Rare Club models

 

An early sixties hybrid 125, with bolt on neck, same as the 164 ( Colorama ) and super thin hollow body ( 1 1/4" ). I got very confused when I first saw this guitar and thought it had been modified at some point. Tim Murphy in the States, who is the lucky owner, later sent me some detailed pics of the neck joint which shows that this is most likely to be a factory made 126. If anybody out there have any more information on this very rare Club model, please drop me a mail. This guitar is currently for sale.

 

This rare bird was auctioned on German ebay in November 2007. Model is 191, probably built in a very limited series.. Necks are taken from solidbodies 176 and bass 185 , pickups are "diamond logo" which dates this bastard back to the early sixties.

 

...and what do we have here? An acoustic Club 60..? No traces of pickups, no hole for the controlplate...but no soundholes?

The tailpiece looks very similar to the one used on the 161/162, Hofner´s budget solidbody in the early sixties, but the bridge doesn´t look Hofner to me. The body is also lacking the more lavish binding found on Club 60:s, so my guess is that this is an unfinished Club 40/50 body that for some reason has been fitted with a neck made for a Club 60. If it´s done at the factory, or elsewhere is difficult to tell. We know however that many unfinished bodies and necks left the factory in Babenreuth without being assembled and some of those parts still turns up on the market today. This odd Club is owned by Thomas in Stockholm, Sweden.

 

 

 

but the story continous...

 

...when Thomas later tried to do a neck reset, it turned out that the neck joint was made with epoxy...so the body cracked when the neck was removed. However, Thomas found an old Club 40/50 body, and a restoration project was carried out, involving the old Club 60 neck...
   

 

 

...and a new Club Hybrid was born.
 

 

 

 

To the left a 1960 1260, Club 50, with built in 3W amplifier. To the right a 1260 Bat guitar (Fledermausgitarre) with built in 4W amp Toaster pickups dates it back to 1960. These guitars where never offered in catalogues and probably only a handful where made.

 

 

 

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