Hofner Chancellor, Jazzica, President, Verythin, Club Bass Brochure

Guitars & Ba sses

– since 1887 –

Karl Höfner GmbH & Co. KG
Egerlandstr. 38
91083 Baiersdorf-Hagenau
Germany
Tel. [phone]
Fax +49 (0 ) 9133-7758-58
[e-mail]
www.hofner.com

Guitars & Ba sses

– since 1887 –

Höfner

Electric Guitars

& Basses

Chancellor

Jazzica

President

Verythin

Club Bass

Violin Basses

Höfner specialist dealer:

Master violin maker Karl Höfner founded his own stringed and fretted instrument

company in Schönbach, Germany in 1887. With a reputation for quality,

craftsmanship and innovation, Höfner soon became the largest manufacturer

of stringed and fretted instruments in Germany. Thus, in 1907 Karl Höfner was

entrusted with the repair of the King of Saxony’s violin, and the master performed

his job to the full satisfaction of his client.

When his two sons, Josef and Walter, joined their father's company in 1919

and 1921 respectively, acoustic guitars already represented a significant part

of Höfner’s instrument production. In a market dominated by inexpensive

student guitars during the 1920s and 1930s, Höfner guitars were already

establishing new standards and the company capitalized on that leadership

during the decades that followed.

The product range of Höfner is extensive and not only limited to string instruments

and acoustic guitars. Höfner has built excellent electric guitars since the 1950’s.

Höfner hollowbodies graced the clubs and concert halls of Europe’s post-war

jazz scene, and Höfner solidbodies and basses were among the instruments

that ignited the musical imaginations of many who would later launch the

”British Invasion.”

In 1955 Walter Höfner, a creative businessman as well as a violin and guitar

maker, invented an electrically amplified semi-acoustic bass. The distinctive

500/1 bass was launched at the 1956 Frankfurt Music Fair and subsequently

rose to fame under a different name. In 1961 Paul McCartney bought his first

Höfner bass in a music shop in Hamburg. Paul’s ‘Beatle Bass’ can be heard

on many of the Beatles‘ most famous songs and still accompanies him on

stage and in the studio to this day.

A new chapter in Höfner history began in 1997 when the company moved to

a new production facility near the village of Hagenau. Millions of Euros have

since been invested in state-of-the-art, environmentally-friendly production

technologies. Today, Höfner continues to build fine quality, hand-crafted hollow-

body and bass guitars for new generations of players and collectors.

Guitars & Basses

– since 1887 –

Karl Höfner,
founder of the company

A major asset of Höfner is the large
selection of naturally air-dried and
seasoned tonewood.

The traditional way of binding the body

Guitar production around 1965

500/1 (1956)

Golden Höfner (1960)

Committee (1959)

President (1956)

The free-floating Höfner
jazz guitar pick-up is
attached to the end of the
fingerboard, thus enabling
the guitar top to resonate
freely all the way up to the
neck joint. The pick-up is
mounted in a special
surround which offers
height adjustment for the
pick-up as a whole and,
thanks to the individual
pole-pieces, separate
volume adjustment for
each string.

Chancellor

The Chancellor is the new flagship of Höfner’s jazz guitar

range. Our Master luthiers have put all their years of

experience and craftsmanship into creating this gem. With

its 17“ body width the Chancellor carries on where the

legendary ‘Golden Höfner’ of the 60s left off. Furthermore,

thanks to its sophisticated construction, it meets all the

demands of today’s professional guitarists – and yet

remains timeless.

Only the finest tonewoods, which are naturally air-

dried and seasoned for many years, are selected.

We use narrow-grained German spruce for the all-

solid top and European flamed maple for the fully-

solid back and sides.

Each top and back is individually graduated and hand-

carved.

Guitars & Basses

– since 1887 –

5

Hand-carving a Chancellor top

Durable yet light in weight, Höfner’s

hardshell cases are rigidly constructed with

five layers of wood and provide a secure

yet very portable environment for storing

your guitar.

Chancellor with natural finish

Chancellor with violin varnish

See page 14 for specifications.

Like the guitars they protect, Höfner’s

hardshell cases are carefully crafted to

ensure a snug fit and to minimize random

movement.