Maker
Hofner
German instrument maker
Hofner is a German maker of stringed and other instruments founded in 1887, best known for the violin-shaped 'Beatle bass' and a range of archtop and acoustic guitars.
Models
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Höfner Club 40
Electric guitar
A small, thin hollow-body electric guitar made by the German maker Höfner from the mid-1950s, built without soundholes. The Club series (Club 40, 50 and 60) was popular with British players in the early 1960s; John Lennon's first electric guitar was a Höfner Club 40 he bought in Liverpool in 1959.
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Hofner 500/1
Electric bass
The famous "violin bass," a hollow, violin-shaped electric bass made by the German maker Hofner. Lightweight and short-scaled with a warm, thumpy tone, it is inseparable from Paul McCartney, who has played one throughout his career.
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Höfner Verythin
Electric guitar
A very thin twin-cutaway semi-hollow electric guitar made by the German maker Höfner. The original Verithin debuted in 1960 with a body depth of about 1.5 inches; the modern Verythin (revived in 2000, renamed for trademark reasons) adds a solid centre block making it a true semi-acoustic. Known for its slim body and pair of pickups.
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Höfner Galaxie
Electric guitar
A solid-body electric guitar made by the German maker Höfner in the 1960s. Following Höfner's earlier V-series and Colorama solidbodies, the Galaxie sold well to aspiring electric players of the decade and is now a sought-after vintage piece.
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Höfner 500/2 Club Bass
Electric bass
A short-scale hollow-body electric bass made by the German maker Höfner, a single-cutaway sibling of the famous 500/1 violin bass. Introduced in the late 1950s, the 500/2 Club Bass shares the violin bass's light hollow body and warm, thumpy short-scale tone and is associated with the early-1960s Beatles/Hamburg era. Höfner continues to offer Club Bass reissues.
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Höfner President
Electric guitar
A hollow-body archtop electric guitar made by the German maker Höfner, produced from the mid-1950s into the early 1970s. One of Höfner's best-known vintage electrics, it was offered in full-depth and thinline bodies and in non-cutaway and Florentine-cutaway forms, with pickups that evolved across the production run. George Harrison played a Höfner President early in his time with The Beatles.
Categories
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Electric Basses
Electric bass guitars and related model families.
Representative model
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Hofner 500/1
Electric bass
The famous "violin bass," a hollow, violin-shaped electric bass made by the German maker Hofner. Lightweight and short-scaled with a warm, thumpy tone, it is inseparable from Paul McCartney, who has played one throughout his career.