Hofner advertised their budget flattop range as "Classic Guitars for Beginners" in the 1970's, but generally they were referred to in the catalogues as "Jugend" (Youth) or "Wander" guitars.  These were a mixture of steel strung and nylon strung models, some having a more classical guitar appearance than others, and most having a slightly shorter scale than the Classical Concert guitars.

The following picture-sets of Hofner 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.

They should be studied in conjunction with the much more comprehensive page on this website which describes all the many Jugend/Wander models produced by Hofner:

EUROPEAN & US MARKET GUITARS

• HOFNER MODEL 509 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.
  
  
• 1980's HOFNER MODEL 5120 BG STUDENT GUITAR
  By the 1970's the 512 had developed into the 5120 and 5121 models. These were nylon-strung guitars with a solid spruce top and a decal-type soundhole rosette. The 5120 was available with both a matt or a gloss finish but with a natural un-tinted top, whereas the 5121 had a polished gloss finish with a light brown stained top. Only the top of the body was bound. The "BG" version of the 5120 was introduced in 1973 and was given a wider neck (50mm at the nut) than the usual 45mm on Hofner Jugend guitars. This example is owned by Mathias in Germany, and has been photographed by Georg Strobel.
  
  
• HOFNER MODEL 5121 ACOUSTIC GUITAR
  A 5120 but with a brown-stained body top. This lovely example is owned by Donnie Martinez.
  
  
• HOFNER MODEL 513 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 ACOUSTIC GUITAR
  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 520 ACOUSTIC GUITAR
  A small steel-strung guitar that was first introduced in 1952. It was usually finished in red or brown/red sunburst and was equipped with a trapeze tailpiece to handle the steel strings and a white pearloid scratchplate. The Model 522 (below) was very similar, but the 520 had a solid headstock instead of the slotted type found on the 522. It was discontinued in 1968, leaving the 522 to soldier on until 1981. 
  
  
• HOFNER MODEL 522 ACOUSTIC GUITAR
  Introduced two years earlier than its cousin the 520 in 1950, this steel-strung guitar is easily identified by its trapeze tailpiece, slotted headstock, 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 Guy Audoux in France.
  
  
• HOFNER MODEL 522 ACOUSTIC GUITAR
  ..........and a 522 with an unusual black finish. Owned by Kenny Borland.
  
  
• HOFNER MODEL 522 ACOUSTIC GUITAR - BIRDSEYE MAPLE BACK
  This guitar appears to be a later 522 with a spruce top. However, instead of a slightly flamed maple back, it has a birdseye maple back, with ordinary maple sides. Owned by Georg Strobel in Germany.
  
  
• HOFNER MODEL 522 ACOUSTIC GUITAR
  A guitar from the similar mid/late 1960's period to the one above, and therefore fitted with a spruce body top, but with the usual slightly-flamed maple back. Owned by Dariusz Zajaczkowski in Poland.
  
  
• HOFNER MODEL 523 ACOUSTIC GUITAR
  The predecessor to the 522a guitar mentioned above, this model was produced from 1961 to 1970. Its main recognition features are a red finish, the classical guitar style combined tailpiece/bridge, and the rather nice white pearloid binding to the body top/back edges and soundhole. This example is owned by Thomas Biilmann in Denmark.
  
  
• HOFNER MODEL 523 ACOUSTIC GUITAR
  Another lovely old 523 model from the 1960s, owned by Kield Andersson.
  
  
• HOFNER MODEL 483 ACOUSTIC GUITAR
  A higher quality "Wander"/"Jugend" guitar produced in the 1950's and 60's. This example is owned by Franco Calvano in Toulouse, France.
  
  
• HOFNER MODEL 4830 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.
  
  
• 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)

  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 TS1 "GREEN STRIPE"
  In Hofner's marketing information, the TS1 was a blue colour and called "Blue Stripe". This example is green and has stripes, and I have also seen a "Red Stripe". Hofner were never too good at keeping to a strict specification! Owned by Manfred Bier in Germany.

• HOFNER "TREND STYLE" MODEL TS3 "ZEBRA"
  And now the Trend-Style TS3 Zebra. Pictures supplied by Isy Galey in Australia.

• HOFNER "TREND STYLE" MODEL TS4 "KONFETTI"
  Another example of the Konfetti-finished TS4, provided by Max Junger of Pyramid Strings, Bubenreuth, Germany.

SELMER DISTRIBUTED GUITARS:

• 1964/65 HOFNER 'FLAMENCO' CLASSICAL GUITAR
  A classical guitar that was of lower quality than the Selmer-distributed Concert and Vienna. The Flamenco was based on the Hofner 514 Model, which seems to have been classified both as a Concert and Jugend guitar grade at various times by Hofner. A near-mint example owned by David Inkel in the UK.
  
  
• 1956/57 HOFNER 'FLAMENCO' CLASSICAL GUITAR
  An example of an early Flamenco, owned by John Wheble in the UK.
  
  
• Late 1960's HOFNER MATADOR CLASSICAL GUITAR
  The Matador was introduced to the Selmer catalogue around 1967. It was intended to be a budget-grade guitar, and sold for a lower price than even the Flamenco model, which was strangely retained in the range. It had a spruce top with laminated plain maple back and sides. The equivalent to the Matador in the general Hofner range was probably the 512/5120 model. This example is owned by Dennis Kilmore in the UK.