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Been wanting a 25.5 in scale archtop and found a deal on a Hofner Jazzica Custom natural finish so I ordered it. It arrived today and what a beautiful guitar and the acoustic sound is amazing as full and loud as any flattop I've played. Also surprised how light the guitar is. The neck is a little smaller than I'm used to but no big deal. Only thing is typical store the strings are too light for an archtop so a couple minor buzzes a setup a 12's should clear right up. Only flaw is a scratch in the pickguard no big deal. It had the original case and the Jazzica soundhole plugs. I like the angled body thickness makes it comfortable to play (it is the thickness of the neck and expands to 5" at the tailpiece.) Can't wait to get back to playing it.
Here's a photo from internet, I'll try to snap a photo mine tomorrow.
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08-29-2013 06:03 PM
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I've always dug their look! Can't wait to hear your personal review - CONGRATS!!!
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That's a great guitar. I can't think of another guitar in my collection that gets a better amplified acoustic tone, and that includes my Heritage Golden Eagle.
It also has the neck that I would base my signature model on if one were to be offered to me
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What a great looking guitar. Happy NGD!
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Very sweet!
Sound bites with the next round of photos please.
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And you get two extra frets clear of the body!
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a real beauty! the jazzica would be my first choice if I would be in the market for an archtop!
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Very nice guitar, congratulations!
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Congratulations !
I really wish i had a guitar like this, it's beautiful and your description of it saying that the acoustic sound is amazing as full and loud as any flattop you've played is really making my mind in turmoil ! ^ ^
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Plus 25.5 scale plus 24 frets. That's an awesome combination, and a sweet looking guitar.
Originally Posted by Woody Sound
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Ha! All this NGD: Jazzica love has me stoked to get mine out tonight and have a play. They are such nice guitars! (Much of my gear has been stored away this year since we're doing some remodeling, so gear has to take turns in getting taken out.) Thanks for all the reminders, guys!
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Congrats!
Last edited by Hammertone; 08-30-2013 at 11:59 PM.
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Nice. I bought a Jazzica a couple of years back and am consistently surprised by how great it is compared to far pricier options. It took me a while to get used to the shape but now, that wedge-body and the great neck feel really comfortable. As noted, the acoustic sound is really impressive and the build quality is top drawer. I liked it so much I picked up a New President sight unseen on Ebay for a good price and it is also a really well made guitar, though interestingly it's the Jazzica that gets most of the playing time - it's so hard to put down.
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One day funds and opportunity will meet up for me in the form of a Jazzica. They're just awesome guitars.
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So Hofner no longer makes a Jazzica. What is the difference between the Jazzica and the Jazzica Custom? Are Jazzicas all solid wood or laminate?
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I'm getting the feeling they were all Jazzica Customs, but people me included shortened the name to Jazzica. Below is a list of spec's I picked up from another site since Hofner doesn't seem to have info on their site any more. Originally Posted by DRS
I'm really digging mine even though current strings feel very light (I measured they are 11's) and a couple minor buzzes on B and G, could be light strings, just being shipped, or just needs a little tweaking. It is a very comfortable guitar to play a buddy of mine was over playing it yesterday and was loving the neck. It's looking like this will be my main guitar for the foreseeable future.
Specifications:
- Top: European Spruce
- Back and Sides: Tiger Flame Maple
- Scale: 25 1/4"
- Nut Width: 1 11/16"
- Neck Material: Solid Maple
- Fretboard: Ebony
- Bridge: Compensated adjustable ebony bridge
- Bracing: Bar Braced
- Headstock Shape: Solid
- Headstock Overlay: Ebony
- Headstock Inlay: Hofner Logo and Floral Inlay
- Tuners: Gold Schaller 16X1 tuners with ebony buttons
- Inlays: Mother of Pearl Block fretboard markers
- Body Binding: 6 ply bound
- Fretboard Binding: 6 ply bound
- Headstock Binding: 6 ply bound
- Pickguard: Contoured ebony pickguard
- Nut Material: Bone
- Frets To Body: 16
- Body Depth: 2 1/4"-4 1/2"
- Lower Bout Width: 15 3/4"
- Pickup(s): Hofner 514/FN-G gold floating humbucking pickup
- Pickup Controls: Ebony volume and tone knobs
- Contoured Jazzica soundhole plugs
- Contoured body tapers over two inches from endblock to heel
- Venetian Cutaway
- Ebony tailpiece and finger rest
- Weight: 5.5 lbs
- Bound S Shaped Sound Holes
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Sorry, I may have been imprecise, I have a Custom, I just call it the Jazzica without that term added, was not aware there was an older version without the 'custom' designation. Mine has a solid top.
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Hmm. Hopefully, I'm not murking the waters here, but, to the best of my knowledge... Originally Posted by odel
These were originally called Jazzica Specials. (A red one was for sale here about 7-8 months ago.**) AFAIK, those were entirely laminate construction, had a rosewood fingerboard, abalone binding, used the Attila Zoller floating pickup, and featured the relatively 'pointy' headstock design. (The only ones I've seen so far were painted, and I've seen red, blue and black versions.)
Then there came a transitional Jazzica model. (I have one like what's below labelled "Jazzica Special" inside—although the specs there are obviously blurred between the original Special and the Custom.) This model now had an ebony fingerboard, and a carved spruce top (the rest being laminate construction), and featured a floater designed by Hofner/Kent Armstrong and made by Schaller. The pointy headstock was still being used but now with a wood veneer face. I believe these all used a blonde finish over the spruce top. (Note: The lovely "flamed maple" used in the Jazzica series is actually anigree, a different African hardwood species.)
Finally, the headstock got changed to the current black-face inlay style, ebony bits were subbed for the gold hardware, and the abalone binding was dropped for regular multi-binding. Those are the ones called Jazzica Customs.
** For a good discussion on the Jazzica series, see this thread from December, 2012... https://www.jazzguitar.be/forum/sale/...cial-swap.html
There are certainly other, finer differences as well, but anyway, Batman should be along here any second...
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Agreed! Besides the comfort level afforded by the unique body design (and those two extra frets clear of the body), what your buddy might have been enjoying was the fact that the Jazzica's neck is a very, very subtle assymetrical carve... Originally Posted by docbop
I'm always sad and surprised when I remember that these great guitars aren't in regular production any longer. Sniff...
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Impressed -- I love this forum. Thanks for the pointers, most informative. I love that headstock on the Special, it's the one part of my Custom that I don't care for, looks wise.
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how is the schaller pu mounted ....... how does it float ?
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It floats and is mounted to the finger rest and a small hole in body just big enough for the pickup wire to run the to the controls. Originally Posted by pingu
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They can be found for really good prices considering the quality of the guitar. The store manger where I ordered it said the Hofner's just don't sell that well so used prices tend to be good. I think this guitar is going to quence my thirst for a Gibson L5 especially since all the L5's I've found lately are around $8000+. Originally Posted by ooglybong
Agreed! Besides the comfort level afforded by the unique body design (and those two extra frets clear of the body), what your buddy might have been enjoying was the fact that the Jazzica's neck is a very, very subtle asymmetrical carve...
I'm always sad and surprised when I remember that these great guitars aren't in regular production any longer. Sniff...
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Wow. I saw the batsignal. I feel the love.
A few notes:
- The Jazzica is not in the current Hofner catalogue, but that doesn't mean it's gone forever.
- The nomenclature is not that big a deal - as noted above the instrument went through a few changes and settled into a relatively standard set of specs by @2000-2001.
- The reason the headstock was changed was to standardize the headstocks on all of the German-made guitars - the Jazzica, the New President, The Verythins and subsequently the Chancellor. The recommendation was based on the fact that Hofner jazz guitars are not that well known to jazz guitar buyers, so expressions of the brand should be consistent.
A few comments about the specs listed above:
- Top: European Spruce - solid, bookmatched, carved
- Back and Sides: Tiger Flame Maple - actually flamed Anigree which is not maple, but is sometimes called "African Maple". Laminated.
- Scale: 25 1/4" - well, somewhere between that and 25 1/2"
- Nut Width: 1 11/16" - theoretically 1 3/4" but they vary between 1 11/16" and 1 3/4"
- Neck Material: Solid Maple - one piece with typical European details - separate glued-on heel. A one-piece maple veneer was added to the back of the headstock @2004 to hide the headstock "wings". Very subtle asymmetrical neck carve.
- Bracing: Bar Braced - actually, one longitudinal bar on the bass side - no bar of the treble side
- Headstock Inlay: Hofner Logo and Floral Inlay - "lilies of the valley" replaced the "double dagger" inlay @2000/2001
- Body Binding: 6 ply bound - one ply on the back - usually with a white outer layer. A few of the last ones were done with black binding
- Fretboard Binding: "6 ply bound" - not quite - one ply if it's white, two ply if it's black
- Headstock Binding: "6 ply bound" - one ply if it's white, two ply if it's black
- Body Depth: 2 1/4"-4 1/2" - slight variations exist, interestingly enough
- Contoured Jazzica soundhole plugs - made of ebony and foam-
- Ebony tailpiece and finger rest - the tailpiece is an ebony cap over a metal tailpiece
[/QUOTE]
Finishes and colours:
- The original Jazzicas were available in trans-red and trans-green.
- There have been sightings of black as well.
- Natural finish was introduced as well.
- By @2000, when the model was close to its final version, natural was the default finish, and sunburst was added as an option. A few black ones were made as well.
- Violin finishes (shellac) were introduced on a limited basis and in a few different runs, each of which were slightly different: some were more antiqued, some weren't. Some were darkburst, some were lighter brown.
- Black binding was introduced at one point on a few instruments to complement the violin finish. A handful of instruments with black binding got natural finishes.
- A couple of fun finishes were done, such as bright yellow/black binding.Last edited by Hammertone; 08-13-2019 at 08:26 PM.
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All I know is the more I play it the more in love with Hofner guitars I'm becoming.
Plugged in sounds good, but think going up a guage will help and also I think the top will respond better with heavier strings. At this point like the roundwounds on it, so think I'll still to roundwounds for now. I raised the bridge just a little and the buzz I was getting went away so that issue solved.
Lovin' me some Hofner!!!
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