Reduced! Hopf 319SL Bill Haley Rhythm Model - A Rare Vintage Archtop!

**Atomic** · 02-21-2025, 08:38 PM

Time to rock around the clock! From the collection, comes a rare and lovely vintage German made archtop. Not often seen, the Hopf 319 SL —or "Bill Haley Rhythm" model, is a finely built acoustic archtop. It was made for Hopf by the highly skilled luthier Gustav Glassl —one of the more notable instrument builders in early post-war era West Germany.

Hopf referred to the model as the “Bill Haley Rhythm”, owing to the fact that Haley is said to have preferred the guitar over his beloved Super 400, which he officially endorsed at the time, or so the story goes. Hopf wisely seized the opportunity to gain some exposure through a well known American artist. Hence, the unusual catalogue cover photo showing Haley cheerfully holding … you guessed it, a 319SL. No doubt the photo was taken during the Comets’ 1957-1958 European tours. I acquired the guitar from the publisher of Gitarre & Bass magazine, and had it shipped here from Germany about 10 years ago.

The body sports a uniquely exaggerated (solid, carved) spruce top plate. Great skill is evident in its masterfully chiseled recurve. At a little over 17-1/2” wide (17-10/16”), it delivers good projection, with a clean, crisp (airy?) tone. Note the checkered (rope) top binding and biomorphic tailpiece!

The 319SL model came stock with a DeArmond 1000 Rhythm Chief pickup and monkey-on-a-stick mounting system. The underside of the pickguard has a clever slot/channel designed to accommodate the tab of a DeArmond.

The guitar has a straight neck with a nice low action. The neck is quite comfortable to play, with its flattened-U profile so typical of many german-made guitars of the period. The original black nitro plastic nut (sealed in a baggie) is included. It has been replaced with an exact replica made of ebony. The guitar is crack free and in excellent plus condition. There are 3 very short sections where the celluloid tortoiseshell binding has crystallized a bit.

Specs on the guitar are as follows…

Rim depth = 3-3/16”
Lower bout width = 17-10/16”
Scale length = 25-1/2”
Nut width = 1-11/16”
Relief at 7th fret = 0.010” (tuned to A-440 with TI 12-52 Jazz Swing string set)
Action at 12th fret (fret crown to bottom of both high and low E strings) = 2/32”

If the obvious must be stated… this hand-built guitar possesses top-quality, exceptional workmanship and employs fine old-growth european tone wood; an outstanding price for what you get.

The original light green tweed, contoured archtop case is included! It has nice little touches, like the small brass thumb grip to lift the case lid, and the lid interior is outlined with contrasting white rope piping.

Please note: The Hopf Catalogue cover page seen in the images is not included in the sale, and for reference purposes only. The instrument is pictured with new photos, although I am including a few of the older photos to demonstrate the guitar with DeArmond mounted, full back image and some of the cool green tweed case. Note the different camera imaging systems and colour balances. The newer pics better represent the actual colour.

$2,500 (without DeArmond) or $2,900 (with DeArmond) plus shipping. Reduced! Hopf 319SL Bill Haley Rhythm Model - A Rare Vintage Archtop!-img_4397-jpg

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**Atomic** · 02-21-2025, 08:43 PM

More images…

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**cmajor9** · 03-02-2025, 11:56 AM

Not meaning to derail the sale thread, but I have a 'little sister' of Atomic's guitar, a Hopf 319S. Its a 16 x 2-3/4" archtop, light as a feather, with a great acoustic sound, and a neck that's a pleasure to play. As with the 319SL, the body is made by respected luthier Gustav Glassl. The whole guitar is built to a very high standard, just as the SL. I add a few photos showing the similarities and differences:

Reduced! Hopf 319SL Bill Haley Rhythm Model - A Rare Vintage Archtop!-bea235cb-4340-4013-934a-b333e8b79f53-jpeg

Reduced! Hopf 319SL Bill Haley Rhythm Model - A Rare Vintage Archtop!-bea235cb-4340-4013-934a-b333e8b79f53-jpeg

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**Atomic** · 03-02-2025, 03:34 PM

Thanks for the bump cmajor9! I don’t think of your post as derailing the listing, as much as informing other members about the existence of these very fine guitars, and its maker. If it’s a derailment, it’s certainly a welcome derailment!

Your 319S is quite interesting -and lovely too of course. Considering these guitars weren’t really factory built, it’s interesting to see a number of options available within the product line up, such as it was.