A Fine 1956 Blond Hofner Club 50

1956 Hofner Model 127 semi-acoustic (Club 50).

This super rare and very early 'Natural' Model 127 (Club 50) weighs just 4.20 lbs and has a 13 inch wide, 2  inch thick, semi-hollow, lightly arched top, flat-back, single-cutaway body. One-piece natural spruce 'carved' top with a one-piece maple back. The sides of the body are lightly flamed maple and triple-bound bound in black. Original two-layer pearloid over black plastic heel-cap. Three-piece (maple-beech-maple) neck with a scale length of 24 1/4 inches, a nut width of just under 1 5/8 inches and a really huge thick 'baseball-bat' profile. 'Slab' rosewood fretboard with 'triple-layer' nut, 'zero' fret and 22 original medium frets with inlaid 'graduated' pearl dot position markers. Tortoiseshell and mother-of-pearl capped headstock with a small rectangular metal plate "Halméns / Musikistrumenthandel / Hälsingborg", secured by two pins. Open-back strip tuners with white rectangular plastic buttons with rounded edges. Two single-coil, two-ply black over white top 'bakelite' pickups with rosewood sides and outputs of 6.73k and 6.63k. Original tortoiseshell pickguard, edged in white and secured by one pin into the side of the neck, another into the bridge and a metal bracket attached to the treble-side of the body. Four controls, two volume and two tone, all on an oval tortoiseshell plate edged in white, and two two-way switches with "Treble" and "Bass" stamped in blind on the treble bout. Original Hofner 'teacup' control knobs with securing grub screws. Hofner ebony bridge on ebony base with six individually adjustable saddles (actually lengths of fretwire). Hofner 'trapeze' tailpiece. This rare little guitar is in exceptionally fine (9.00) condition with just a few small and insignificant surface marks on the spruce top. There is some light playing wear to the first three frets only. The 'treble tone' control knob is 'frozen' and the 'treble volume' control knob is very 'stiff'. This of course can easily be remedied by changing the potentiometers but that will be the decision of the next owner. This is a very early and rare all original 1956 example with a 'carved' spruce top and a one-piece flat back, of a German Höfner model 127 (sold in Sweden) which became known in England as the Club 50. This guitar has never had a neck strap button fitted and although it does not have a truss-rod, the neck is perfectly straight and the the playability and sound are quite outstanding. Housed in the original Hofner five-latch, shaped black hardshell case with brown plush lining and "Halméns / Musikistrumenthandel / Hälsingborg" badge secured by two pins. (8.75).

"The Club series of guitars are probably those most considered to be the Hofners that helped the early British rock heroes in their early careers. Photographs abound of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Dave Gilmour, Justin Haywood, etc. clutching a Hofner Club in their youth. The Club was considered by most young guitarists in the late 50s to be the "business", until they were weaned away by such modern developments as the Futurama III or, if really lucky, an American guitar! There were three Club models to choose from in those days; the Club 40 with one pickup and modest timbers and ornamentation and the The Club 50 was its two pickup equivalent, and there was the 'super deluxe' Club 60. Despite a resemblance, in shape and size, to the Gibson Les Paul, the Clubs were of hollow construction using laminated timbers, and hence considerably lighter than the Les Paul. The tops were finished with spruce and back/sides flame maple book-matched backs. The usual Hofner blonde (natural) and brunette (sunburst) finishes were offered on all Club versions. The neck on the Club 50 is of three-part construction, maple/beech/maple, capped off with a 'slab' rosewood fingerboard. The Clubs were much played in British rock bands during the late 1950's and early 1960's. (Source: The Vintage Hofner website).