The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #1

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    I'm thinking of getting the Hofner Chancellor with the classic finish.

    I really like the look and I think the specs are rather good. This would be my first ''proper'' Jazz guitar if I were to get it.

    What do you guys think? Would it be a good buy?

    I'm thinking of changing the pickup to a Attila Zoller Shadow pickup which is neck mount instead of attachment to the pickguard.

    Is it possible to get the Shadow on this guitar without changing or sacrifying any parts?


    Hofner Chancellor-hofner-chancellor-violin-finish-jpg

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  3. #2

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    I think the Hofner Chancellor is a great/expensive guitar.

    You do not need to change pick ups.

  4. #3

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    Have you played the guitar much? I usually live with the pickup for a while before thinking of switching. is this a German or a Chinese Höfner?

  5. #4

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    The stock hofner pickups are damn good...I'd wait before switching.

    Hofner used to use the Zoller pups. They don't anymore. That might say something.

    The Chancellor is a first class instrument on every level, as are all of the German made Hofners I've played. You will not be dissapointed.

  6. #5

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    Hofner Pickups are great. Do not swap it. Made by Schaller. I actually bought a Hofner pickup on ebay to use with another guitar. I'm a big fan. It is articulate, warm, and has no noise. Chancellor is a pricey guitar but judging by quality of the New President i owned, it is worth the cost.

    BTW the pickups on Hofners are mounted to the neck via a plastic ring. It is nice because you can adjust the height and angle of the pickup much more easily than you could with a normal floating pickup.

  7. #6

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    The Hofner pickups on my Hofner Very Thin Classic are Fantastic ...Designed by Kent Armstong.

  8. #7

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    Nice guitar.

    It is Hofner's flagship guitar, made in Germany, the first and only archtop guitar Hofner have made with carved maple back plate and solid maple rims as well as a carved spruce top.

    They have built very few of these instruments since launching the model in 2004. They are not expensive at all compared to other 17" all-carved archtops.

  9. #8

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    Another vote for Hofner PU's.

    Also another vote for the value of German-made Hofners vs. other similar guitars made in countries with similar costs. They are a bargain.

    My one significant gripe is the 16th fret clearance from the body. This sounds like it would be a good thing, and for many it clearly is.

    But I always have the sense that the lower position frets are off in another room to the left. It is a small difference, but worth noting in my opinion.

    Also, the neck is long. First there is the 25 1/2" scale, then the extra 2 frets of clearance. In a climate with extreme humidity change (humid tropical summer, extremely dry winter) the change in relief is far more than on any guitar I have ever owned. I had a Verythin JS for a few years and really had to adjust the truss rod 3 or 4 times as the guitar dried out, then another 3 or 4 times as it swelled back up.

    More complete humidification would solve this of course. And with the solid woods in the Chancellor, very attentive humidification is a good idea anyway. Nonetheless the twice-a-year multiple neck tweaks were a chore that I do not need to do on any other guitar.

    So, in my opinion they are fantastic sounding guitars and a bargain - with a notable quirk.
    Last edited by NiAg; 01-21-2011 at 12:49 PM.

  10. #9

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    Oh, and a 7mm metric socket wrench for those tweaks...You won't find a nut for an allen wrench under that cover!

    I have a verythin standard that's neck has been pretty stable so far, although it did need a little tweak when I switched to the .11 gauge flatwounds I use from whatever was on there. But it was an easy process...we'll see how she behaves in a few months when things "wet up" around here.

  11. #10

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    DOUBLE-CUTAWAY SEMIS - APPLES:

    The Hofner Verythin family of double-cutaway instruments are typical of the form, with neck/body joints at the 18th fret. This style of instrument, established by the Gibson ES-335, is completely different from traditional single-cutaway, hollow jazz guitars. It provides unimpeded neck access as far up the neck as most guitar players ever want, and is a classic style.

    While it has been increasingly adopted by jazz players over the years, it is far-better-known as an instrument used for rock and blues. Hofner's Verythin JS, Verythin Classic and older Verythin Standards are all in that family, with key design differences such as the 25 1/4" (not 25 1/2") scale, and the shape and depth of the instrument, the solid spruce block running the length of the body, and the mini-humbuckers.

    On all instruments of this design, it is normal to use the trussrod to make seasonal adjustments.

    SINGLE-CUTAWAY JAZZ GUITARS - ORANGES:

    The Hofner Jazzica, New President and Chancellor instruments are within the general and classic form of hollow arched-top jazz guitars, with key design differences including use of a 16th fret neck/body joint (as opposed to the typical 14th fret joint. Interestingly, Felixe Staerke built non-cutaway "ESTE" archtops in the 1930s with 15th fret neck/body joints). The "long" scale is 25 1/4", close to that used on many 17" and 18" jazz guitars, but harder to find on 16" archtop guitars.

    One could call the design "quirky" but I don't think it's way-out or off-beat - more idiosyncratic, just a characteristic of these instruments that makes them different.

    The 16th fret neck/body joint is an innovative feature that provides better access to the higher frets. It moves the neck away from the body by less than 1 1/4" compared to traditional jazz guitars like the similar scale L-5C. I don't think this is a significant contributor to seasonal changes in neck relief, although it no doubt is a small factor. The 16th fret neck/body joint is by far the most common style of glued-in neck joint for electrified guitars, used on millions of single-cutaway guitars (every Les Paul and Les-Paul-style guitar ever built) and is quite stable.
    Last edited by Hammertone; 03-21-2017 at 05:26 AM.

  12. #11

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    It is common for Ebony to shrink/swell along the growth (aka "grain") axis more than rosewood.

    Nonetheless I am surprised by how much the JS neck would move seasonally. It is a decent hunk-o-maple, yet whipped back and forth quite a bit.

    In my opinion, many hollow archtops (joined, as you note, at the 14th) get by with little or no seasonal adjustment - particularly those with maple necks and rosewood FB's (love me them Guilds).

    I have the opinion that the Chancellor is great, and a great value, but that the extra clearance comes with some minor side effects.

    Indeed, as you mention, the truss-supported neck length would be shorter than a Verythin, and longer than a 14th fret-joined 24.75" scale guitar.
    Last edited by NiAg; 01-21-2011 at 02:43 PM.

  13. #12

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    Quote Originally Posted by NiAg
    It is common for Ebony to shrink/swell along the growth (aka "grain") axis more than rosewood.
    That's interesting, considering ebony is "harder" than rosewood, but it also makes sense to me, when you consider the things ebony is most often used (and not used) for in guitar building... Good food for thought NiAg.

  14. #13

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    Yeah, the wood industry is mostly concerned with the relationship between the swell/shrink of the radial axis vs. the tangential axis and ignores the vertical (or "growth", or "grain") axis in wood specifications.

    But here in luthio-land we laminate different woods (maple Fenders and such notwithstanding) on the neck yet also recognize that tension on along the neck is a critical factor.

    Ebony is the traditional "high-end" wood for FB's, and as you say is quite a bit harder than rosewood. But rosewood is more than hard enough, and had a few virtues. One is the reduced change caused by humidity. The other is that re-frets are typically far easier on rosewood FB since they do not chip out nearly so much as Ebony, plus there seems to be a slightly better resilience to the wood, so fret tang width and "nubbin" protrusion os not as critical.

    But this is a long drift from the fine Hofner Chancellor,...

  15. #14

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    Hofner makes very few jazz guitars in Germany these days.
    Jazzicas and New Presidents are not commonplace, but they are around, new and used. The Jazzica is not in the 2010/2011 Hofner catalogue.
    Chancellors are in the catalogue but harder to find - Hofner makes even fewer of them.
    Thin Presidents (hollow ones with carved tops) and Vice-Presidents have not been in the catalogue for awhile.
    Last edited by Hammertone; 03-21-2017 at 05:27 AM.

  16. #15

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    As of September 2013:
    2013 MSRP on a Chancellor in the US was @ $9,800 - $10,000. MAP in the US was @$6,800 - $6,900
    Deal pricing from a dealer was probably somewhere between US$6,000 and US$6,500, but that's just a guess.
    Hofner only made a few of them per year from 2004 to 2011, and then only made them to order, and ...not really.

    It was specifically designed to be and really shines as an amplified archtop, with flatwound strings, in the tradition of a Johnny Smith, Legrande, Artist Award or similar instruments. The 16th fret neck/body joint adds tremendous functionality, IMO.

    If anyone is interested in this model, just send me a note - I can probably tickle one out of Hofner. I think I'll hold onto the ones I have but... one never knows.

    Obsession is a strange taskmaster.

    Last edited by Hammertone; 05-23-2019 at 01:45 PM.

  17. #16

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    Here are pix of the one I sold most recently (in the middle in the group shots above):







    Last edited by Hammertone; 03-21-2018 at 03:34 AM.

  18. #17

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    I worked with Hofner as a consultant for several years, continue to be friends with them, was directly involved in the development of this model, was the distribution agent for Hofner in Canada from 2007 until 2012, and carry an inventory of German-built instruments. I figured I'd capture them as a group, since I'm selling the one in the middle (now sold).

    [ed. - typical specs for the Chancellor that sold]
    17" archtop guitar.
    Solid hand carved bookmatched spruce top.
    Solid hand carved bookmatched flame maple back.
    3" solid flame maple rims.
    Body binding, front - black / maple / black / maple / black / maple / black.
    Body binding, back - black / maple / black / maple / black.
    One piece flame maple neck.
    16th fret neck/body joint.
    Ebony fingerboard, black / white binding, mother-of pearl block inlays, 22 frets.
    Ebony headstock cap, black / white binding, mother-of pearl lilies-of-the-valley inlays.
    Ebony bridge…..
    H61/EB-G Schaller gold-plated tuners, ebony buttons .
    H62/EB-G Ebony tailpiece.
    Bone nut.
    H514/FN-G - floating, gold-plated mini-humbucking pickup, mounted to end of fingerboard/neck.
    ebony pickguard with
    1 x Volume, 1 x Tone.
    Includes custom-made Winter 5-ply hardshell case w/humidifier and hygrometer.

    Standard Hofner scale length of 25 1/4" | 64.3 cm.
    The neck has a lovely "C" shape.
    The finish carving on the neck done by Dieter Fischer (now retired)
    and his magic knife:
    -width at nut: 1 23/32" | 1.7188" | 4.37 cm.
    -width at 12th fret: 2 3/32" | 2.0938" | 5.3182 cm.
    -depth at 1st fret: 29/32" | 0.9063" | 2.302 cm.
    -depth at 12th fret: 1" | 1" | 2.54 cm.



    Last edited by Hammertone; 06-02-2020 at 02:07 AM.

  19. #18

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    I dig what appears to be an 18"!

  20. #19

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    They are all Chancellors.
    - 17" lower bout width
    - 3" deep rims

    The neck of the Chancellor meets the body at the 16th fret, not the 14th fret.
    In order to do this without visually locating bridge and f-holes too high, the waist is a bit higher and the body is a bit shorter in height than other 17" archtops.
    We are so used to seeing certain proportions with these guitars that it suggests a wider guitar.
    Some folks in Hofnerland think it's ugly, others see it as distinctive.
    The number of used Chancellors on the market suggests how owners feel about these guitars.

    Quote Originally Posted by 50Hz
    I must say hammertone, that I love your couch also...maybe I only noticed it since I've been hunting for one lately lol...
    Heh, my wife wanted a red leather couch and said "I like it" when she saw this one. No-brainer. It's marginally less bright in person, btw.
    But, does Patrick approve?




    Last edited by Hammertone; 03-20-2018 at 11:34 PM.

  21. #20

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    I'll need to save up for a year or two for one of these, but I'm enquiring about them now. The Hofner site only mentions the Chancellor, New Committee and Thin President. I wrote to them enquiring about how one goes about ordering a Chancellor, price, waiting time, colour options, etc, but they haven't replied.

    Does anyone have any inside info on how the company operates - the website says the Chancellor is a commission, and might take a year - no more info?

    And does anyone have experience of their high-end archtops? I'm particularly wondering what the Chancellor sounds like unplugged. A real acoustic sound? I'm hoping for mellow, but articulate.

    I guess I'm thinking of a good-quality European archtop, so either the Chancellor or an Elferink, perhaps...

  22. #21

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    I/ve seen in Poland one for sale 3 weeks ago. but couldn't find now. as I remember about 4200 Euro.

  23. #22

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    The CES option is also available, as well as fun with colours.


  24. #23

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    What is strange about the Hofner nomenclature, Germany has a Chancellor and a President, but Hofner's Vice President has no counterpart in Germany while Germany's Vice Chancellor has no counterpart with Hofner.

  25. #24

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    Quote Originally Posted by palindrome
    What is strange about the Hofner nomenclature, Germany has a Chancellor and a President, but Hofner's Vice President has no counterpart in Germany while Germany's Vice Chancellor has no counterpart with Hofner.
    Perhaps a simple Vice model would be in order, given the tenor of the times?

    I'm thinking one with this finish would be cool, although its acoustic response might be a tad muted:
    Attached Images Attached Images Hofner Chancellor-hof-gs-fb-500-2-paisley-jpg 
    Last edited by Hammertone; 04-24-2015 at 04:36 PM.

  26. #25

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    There are a few differences between a Hofner Vice President and a Hofner Chancellor that result in their being very different instruments, IMO. In some respects, it's like the differences between a Gibson L-4CES and a Gibson LeGrande.

    Tediously useful details:

    Scale length:
    64.3cm (@25 1/4") for both

    Neck/body joint
    :
    16th fret for both

    Fingerboard
    :
    VP - ebony w/mother of pearl block inlays or rosewood with dots
    Chancellor - ebony w/mother of pearl block inlays or ebony with no inlays

    Frets
    :
    VP - 24 frets, wider, softer semi-jumbo frets for most of them
    Chancellor - 22 frets, higher, narrower, harder frets
    Hofner started to use a new fretting machine around the time that Hofner discontinued the VP and introduced the Chancellor - frets were no longer hand-hammered one at a time, but auto-hammered, one at a time.

    Rim depth
    :
    VP @3 5/8" or so, from memory
    Chancellor @3" according to the catalogue, but often deeper.

    Width at bottom bout
    :
    VP @15 7/8", Chancellor @17"

    Top plate
    :
    solid carved spruce for both

    Rims
    :
    VP - laminated anigree
    Chancellor - solid maple

    Back plate
    :
    VP - laminated anigree
    Chancellor - solid carved maple

    Bracing:
    VP - single longitudinal brace on the bass side, very early examples have parallel braces
    Chancellor - early ones have a single longitudinal brace on the bass side, later ones have offset parallel bracing

    Binding:
    VP - white plastic w/5-layer contrasting plastic purfling on the top
    Chancellor - either beech, black plastic or flamed maple w/6-layer contrasting wood purfling

    Bridge
    :
    VP - ebony or ebony/fretwire
    Chancellor - ebony or ebony/tune-o-matic

    Hardware
    :
    VP - nickel-plated
    Chancellor - gold-plated and ebony

    Tuners & straplocks
    :
    VP - Schaller, w/metal keystone buttons
    Chancellor - Schaller, w/ebony buttons, some w/keystone buttons

    Tailpiece:

    VP - classic nickel-plated brass lyre-style
    Chancellor - ebony cap over gold-plated brass base, some with gold or nickel-plated brass lyre-style

    Pickguard:
    VP - bwb laminated plastic attached at rim w/bracket & at neck and bridge base w/traditional small nail
    Chancellor - ebony attached at rim w/bracket & at neck w/screw-on bracket

    Pickups
    :
    Hofner mini-humbuckers provided by Schaller for both

    Finish
    :
    VP - catalyzed polyester over sunburst,
    Chancellor - shellac (violin varnish). Natural finished Chancellors w/catalyzed poly finishes.

    Case:

    Winter custom-fitted case for both

    The VP has a floating neck pickup and bridge pickup that sits on the top, with four controls and a three-way switch mounted into the top.

    Most Chancellors have a single floating neck pickup, with two controls mounted on the pickguard, although a few later ones were made with two pickups, set up similar to the VP.
    Last edited by Hammertone; 12-22-2023 at 01:21 AM.