Help identify Höfner

[mickr]

My son is looking for a Höfner Jazzguitar/club and has been offered this one. I can´t seem to get a lock on which model we are dealing with. Toaster pick up indicates 1960/61. Can you guys help?

[Pukka-J]

Looks a lot like my 456. But no binding? 455? It seems to have an adjustable trussrod, which seems to date it '60, '61, like you said.

Here is mine:

[mickr]

What really puzzles me is the extra chicken head knob. Wonder what it does? The seller dos not know a whole lot about guitars. What do you guys reckon would be a fair prize? The seller did inform me that the neck appears to have been glued on after it came off!

[Hammertone]

1960 Hofner 456/S/T1.

Slim possibility of 1961, but I don't think so.
The date should be hand-written on the underside of the top.
The 250K volume pot on the control panel has a code stamped into its underside as well, that is easy to read and will indicate the week and year.
S means cutaway.
T1 (as opposed to E1) means one pickup, special tone circuit (requiring the chicken-head knob) that doesn't mean much.
Cool guitar.

[Pukka-J]

Hammertone, how about the lack of binding?

[Hammertone]

Lack of binding where?

[mickr]

Thx guys for your help. It looks a lot like this one: http://www.vintagehofner.co.uk/galle...s3/arch22.html but the tail piece is different.

I don't get the issue with bindings and, because I'm simply stupid, I'm also puzzled about the battery-part.

[Hammertone]

Hofner used the fancier tailpiece on the 457 series and the simpler tailpiece on the 449/450/455/456, although plenty of 456 models have come up with the simpler tailpiece as well. And I don't see any missing binding.

It's hard to comment further about this particular guitar without pix of the
- rims near the tailpiece,
- back of the guitar

[mickr]

We will go check it out Sunday, and I get it now: http://www.vintagehofner.co.uk/factf...ectronics.html It's active/high output with a standard 1.5 volt battery fitted right?

My son and his mate (they are 14) sometimes work the streets in our town, playing through old transistor radios from the sixties. He could definitely use a "clean boost".

I have to say, I'm pretty excited about this one So what do I look for when we go check it out - any pitfalls? And what would be a fair price? The seller did mention something about the neck being glued on?

GASing on my son's behalf, how weird is that?

Thx again for all your help, I promise to keep you posted!

[Pukka-J]

Damn you small smartphone screen. My laptop does show the binding I thought was missing.

To the OP: great guitar! I really love mine. Acoustically loud as hell too! Very resonant body.

[mickr]

We bought it. Here are some pics:


Had to use flash so there is a lot of flare. She looks a lot better irl


If someone has a matching knob lying around I would like to buy it.


Original tail piece? No response from volume knob. The rhythm/solo switch seems to work. It gets louder in solo-mode.


Mojo. Pup works, and sounds fine!


More mojo


She is a fat bottomed girl and we are loving her. And don't worry it's just more flare from the flash.


Bad mojo. Neck has been glued on by some random carpenter it seems.


Other side.


Needs a new inlay


Could be worse I guess, but it doesn't really play well after the 13th. fret.


I was a bit worried about what might be lurking behind this one...


Phew - empty


Wonder if it's ever been mounted? Which type of battery would fit here?


Stick of gum from the sixties found rattling inside.

So my son and I went round and showed it to some shops in our city (Aarhus, Denmark) yesterday and to say the least the techs were of different opinions: One guitar tech cuddled it, played it for a long time, offered to buy it from us, then cuddled it some more, offered to buy it again, before he gave his verdict: Totally fixable, no need to remount neck, minor adjustments and we would be flying. Some other tech in a different shop tried to persuade us into paying 1500 Euro to get it fixed, otherwise he said, we might as well just bin it!

Today I met with a retired guitar tech. He inspected it for a long time, then hooked it up to a nice tube-amp and played it even longer. His verdict: easy to make totally playable, electronics can be fixed. Neck only needs slight adjustments, and then he showed me the Camel bone he would cut a new inlay from. We agreed on a price of about 200 Euro for this and a slight cosmetic overhaul. Sounds ok to me.

I am still not sure which model we are dealing with?

[Hammertone]

I am still not sure which model we are dealing with?

Read post #4 several times.

[mickr]

Hammertone: I can't seem to find a 456 that is an exact match.

[Hammertone]

Identifying old Hofners is easy. The guitar can't be anything else. The "rules" are simple. It is what it is.

Keep looking. And check the underside of the top for the date. And lift the control panel for the date code on the volume pot.

I would like to point out the most important feature of the instrument: note how the centerseam of the laminate on the top plate is nowhere near the center axis of the guitar. Hofner used to provide free beer to its workers at lunch.

[Philip Goeth]

I find this one quite remarkable, given the battery and the chicken switch active electronics. I have heard about it, but have not seen this model before. Would you mind sharing what you paid for it?

[mickr]

We got it for roughly 300 Euro. And I expect we are going to have to spend about the same amount on getting it fixed.

[Philip Goeth]

Congratulations, thats a good price. I have a similar one, but she has no active electronics...

[mickr]

Looks very nice

[Hammertone]

Philip's guitar looks like a Model 457/S/E2 @1962-1964.
Note the spruce top - most likely laminated, but possibly solid.
Note the Novasonic "super" pickups (which are Hofner's first humbucking pickups, made for them by Franz Pix).

[mickr]

The guy working on it is having a hard time finding the right schematics for it. Can some one tell me if this is right? http://www.vintagehofner.co.uk/wire/active/preamp.html

[Phil in London]

Hammertone, thanks for letting me know. I recently got it back from my tech, 5 new frets, frets smoothened, a new knob, and some maintenance. Its a wonderful flatline, with great acoustic sound, in my hands every day.

[Hammertone]

Flatline? Do you mean "thinline"?
If it's a thinline, then it's a 4570/S/E2 as opposed to a 457/S/E2.
Also, I see a label in there - Hofner rarely put labels in its archtops, exept for the Selmer import models.
What does the label say?

[Phil in London]

sorry, silly me, thinline.
Yes, there is a label, but its from an old music shop in Hamburg. Looks kind of cute, but has nothing to do with Höfner.

[AlainJazz]

That guitar looks really really sweet. Congratulations.

[Phil in London]

Thanks Alain :-) London is vintage Hofner/Selmer-Land, there are some for sale here every month, for very little money. Its a steal, compared to vintage Gibsons.

Here is the label -Musik Müller ;-)