bubinga5 Posted June 6, 2019 Share Posted June 6, 2019 The reason i ask here is because i cant seem to post in the Guitar section. My cousin has a Hofner president. Shes after dates and a valuation.? Anyone.? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul_5 Posted June 6, 2019 Share Posted June 6, 2019 Oh my god!! That’s beautiful!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted June 6, 2019 Share Posted June 6, 2019 @Happy Jack Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyTravis Posted June 6, 2019 Share Posted June 6, 2019 I’m not great with hofner. I’ll say 1958-60 and about £800-£1000 probably hugely out. they go between £300 and £600 when a bit roughed up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyTravis Posted June 6, 2019 Share Posted June 6, 2019 https://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/Vintage-1960-Hofner-President-Brunette-Acoustic-Archtop-Hollow-Body-Guitar-371/233098173029?ul_ref=http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/710-53481-19255-0/1?ff3=2&toolid=10040&campid=5338490939&customid=Cj0KEQjw8-LnBRCyxtfMl-Cbu48BEiQA6eUMGktuFgr3juE3rizzoz3Eh3R3s6ytiS9TjKRYWR0KO2EaArvY8P8HAQ&lgeo=0&vectorid=229508&item=233098173029&srcrot=710-53481-19255-0&rvr_id=1998153083287&rvr_ts=2e190f1016b0a9c45417e08cffefd20e&_mwBanner=1&_rdt=1&ul_noapp=true&pageci=61a5b926-fa84-42e0-8693-cd87238722bc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyTravis Posted June 6, 2019 Share Posted June 6, 2019 I’m good at guessing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Blank Posted June 6, 2019 Share Posted June 6, 2019 Oh lord that’s a real beauty... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaggy Posted June 6, 2019 Share Posted June 6, 2019 Happy Jack is yer man for this All I know is the President was the top line model for both guitar and bass, and they don't seem to be worth as much as you think they should be (compared to Gibsons, Guilds etc) Lovely looker Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deedee Posted June 7, 2019 Share Posted June 7, 2019 (edited) The President wasn’t the top-line of their big bodied arched tops, that was the Committee or ultimately the far rarer Golden Hofner. I still have a couple of Hofner six strings and I also owned a President acoustic very similar to this one for many years (blond, same trapeze tailpiece etc). The presence of a trussrod tells you it’s 1960 onwards. The serial number suggests it’s 1963. Beautiful guitars once you get the intonation nailed. Mine was in similar condition and sold a couple of years back for around £450 iirc, although mine didn’t have the original Selmer case so yours should go for a little more. Link to a Hofner dating site here (not in a First Dates stylie you understand) 😁 http://www.vintagehofner.co.uk/ramsay/date.htm Edited June 7, 2019 by Deedee 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Jack Posted June 7, 2019 Share Posted June 7, 2019 Deedee has everything you'll need on this one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahpook Posted June 7, 2019 Share Posted June 7, 2019 8 hours ago, Deedee said: Link to a Hofner dating site here (not in a First Dates stylie you understand) 😁 http://www.vintagehofner.co.uk/ramsay/date.htm Thanks for posting that - I have my grandad's Hofner Senator and didn't know how old it was. It's no 2809 so that makes it 1956, nice to know. He gave it to me when his arthritis got too bad for him to play, but he used to sing to me and my sister when we were little and it's one of my most cherished possessions. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deedee Posted June 7, 2019 Share Posted June 7, 2019 That Senator looks in beautiful condition. With regards to dating Hofners generally, using the number alone is not an exact science. Often you need to look at several things along with the number to establish the date e.g. pickup type, headstock inlay, trussrod or not, type of tailpiece etc. 'The Hofner Guitar - A History' is a great book by Gordon Giltrap & Neville Marten and a must for lovers of the brand. It covers trying to date the instruments along with info on each model and interviews with famous users. I have a copy from when it was first published in 1993 but as per the link below it has since been updated and republished. https://www.giltrap.co.uk/cds/f/Related_Books_/1013 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickeyboro Posted June 7, 2019 Share Posted June 7, 2019 38 minutes ago, Deedee said: That Senator looks in beautiful condition. With regards to dating Hofners generally, using the number alone is not an exact science. Often you need to look at several things along with the number to establish the date e.g. pickup type, headstock inlay, trussrod or not, type of tailpiece etc. 'The Hofner Guitar - A History' is a great book by Gordon Giltrap & Neville Marten and a must for lovers of the brand. It covers trying to date the instruments along with info on each model and interviews with famous users. I have a copy from when it was first published in 1993 but as per the link below it has since been updated and republished. https://www.giltrap.co.uk/cds/f/Related_Books_/1013 I have a copy of this which I will happily send to anyone willing to put a fiver in the next Macmillan collecting tin they see... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jono Bolton Posted June 7, 2019 Share Posted June 7, 2019 A guy who used to come into our school to teach guitar had a Hofner Senator, and I've wanted one ever since. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Jack Posted June 7, 2019 Share Posted June 7, 2019 4 hours ago, Deedee said: 'The Hofner Guitar - A History' is a great book by Gordon Giltrap & Neville Marten and a must for lovers of the brand. It covers trying to date the instruments along with info on each model and interviews with famous users. I have a copy from when it was first published in 1993 but as per the link below it has since been updated and republished. https://www.giltrap.co.uk/cds/f/Related_Books_/1013 That's not a bad reference, but I much prefer Michael Naglav's book Hofner Guitars Made In Germany. The text is in German, but much of it carries an English translation on the same page. There's a matching volume that has a wider field, Schnepel & Lemme's Elektro-Gitarren Made In Germany. Again, the text is in German, but the book comes with an accompanying booklet with the complete English translation. In each case, what makes these books so useful is the [cliche alert] German thoroughness with which they have been researched [/cliche alert] and the very detailed photographs. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoffbyrne Posted June 9, 2019 Share Posted June 9, 2019 We really need to see a side pic of the heel to see if the 'Hofner heel split' has hit this one - due to the cantilever design of the bottom of the neck & the fact that the stress ran along the grain of the heel. The majority of old Hofners I have seen have had this repair. Repaired properly it affects nothing. G. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.