VISITORS'
GALLERY
The page where other people's Hofners are featured.
4B: FLAT TOP &
CLASSICAL
GUITARS - EUROPEAN & US MARKET MODELS

Harry
Sianian's Hofner Model 495/S Acoustic Guitar.
The
following picture-sets of Hofner flattop guitars have been sent to me
over the
years by their owners. This has allowed me to present a much greater
range of models and vintages than encompassed by my own
collection on the website, and maybe this will help other visitors to
the site to identify and date their own Hofner.
Click on the underlined heading
for each guitar to view the
photographs of that particular example.
EUROPEAN
& US MARKET GUITARS
6-STRING
"CLASSIC" ACOUSTIC GUITARS:
Hofner advertised their budget flattop
range as "Classic Guitars for Beginners" in the 1970's. These were a
mixture of steel strung and nylon strung models, some having a more
classical guitar appearance than others.
- HOFNER
MODEL 509 "CLASSIC" ACOUSTIC GUITAR
The Model 509 was at the more basic end of the range and was
fitted with steel strings. It had a solid spruce top with laminated
sides and slightly arched back, but no body binding. The small body
lower bout measurement was 13½". This lovely example is
owned by Franck Raimundo in France.
- HOFNER MODEL 512
ACOUSTIC GUITAR
Again, a very basic guitar with painted binding to the body and
soundhole. This
model seem to have varied in specification over the years - sometimes
it had a laminated body
top, sometimes a solid spruce top. Also, it was shown in the catalogue
at various times fitted with either nylon or steel strings. Owned by
Joachim Herl in Germany.
- HOFNER
MODEL 5121 "CLASSIC" ACOUSTIC GUITAR
By the 1970's the 512 seems to have developed into the 5120
and 5121 models. These were nylon-strung guitars with a solid spruce
top and a decal-type soundhol;e rosette. The 5121 had a polished gloss
finish with a light brown stained top, whereas the 5120 had a mat
finish and natural un-tinted top. Only the top of the body was bound.
This lovely example is owned by Donnie Martinez.
- HOFNER MODEL
513 "CLASSIC" ACOUSTIC GUITAR
A little higher up in the budget acoustics range, this little guitar
had a solid spruce top with laminated maple back and sides. It also
sported a modest soundhole decoration which was carved into the top. As
appears common with the budget "Classics", the guitar was designed to
use steel strings, although certain Hofner catalogues describe the
guitar as being nylon strung. The 513 had a lower bout measurement of
13½", but a larger bodied version with a lower bout of 14"
was also produced called the 513G model. This example is owned by
Christopher in Madrid, Spain.
- HOFNER MODEL
517 "CLASSIC" ACOUSTIC GUITAR
I am fairly sure that this a 517, but confirmation of that would be
appreciated! Solid spruce top, flame maple back and sides, and
"herring-bone" purfling around the body top and soundhole. No binding
to the back of the body though. (!) This example is owned by Tim in
Belgium.
- HOFNER
MODEL 522 "CLASSIC" ACOUSTIC GUITAR
Also one of the "Classic Guitars for Beginners" range. This
steel-strung guitar is easily identified by its trapeze tailpiece and
screwed-on scratchplate. All body timbers were laminated maple. During
the 1970's, there was actually a nylon-strung version called the Model
522a, with a conventional glued-on classical bridge tailpiece. Owned by
Richard Arnold.
- HOFNER
MODEL 4830 "CLASSIC" ACOUSTIC GUITAR
This model was at the top of Hofner's "Classic Guitars for
Beginners" range in the 1970's. It had a solid spruce top and nicely
flamed maple back and sides. Binding was only applied around the top
edge of the body however. Owned by Bryan Hackett of Yorkshire, England.
6-STRING ACOUSTIC GUITARS
Hofner's mid to top-end
steel-strung acoustics.
- HOFNER
MODEL 486 ACOUSTIC GUITAR
A beautiful old flat topped guitar, made in the classical style but
with steel strings and a tailpiece! Owned by Gord Fisher. The
alternative Model 486a was nylon strung and fitted with a classical
guitar style bridge and no scratchplate.
- 1970's
HOFNER MODEL 489 "WESTERN" GUITAR
Hofner's budget flattop through the 1970's. Solid spruce top, with
modestly flamed maple back and sides.
- 1970 HOFNER MODEL
489 "WESTERN" GUITAR
A flattop with solid spruce top and a flame maple back. This particular
guitar has had a De Armond pickup fitted to its soundhole. It is also
finished in sunburst, which is very unusual for a 489. Owned by Mark in
Canada.
- 1970's
HOFNER MODEL 4890 "WESTERN" GUITAR
The 4890 model was the slightly deluxe version of the 489. It had a
more ornate soundhole rosette and the maple back and sides was stained
a darker colour. This example is owned by Bernhard Zubragel of Germany.
- 1966
HOFNER MODEL 491 "WESTERN" GUITAR
A good quality spruce/mahogany flattop, acting as Hofner's answer to
the Gibson J45. This one's a brunette, but blonde top finishes were
also available for a few more marks/dollars. Owned by Soren Koch in
Copenhagen, Denmark.
- 1967
HOFNER MODEL 491 "WESTERN" GUITAR
A nice example of a mid 1960's Hofner 491, owned by Lennox Killner.
This guitar has been played by three generations of the Killner
family..
- 1970
HOFNER MODEL 491 "WESTERN" GUITAR
Another brunette 491, but this one is a little later than the last with
a more ornate rosette, improved bridge, and enclosed machine-heads.
Owned by Eric Miller in California, USA
- Early
1970's HOFNER MODEL 491E "WESTERN" GUITAR
A left handed 491, factory fitted with a soundhole pickup and
body-top-mounted controls. Owned by Charles Broschart in the USA.
- Mid/Late
1970's HOFNER MODEL 491 ACOUSTIC GUITAR
A later, and maybe more typical example of the Hofner 491. Owned by
Bernhard Zubragel in Germany.
- Mid
1950's HOFNER MODEL 495/S ACOUSTIC CUTAWAY GUITAR
An unusual guitar. Good quality with solid spruce top and mahogany
back/sides. Beautiful headstock inlays, a five-piece neck, and...a body
cutaway. This particular guitar is steel-strung, although Hofner
originally intended it to be nylon strung, hence the classical style
bridge/tailpiece. A non-cutaway version was also produced. Owned by
Philippe in the South of France.
- Mid 1950's HOFNER MODEL
495/S ACOUSTIC CUTAWAY GUITAR
Another nice example of the 495/S. Harry Sinanian of Queensland,
Australia has supplied some excellent detail photos of his guitar.
- Mid 1950's HOFNER MODEL
495/S ACOUSTIC CUTAWAY GUITAR
This version of the 495 has a "pin-type" bridge for steel strings.
Seems like Hofner made versions for both steel and nylon stringing. The
guitar has also been signed by Pat
Halcox, and Chris Slaughter, both well respected Jazz players back in
the
1950's. Owned by Hans Stamer (R&B Allstars; Hans
Stamer Band; Stamer & Schuld; Long John Baldry; etc).
- Late 1950's HOFNER MODEL
495 ACOUSTIC GUITAR
This 495 is the version without the body cutaway. Because the headstock
has the bold Hofner logo but no-truss rod, I would guess that it was
made between about 1957 and 1959. Owned by Johann Frisch in Bavaria,
Germany.
- 1964/65
HOFNER MODEL 495/S ACOUSTIC GUITAR
It would seem that around 1964, Hofner were using a method of bolting
the neck to the body horizontally through an un-glued joint. This
technique is illustrated in the photos of this particular example. Many
thanks to Hans Peter Müller of Germany for showing us this
feature on his guitar.
- 1964/65
HOFNER MODEL 495/S ACOUSTIC GUITAR
Another fine example of the 495/S, owned by Dan Nicholson in London, UK.
- Late
1950's HOFNER MODEL 496 ACOUSTIC GUITAR
I believe that this guitar is an early version of the 496 model. It
does not have the fancy pickguard or the purfling at the bottom of the
body top of later examples, but otherwise all the usual features are
there - gold plated tuners with elaborate buttons, ebony fingerboard
with "arrow-head" fret markers, and superb body timbers. This very
beautiful old guitar is owned by Russ Parker in Derbyshire,
England.
- 1964
HOFNER MODEL 496 "WESTERN" GUITAR
Top of the range flattop from Hofner during the 1960s and 70s. Heavily
encrusted in mother of pearl inlays, flamed maple and ebony. This one
is the cutaway body version, owned by Ramsey McKinnon up there in
Scotland.
- 1960's
HOFNER MODEL 496 "WESTERN" GUITAR
A non-cutaway Model 496 this time, owned by Mike Kennedy in
Pennsylvania, USA.
- HOFNER
MODEL 496 "WESTERN" GUITAR
A lovely example of Hofner's prestige flattop, owned by Jean-Marie
Lavall of Paris, France.
- 1975
HOFNER MODEL 496 ACOUSTIC GUITAR
Another example of Hofner's premier flattop from the 1960's and 70's.
Owned by Greg Feo in California, USA.
- 1974
HOFNER MODEL 496 ACOUSTIC GUITAR
I'm fairly sure that this is a 496, despite the fact that the fret
markers and headstock inlays are not quite the same as every other 496
I have seen. It does have the beautiful spruce/flame maple inlayed
body, the mother of pearl, and the gold plating though. Owned by Tom
Dees of Tennessee, USA.
- 1980's
HOFNER MODEL 4914 ACOUSTIC GUITAR
I'm not 100% confident that this guitar is a Model 4914 (??), but it is
a beauty! The rosewood back/sides look superb, and the guitar is
obviously of a high quality. Owned by Sascha in Germany.
- 1983 HOFNER MODEL HA-43
ACOUSTIC GUITAR
In the early 1980's, Hofner introduced their "HA" series of
acoustic flattops which superseded the previous long-running "4--"
series acoustics. The HA-43 cutaway was the top of the new range, and
featured a spruce/rosewood body, maple neck, and ebony fingerboard. It
was offered with piezo electrics as a factory option, as on this
guitar, owned by Bernhard Zubragel.
- THE
HOFNER "DOVE" ACOUSTIC GUITAR
No prizes for guessing where Hofner got their idea for this one! Some
12-string verions of this Gibson-look-a-like also exist.
- c1990
HOFNER CHRYSALIS ELECTRIC-ACOUSTIC GUITAR
A flattop guitar fitted with a piezo pickup, that was produced for a
short time between 1989 and 1991. Apparently only fifty of these
guitars were ever made. It features an eliptical sound hole and slotted
headstock, with a heavily tapered body depth. I assume that it was
Hofner's up-to-date version of the old "gypsy-jazz" Selmer Maccaferrri
guitars. It looks absolutely gorgeous though with a stunning black/red
sunburst finish. Apparently a deluxe version was also produced called
the Chysalis Special. Owned by
Bob
Cocozza in Florida, USA.
12-STRING ACOUSTIC GUITARS:
- 1970 HOFNER MODEL
490 12-STRING GUITAR
A nice original example of Hofner's base model 12 string guitar. Spruce
top and blonde flame maple sides. Owned by Michael Trowbridge.
- c1970
HOFNER MODEL 490 12-STRING GUITAR
This guitar displays the un-stained maple back and modest body binding
of the 490, but has a fairly elaborate soundhole decoration. Owned by
Bernhard Zubragel in Germany.
- 1972
HOFNER MODEL 490 12-STRING GUITAR
A sunburst example of the 490, which is fairly unusual. Most 490's are
a natural finish. Owned by Franck Raimundo in France.
- 1973
HOFNER MODEL 490 12-STRING GUITAR
A nice original example of the 490, owned by Michael Bonnevie in
Denmark.
- 1970's
HOFNER MODEL 490M 12 STRING GUITAR
Hofner's budget 12 string, the 490, was supplied with either a
"polished" gloss finish, or matt. This is the matt version, and it's
owned by William Schart of Texas, USA.
- MID
60'S HOFNER MODEL 492 12-STRING GUITAR
A 492 fitted with a very unusual "T"-shaped bridge/tailpiece. Has
anyone ever seen anything similar? Was this bridge factory fitted? An
interesting guitar owned by Brian Penikas of the USA.
- 1966 HOFNER MODEL 492
12-STRING GUITAR
A fine example of an early Hofner 492, with its spruce
top and mahogany
back & sides. Gary Scourtas, of Massachusetts USA, describes
the guitar's recent history.
- 1966 HOFNER MODEL
492 "WESTERN" 12 STRING GUITAR
........and a brunette finish 492, owned by Ola Paulson of Sweden.
- LATE
60s/EARLY 70's HOFNER MODEL 492E ELECTRO-ACOUSTIC 12 STRING GUITAR
Another 492, but this time an electric! The pickup is built into the
end of the fretboard. Owned by Barry Garvin of Ontario, Canada.
- 1977
HOFNER MODEL 492 "WESTERN" 12 STRING GUITAR
Solid spruce top and mahogany back/sides. A large number of these
"Western" guitars seem to have been sold in the US during the 1970's.
This one is owned by Frank Rokob of the USA.
- 1972
HOFNER MODEL 499 12 STRING GUITAR
Top of the range model with spruce top and rosewood back and sides.
Owned by Dennis Perkins in North Carolina, USA.
- 1969
HOFNER MODEL 499E 12 STRING GUITAR
This is an example of an early 499 factory-fitted with a pickup set-in
to the end of the fingerboard. Owned by John Hyde of Sydney, Australia.
- 1973
HOFNER 12-STRING ACOUSTIC GUITAR
This is a good quality Hofner 12-string, with superior fretboard and
headstock inlays. I think that it is a Model 499, but the body back and
sides do look rather like mahogany instead of rosewood. Can anyone else
confirm the model? A very nice guitar, owned by Shane in the USA.
CLASSICAL
GUITARS:
- HOFNER
MODEL 485 CLASSICAL GUITAR
This is the European/US market of the UK Selmer distributed Vienna
Classical. It has the carved rosette and flame maple back/sides of the
Vienna, but it does not have the Vienna's fingerboard fret markers, nor
of course the Model/Serial # label inside the body. The headstock is
also a slightly different shape. Owned by Simon Cockell in
Tasmania.
- 1950's/60's
HOFNER MODEL 493 CLASSICAL GUITAR
A mid-range classical guitar with spruce top, beautiful rosewood back
and sides, and a lovely mosaic soundhole decoration, all of which gave
this guitar a similar appearance to the more expensive Model 497.
However, the 493 had a slightly smaller body at at
14¼"
across the lower bout. It also had a three-piece neck together with a
rosewood fingerboard and bridge, which on the 497 were ebony. This very
attractive guitar is owned by Claus in Denmark.
- c1958 HOFNER MODEL 494 CLASSICAL GUITAR
I am fairly sure that this guitar is a Model 494 because of it's birds
eye maple back/sides, and also because of the very pretty dog's tooth
purfling around the body sides and soundhole. It is a very interesting
classical guitar in that it has a cantilevered 5-piece neck over the
body top. Owned by Brock Hansler in Toronto, Canada.
- 1967 HOFNER MODEL
494 CLASSICAL GUITAR
Previously part of Daniel Lee's collection, this guitar features
stunning birds eye maple timbers and beautiful binding and purfling.
Thanks to Great
Guitars, Australia for the pictures.
- HOFNER MODEL 497
CLASSICAL GUITAR
A large bodied (14¾" body width) classical guitar with solid
spruce top
and beautifully figured rosewood back and sides. This was one of
Hofner's better quality classicals, made over a long period spanning
the 1950's, 60's, and 70's. Heavy purfling/binding to the body edges,
inlayed soundhole, and a five piece neck made this an impressive
instrument. Owned by Harry Leek of Leicestershire, England.
- 1966 HOFNER MODEL
498
CLASSICAL GUITAR
Hofner's premium flattop for many years - they described it as an
"instrument of master class". It had the large 14¾"
body width, with a solid spruce top and superb (but laminated) flame
maple back and sides. A three-piece neck was fitted on this 1966
version of the 498, plus ebony fingerboard, gold-plated tuners, and
elaborate binding/purfling around the body. Owned by Wolfgang
Eggersdorfer in Germany.
- HOFNER
"TREND STYLE" MODEL TS4 "KONFETTI"
During 1989 and 1990, Hofner produced a range of classical style
guitars with extremely trendy finishes:
- The TS1 - "Blue Stripes"
- The TS2 - "Harlekin"
- The TS3 - "Zebra"
- The TS4 - "Konfetti" (as on this example)
Apparently there were also
two
short necked "Youth Guitars" called the TS30 and TS40 for younger
players which were finished in similar outrageous colours. Many thanks
to Alfred Ruhfass in Germany for the photos and information.
-
HOFNER
"TREND STYLE" MODEL TS3 "ZEBRA"
And now an example of the Trend-Style Zebra. Pictures supplied by Isy
Galey in Australia.
- c1984 HOFNER MODEL CS1
ELECTRIC CLASSICAL GUITAR
Produced between 1982 and 1985, this little guitar was Hofner's answer
to the Gibson Chet Atkins CEC model. It had a body depth of 2" and a
solid sustain block in a hollow body. A piezzo-ceramic pickup was
fitted to the bridge, and according to the catalogue, the circuit
included a 9 volt preamp..........although this particular guitar has a
passive circuit! Owned by Bob Cocozza in Florida, USA.
HOFNER
GUITARS MADE IN SPAIN: