Introduction

Introduced in 1954 the Hofner Club was soon to be a favorite among all the young guys aiming for the European rock scene at that time. With it´s light weight and hollow body, but similar in shape and size to a Gibson Les Paul, the Hofner Club became the perfect and affordable substitute, when American guitars simply where out of reach. Icons like John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison of the Beatles, Dave Gilmore of Pink Floyd, Riche Blackmore of Deep Purple and many others played Hofner Clubs in there early years. So did Little Gerhard from Sweden, who was crowned "Scandinavian King of Rock" at Jordal Amphitheater in Norway back in 1958.

German instrument maker Hofner had started to produce electrical guitars, mainly wide bodied archtops, in their factory in Bubenreuth back in the early fifties. In the aftermath of the second world war, when the German economy was ruined and salaries low, instruments made by Hofner´s highly skilled craftsmen could be sold at incredibly low prices, compared to American equivalents.

When first released, this guitar was offered in two versions. Model 125 with a single neck pickup and 126 with two, neck and bridge, pickups. The model name "Club" was introduced when British company Selmer started to distribute Hofner´s back in 1957-58. The 125 became Club 40 and 126 became Club 50. In 1958 Hofner released a "de luxe" version with a reinforced neck, more lavish decorations, perloid pickguard and control plate etc. The single pickup version was named 127 and the two pickup version 128. The 127 never got a Club equivalent, but the 128 was sold by Selmer under the name Club 60. In 1967 a Club 70 was introduced that replaced the Club60, but by that time Hofner´s had lost most of their charisma and the world got flooded with Gibson´s, Fender´s, Epiphone´s and cheap Asian replicas. The Hofner Club finally disappeared into the haze in 1970

Club Guitars

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A comprehensive guide into the mystery of dating your Hofner Club

 

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© Bengt Ericsson, Stockholm, Sweden 2001-2007