| Höfner history in short Karl Höfner was born in 1864 in Schönbach, Bohemia, which was then part of Austria. In 1887, after studying with Anton Schaller, he started his company as a luthier in Schönbach. The high-quality instruments he made were in demand throughout Europe, as a result of which the company quickly grew. In 1919 his two sons, Josef (1892-1994) and Walter (1904-1985), joined the company. In particular, exports expanded rapidly and the Höfner brand achieved a worldwide reputation as a producer of high-quality stringed instruments. In addition to violins, double basses and cellos, they also started producing guitars in the 1930s. The first models were steel strung with a curved top and bottom. After World War II, the company first moved to Möhrendorf in Bavaria in 1948. A more suitable location to rebuild the factory was found in nearby Bubenreuth. The foundation stone was laid on 20 October 1949 and the factory was opened at the end of 1950. The company quickly recaptured the world market and the range of guitars was expanded. Models like President, Committee and of course the Beatle Bass (500/1) made Höfner famous. All models were designed and developed by Walter. The demand for Höfner guitars increased due to the rise of Rock 'n Roll. The company had to expand considerably and the guitars became Höfner's most important export product. Walter and Karl Höfner | In the sixties, in addition to the archtop models, semi-acoustic, solid body and various models of bass guitars were built. Due to lack of space in Bubenreuth and constant inquiries, a second factory was built in Hagenau. Due to the increasing competition from American guitar manufacturers, Höfner's market share slumped. As a result, the English distributor Selmer had to close its business. Gerhilde Höfner (daughter of Walter) ran the company together with her husband Christian Benker in the seventies to nineties. Partly as competition from Japan and China increased, it became difficult for Höfner to remain independent. Therefore, on January 1, 1994 Höfner was sold to the British company Boosey & Hawkes. The bow manufacturer Roderich Paesold (also based in Bubenreuth) was also owned by Boosey & Hawkes. Paesold was merged with Höfner in 1995 and placed in their 'Instrument Division'. But both companies remained independent in terms of production and sales. In 1997 Höfner moved from Bubenreuth to their second factory in Haguenau. They had more modern production facilities, and a new building was added. In 2003, 'Instrument Division' was sold to the British investment consortium 'The Music Group' (TMG). At the end of 2004, Höfner (as part of 'Instrument Division') was sold to Klaus Schöller and his wife Ulrike Schrimpff. Klaus has worked at Höfner since 1989 and now became General Manager and Ulrike Chief Financial Officer. A branch in Beijing was opened in 2009 which is one hundred percent owned by Höfner. As one of the few companies, the Chinese government granted Höfner an export license. The instruments produced in Beijing are of equivalent quality to those produced in Germany. The quality level remains high due to the constant exchange of personnel between China and Germany. |
A seven-digit serial number beginning with six, for example, indicates 1996; a seven-digit number beginning with seven denotes 1997; an eight-digit number beginning with 98 denotes 1998, etc. A “KC” prefix was introduced on Korean-made instruments in 1997, designating instrument made in. Guitar Serial Numbers. The Selmer Serial Numbers. Guitars distributed through the UK dealer The Selmer Company 1957 to 1971 - Selmer Serial Numbers Hofner serial numbers 1975 to 1986 - Serial Numbers 75-86 Hofner serial numbers 1986 to present day - Serial numbers 1986 to current Serial numbers for the special 500/1 V58 bass sold in Japan 1984-93 - Serial numbers Japan bass. Hohner Guitar Serial Number Lookup February 14 2019. Hofner Serial Numbers 1986 to Current From 1986 up to 1999 The Hofner instruments received new serial numbers with six digits: The first digit means the year of manufacture, the second and third the month, the fourth and fifth the day, the sixth is the number of the guitar made this day.
Part 7 Dating Hofners.
As stated in Part 4, there are numerous guitars about containing serial numbers that predate those prior to 1958 which are still available in Hofner’s own records. The only satisfactory way to establish the year of production during this early period is by an internal examination as described in Part 4. This can be a very rewarding exercise as not only the year of production can be found but also the actual day and month.
Detailed below are some serial number and corresponding dates as extracted from my own guitars.
Model | Serial Number | Body Date |
Committee | 2129 | 31/08/54 |
Committee | 2536 | 31/10/57 |
Committee | 3745 | 20/03/61 |
Committee | 3932 | 12/08/63* |
Committee | 3950 | 25/06/63* |
President | 2277 | 24/09/55 |
President | 5549 | 18/03/59 |
President | 7293 | 22/03/60 |
* It can be seen from the Committee numbers, anomalies occur even in the simple task of co-ordinating serial numbers and dates.
In the following tables I have used a little initiative to arrive at the probable serial numbers that are shown against the years before 1958. These are relatively accurate but would have to be verified by physical inspection.
Model | First Serial Number | Last Serial Number | Year | Remarks |
Committee | 2000 | 2141 | 1954 | |
2142 | 2282 | 1955 | Pre truss-rod models | |
2283 | 2325 | 1956 | ||
2326 | 2564 | 1957 | ||
2565 | 2950 | 1958 | ||
2951 | 3313 | 1959 | ||
3314 | 3677 | 1960 | Truss Rods Introduced | |
3678 | 3745 | 1961 | ||
3746 | 3793 | 1962 | ||
3794 | 3954 | 1963 | Redesigned headstock | |
3965 | 4109 | 1964 | ||
4110 | 4177 | 1965 | ||
4178 | 4189 | 1966 | ||
4190 | 4247 | 1967 | ||
4248 | 4258 | 1968 | ||
4259 | 4264 | 1969 | ||
Committee Thinline | 1000 | 1175 | 1960 | Truss Rods Introduced |
1176 | 1275 | 1961 | ||
1276 | 1325 | 1962 | ||
1326 | 1485 | 1963 | Redesigned headstock | |
1486 | 1525 | 1964 | ||
1526 | 1653 | 1965 | ||
President | 1500 | 1874 | 1953 | Pre truss-rod models |
1875 | 2180 | 1954 | ||
2181 | 2490 | 1955 | ||
2491 | 2985 | 1956 | ||
2986 | 3480 | 1957 | ||
3481 | 5100 | 1958 | ||
5101 | 6533 | 1959 | ||
6534 | 7967 | 1960 | Truss Rods Introduced | |
7968 | 8047 | 1961 | ||
8048 | 8126 | 1962 | ||
8127 | 8309 | 1963 | ||
8355 | 8728 | 1964 | ||
8729 | 8976 | 1965 | ||
8977 | 8982 | 1966 | ||
8932 | 8988 | 1967 | ||
8989 | 8995 | 1968 | ||
8996 | 9002 | 1969 | ||
9003 | 9015 | 1970 | ||
9016 | 9029 | 1971 | ||
President Thinline | 1 | 681 | 1960 | Truss Rods Introduced |
None Listed | None Listed | 1961 | ||
682 | 822 | 1962 | ||
823 | 962 | 1963 | ||
963 | 1134 | 1964 | ||
1135 | ???? | 1965 | ||
Senator | 1000 | 1040 | 1953 | Pre-Truss Rod Model |
1041 | 1087 | 1954 | ||
1088 | 1375 | 1955 | ||
1376 | 3738 | 1956 | ||
3739 | 4403 | 1957 | ||
4404 | 7800 | 1958 | ||
7801 | 9801 | 1959 | ||
9802 | 11400 | 1960 | Truss Rods Introduced | |
11401 | 11702 | 1961 | ||
11703 | 12079 | 1962 | ||
12080 | 12680 | 1963 | ||
12726 | 13516 | 1964 | ||
13517 | 13674 | 1965 | ||
13675 | 13768 | 1966 | ||
13769+ | 1967 | |||
Senator Thinline | 1 | 375 | 1958 | |
376 | 845 | 1959 | ||
846 | 1088 | 1960 | Truss Rods Introduced | |
1089 | 1227 | 1961 | ||
1228 | 1316 | 1962 | ||
1317 | 1404 | 1963 | ||
1405 | 1533 | 1964 | ||
1534 | 1660 | 1965 | ||
Congress | 2000 | 2850 | 1955 | Pre-Truss Rod Models |
2851 | 4717 | 1956 | ||
4718 | 5808 | 1957 | ||
5809 | 7800 | 1958 | ||
7801 | 8859 | 1959 | ||
8860 | 9917 | 1960 | Truss Rods Introduced | |
9918 | 10958 | 1961 | ||
10959 | 12278 | 1962 | ||
12279 | 13371 | 1963 | ||
13922 | 14321 | 1964 | ||
14322 | 14891 | 1965 | ||
14892 | 15141 | 1966 | ||
15142 | 15366 | 1967 | ||
15367 | 15456 | 1968 | ||
15457 | 15471 | 1969 | ||
15472 | 15517 | 1970 | ||
15518 | 15523 | 1971 | ||
Club 40 | Pre | 254 | 1957 | Pre-Truss Rod Models |
255 | 420 | 1958 | ||
421 | 921 | 1959 | ||
922 | 1534 | 1960 | Truss Rods Introduced | |
1535 | 1674 | 1961 | ||
1675 | Onwards | 1962 | ||
Club 50 | Pre | 478 | 1957 | Pre-Truss Rod Models |
479 | 650 | 1958 | ||
651 | 1151 | 1959 | ||
1152 | 1782 | 1960 | Truss Rods Introduced | |
1781 | Onwards | 1961 | ||
Club 60 | 1 | 180 | 1958 | Pre-Truss Rod Models |
181 | 681 | 1959 | ||
682 | 1296 | 1960 | Truss Rods Introduced | |
1297 | 1607 | 1961 | ||
1608 | Onwards | 1962 | ||
Club 70 | - | - | - | Footnote |
Verithin | 1 | 350 | 1960 | Truss Rods Introduced |
351 | 699 | 1961 | ||
700 | 1238 | 1962 | ||
1239 | 2223 | 1963 | ||
2260 | 3313 | 1964 | ||
3314 | Onwards | 1965 | ||
Verithin Florentine Deluxe | 1000 | 1190 | 1965 | |
1191 | 1293 | 1966 | ||
1294 | 1388 | 1967 | ||
1389 | 1403 | 1968 | ||
1404 | 1408 | 69/70 | ||
1407 | 1411 | 1971 | ||
Ambassador | 50 | 177 | 1965 | |
178 | 443 | 1966 | ||
444 | 468 | 1967 | ||
469 | 480 | 1968 |
Hohner Accordion Serial Number Lookup
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© Ramsay McKinnon 2006.