brighter and poppier than I might have expected. As he suggested, while the full neck was technically asymmetrical, it was slight and if no one pointed it out, you might not even notice. The guitar was a bit neck heavy, otherwise a lot of fun. Can't keep 'em all, alas.

And that guitar became this guitar. Now not neck heavy at all: