Hofner Jazzica

Features discussed previously in other reviews, biggest plus for me the 16th fret neck/body joint and great upper fretboard access. Finally a jazz box that you can reach and play the highest frets. Always baffled me why Gibson would make a guitar like a Byrdland, with neck attached at 14th fret and very shallow cutaway, and then put another unplayable 8 frets way up deep into the top of the body. Mindbogglingly nonsensical. Even the standard omnipresent L-5 design has limited upper fret access, really hard to play last few frets. Just doesn't make sense. But then ta-da! comes the new Hofner line with great upper fretboard access, thank you! I wish ALL jazz guitars had been built with this kind of access. Also the 25.5 full scale/24 fret combo is great (even 22 would have been fine.)

I've played and A-B'ed quite a few of the new Hofner Master Series guitars. There's a huge difference in tone between the thick plastic polyurethene-coated ones and the thinner shellac finished guitars. Shellac finish much more open and responsive. Only trouble with the shellac is that the finish is then sooo delicate. Breath on it and it scratches. On flip side the plastic poly finishes are so thick and brittle they are very prone to cracking. With such gorgeous woods and wonderful craftsmanship I don't know why Hofner refuses to just use nitrocelluose lacquer as all the top luthiers have for decades.

Beautiful materials and craftsmanship. The one big problem I've seen mentioned in numerous other reviews is the overly big clubby neck. Maybe a few guys like playing a baseball bat but Hofner could really do a better job at dialing in a more efficient neck profile. (It shouldn't take you "a year to get used to it.") It's just too chunky and clunky. If you have opportunity to A-B compare a Gibson L5 or Johnny Smith or Heritage Golden Eagle - and then pick up a Jazzica and you'll see what I mean. Slim it down a bit.

As I stated as far as their finishes, almost every new Master Series Hofner I've ever seen that had the thick shiny poly finish had at least one big crack in the finish (often more), it's just too thick and brittle ; and conversely the thin shellac finish is so delicate and dainty it's almost scary taking it out of the house to gig. You know it's coming home with another handful of nicks and scratches. Solution: It would be wonderful if Hofner started using nitrocelluose lacquer on their beautiful handcarved woods and otherwise exquisitely crafted instruments.

Searching Web seems hard to contact Hofner directly (although I don't speak German, either.) :>)

Been playing 30+ years, played EVERYTHING, kudos to Hofner for its forward thinking designs and pushing the envelope of playability. Some aspects (neck shape, finish) may still need a little dialing in, but overall great addition to the jazz guitar world. Thanks Hofner!

Hofner Jazzica 2000 model (with the old-style headstock), made in Germany. Volume and tone controls mounted on the solid spruce top (instead of on the pickguard) - This was great for me because I actually removed the pickguard on mine to "break the habit" of fingers on the pickguard. The top is solid and the sides and back are laminated (or so I've heard). The sound is surprisingly loud for a laminate back and sides. Sound hole plugs are included for loud gigs to reduce feedback. Some other reviewers have complained about the neck. I've played strats, PRS's, Martins, and this neck feels like coming home - very comfortable, even with 12 gauge Flatwounds.

Strong loud sound when played acoustically. Louder than an Ibanez Artcore, Epiphone Joe Pass, or Gibson Byrdland. About as loud as a Guild Artist Award, Gibson Johnny Smith or L5 (when played acoustically). The Johnny Smith and L5 both have a mellower tone when played acoustically (probably b/c of the solid back and sides). The Hofner is a little brighter, but, when played with a thick pick, it has a great even tone. Doesn't feed back as easy as the Johnny Smith (at least through my amp). The only guitar that I have heard that sounds better acoustically was a Mark Campellone Special (over $6000 and an amazing guitar). At the $1550 that I payed for this, I think it was a steal (EBAY). Records very well. Great for chords or melody lines. I've had Vox and Bogner amps in the past. I am currently using a Roland AC-60. I rarely have to use the sound plugs. I was actually a little surprised at some of the bad reviews listed below. When I first got this guitar in the mail, it was strung with extra light gauge strings (not flats), and did not sound great. I strung it up with D'Addario Flatwound 12's and it sounded much better. After playing it 1.5 hours every day for 1 1/2 years, the sound has opened up and I cannot find another guitar that I like more (except perhaps the Campellone).

The last owner of this guitar let it sit for at least two years in a closet. It was set up fine, but I had my guitar tech go over the guitar and now it is fantastic. There are no flaws. The wood is beautiful. I cannot believe I got this guitar for such a steal.

It seems to be built very well. I can see playing it for a LONG time.

Called Hofner once and got a free T-Shirt. They were very helpful.

Been playing since 1987. I also own a Martin 000-28, a Paul Reed Smith McCarty, and a Washburn Acoustic. I think this is the perfect guitar for me - it is comfortable, plays well, has a great acoustic tone, great recorded (and live) tone. Some day I'd love to try a Hofner Chancellor, but I can't find anyone who has one. I feel that the Jazzica is in a league along with guitars that cost around $5000 or more.

Pretty normal features for a jazz guitar, with two exeptions: tapered body is designed to contribute to ergonomics (but does the opposite) and a hofner diamond humbucking pickup mounted in a floating frame, so it can be adjusted while leaving the top intact. The guitar has a carved top but laminated sides and backs that display a nice curly maple grain. maple neck and sealed maschine heads are pretty standard as well as ebony brige. The back is rather flat, not really what you'd expect from an archtop.

For a jazz guitar with that price tag the sound is a bit disapointing. Not really the woody sound you'd expect from a higher class instrument. i have a solid wood carved eastman and a really cheap ibanez artcore to compare. the hofner is more on the side of the plywood ibanez than on the classier side of the carved guitar. the pickup, volume and tone controls do a good job, so one can dial in a rather jazzy or muddy sounds but if you dial in more treble things get harsh easily. The sound is not bad but at this price I expect more.
I played it over my aer compact as well as with my fender pro junior tube amp.
The acoustic sound is rather loud - but not anyway satisfying,it lacks bass and roundness

the finish of the guitar is a classic sunburst. it is to thick and not well made in every aspects - opaque where it should not be. there is one spot at the head where they polished through the finish.
The fretwork is poor (protuding frets on some spots) so the action has to be higher than necessary - I did not expect that from a german made guitar.

It sure is reliable, but due to the things described before I never used the guitar for gigs or recordings.

I dealt with hofner a couple of times to find out where I can try there instruments. The alder woman on the line was nice but not very competent.

I play for like 29 years now and own a couple of guitars including the before mentioned I play for like 29 years now and own a couple of guitars including the before mentioned archtops. I sold the jazica after like 2 months because these are better, the ibanez has more flexibility due to the douple pickup layout and is so cheap that you can take it anywhere, even to the most obscure sessions, and the eastman has much better sound and workmanship.
I was interested in the jazzica because I was curious for the tapered body, but that concept didn't proove to be ergonomic for me - instead of "drawing the guitar and player closer together" as intended and claimed by hofner, I felt my right arm had to reach much farer out - uncomfortable - for me. in my opinion an overall slimmer instrument does a better job on this. As I could not find a guitar to tryout near my hometown I dared o buy that from ebay - bad idea!
The poor craftmanship of the guitar set me off above all. My 300 Euro Artcore is built better than this guitar selling for like 2500 euro new. Maybe I got a dog but then hofner should improve their quality control.

2004 model; Natural finish; by now, you know the rest of the specs.

produces a very woody tone. The woodiest (is that a word?) archtop i've ever played- acoustically and electrically. to me, it doesn't sound as bright as others say. very warm, woody, and jazzy tones. wish the pickup was bit brighter. i fingerpick, so that's probably the reason.

you must play the jazzica on its own terms, as she requires a light touch, and exacting articulation. she almost plays herself. but, i think i'm also asking a bit much from her. she's pure jazz box all the way. and my style varies outside of jazz.

gorgeous and flawless. tuners are very smooth, and the volume/tone controls are also velvetty and quiet. however, i think hofner should have stayed with an older, more traditional body style. the jazzica's body is similar to a taylor or other contemporay cutaway guitar. especially with the features, and it's name (jazzica), they could have used a more ancient-looking, or romantic-styled body footprint.

suoerb, craftsmanship, quality control, reliability and durability.

not dealt with them

been playing about 40 years; lots of guitars, lots of archtops. this one is awesome. as far as jazz is concerned, i must admit that she's probably a bit too much for me. a very humbling feeling indeed.

This Jazzica is number 32/50 built in 2003 and is an archtop. It is very light, and the tapered body is unique and cool. The shelac finish is delicate, so I don't let anyone touch it. I actually did research and polished the back and sides, and they look like glass (it's a long story). The top is relatively untouched and has the standard dull shelac look. The back of the neck is lacquered for easy maintenance and cleaning.

Selected solid German spruce top, hand-carved and graduated, back and sides from selected flamed maple
European hard rock maple neck
Ebony fretboard, bound, 24 frets
Mother-of-pearl block inlays
Scale: 25 1/2? (64.3cm)
Neck width at nut: 1 3/4? (44mm)
Machine heads: Schaller M6 with ebony buttons
Hofner 72/22-G ebony bridge with compensated B-string
Hofner 62/EB-G ebony tailpiece, brass reinforced
Hofner 65/JC-E floating ebony pickguard
Hofner 514/FN-G floating humbucking neck pickup, adjustable
1 volume control, 1 tone control
Gold-plated hardware
Colours: natural, Vintage (Antique violin varnish)
Hofner 3052 Deluxe wooden hardshell case, tweed-cream covering

The Hard Rock Maple set neck that joins body @ the 16th fret. Stylish ''cat's eye'' f-holes. Ebony pickguard & hand-fitted bridge, Schaller M6 machine heads with ebony buttons. Single neck-mounted floating Hofner Diamond pickup (by Kent Armstong) w/ body mounted volume & tone controls. Removable, Ebony f-hole plugs eliminate feedback. Deluxe 5 ply hard-shell case with plush black lining.

I play jazz, and overall I think the sound is excellent for this type of play. It is very bright with good highs and lows. I never use the foam inserts. I just turn down the bass and midtone on the amp. I also turn the guitars tone control all the way down to enhance the brightness.

As I stated I polished the back and sides. I got the guitar used and there was something applied to the finish, so I spent about six to eight hours working on the body. It is tricky and dangerous work, but my instructor had experimented enough with his shelac finish to teach me what to do and WHAT NOT TO DO. I didn't touch the neck or head. Don't tell anyone, but in the end, I polished the back sides and top with olive oil. It cut through the junk applied to the top. I use a black Dunlop wiping cloth and have never had any problem as a result of applying the oil. I don't get any unusual collection of dirt or dust. The frets were dressed prior to my receiving the guitar. I am afraid to have a luthier touch it as the finish is so delicate. I adjusted the truss rod to get the neck straight and lowered the action at 2/64 at the 12th fret for strings 1-5 and 3/64 for the 6th string. I play infeld Jazz Swing 13s, and there is no buzzing. For everything that is said about the Jazzica, the craftsmanship is superb as exhibited by my set up.

This is a shelac finish. I wear a cotton t-shirt and put on a long sleeve cotton shirt with the buttons removed. I also took the buttons off the sleeves and roll them up. No watch! No rings! If a fingernail will damage the finish, I figure buttons would trach the back. I see these guitars online and I think some of them are being sold because the finish has been trashed. I was lucky yo get mine with only a solution of the surface. But it doesn't show finger prints or anything. Overall, it may be delicate, but it is the most easily maintained finish. I give it a ten for someone who will baby their instrument and a one for an idiot.

I have not had to deal with the company, but they have been around since 1887.

A+++ Rating

This is by far the best buy for an archtop. New is in the $2300 range. Most archtops are significantly more expensive for a handmade guitar. Beware if you buy it used to be wary of the finish's condition if it is shelac.

Same as others, but two pups. Separate v and t each.

Sound is phenomenal, like the single pup, but with the expected extended range of tone.

Perfect. Bought used on Ebay, set up with TI jazz flats 13.

I have several guitars, both solid and hollow. Been trying to play since 63. I no longer dream of Gibson Super 400's.

This is a great 24 fret jazz box hand made in Germany. The hand carved solid spruce top is exceptional. It has both volume and tone pots with great ebony knobs. It has a Kent Armstrong floating humbucker to allow the top to vibrate as much as possible. The back and sides are made out of very flamed, laminated african maple. the guys at hofner built the body profile very smartly with a taper so that the neck is closer than with most archtops. (4 inches at the bridge end to 2.5 inches at the neck end). This archtop has superior neck access all the way up. All the hardware on this guitar is ebony including the bridge and tailpiece. Schaller tuners with ebony buttons. asymetrical neck profile is extremely comfortable (thicker on the bass side) with wide low frets. It comes with ebony f hole plugs which help greatly with feedback and a 5 ply case built like a tank with a humidifyer and guage right inside. just the right features for a jazz guitar in my opinion.

I play mostly straight ahead jazz these days from wes montgomery to pat metheny and john scofield. This is the guitar for me. I play through either a fender ultimate chorus or a polytone mini-brute II. Sounds excellent through either, but with hollowbody guitars I prefer the sound of a closed back amp like the brute. There is no extraneous noise from the guitar. The tone is superb, a nice round full sound all the way up into the high notes, very bell like sound. The sound is very woody, this guitar is almost an acoustic guitar that they just put a pick up on.

The action was a bit high from the factory, but a quick nut adjustment fixed that. The intonation was perfect! Mine is natural and it is beautiful looking, both the spruce top and the highly flamed back and sides, my favorite, however, is the flame all the way up the neck and back of the head stock. I found a slight rough spot inside one of the f holes which helped in getting a discount for the guitar, once I brought it home i took some low grade sandpaper to it and now its pristine.

this guitar seems to be built very well, everything appears to be top of the line. I'd gig without a backup no problem.

never dealt with them...........2 year warranty. I've heard it takes 6 months for them to send over a custom job.

I've been playing guitar for 4 years now and own a guild D 25, Ibanez RX 240, Fender ultimate chorus, polytone mini-brute, and an Ibanez toneblaster. I absolutely love this guitar. If it were lost or stolen, I'd go get another in a heartbeat. The sound and playability are incredible on this ax, they could easily charge the $6,000 that other high end archtops cost. I compared it to the new gibson es-175s and this one blew them away, in sound, playability, and this guitar is the lightest guitar ever, very comfortable to wear on the gig. I currently study guitar at the Eastman School of Music as a sophomore in highschool, and this guitar is exactly what i need.

- 16" archtop with
- solid, carved spruce top,
- 25.5", 24 fret scale maple neck with ebony fingerboard
- neck meets body at 16th fret
- Better than average upper access for an archtop
- 4" body which tapers down to 2.5" at the neck,
- a single floating mini-humbucker
- Ebony Bridge and Tailpiece
- Schaller tuners (of course!!!)
- Asymmetric neck profile (very comfortable)
- body mounted volume & tone controls.
- Removable, Ebony f-hole plugs
- Deluxe 5 ply hard-shell case (You won't believe this case!?!)

Anyway, the guitar plays and sounds amazing. Action was very low. Even
lower than I keep it and with my sweep picking, I'm the king of
low!!!! It has a beautifully loud and even tone throughout the entire
range of the instruments. Even the highest notes sound full and round
without that irritating pinging you get from solid or semi-hollow
guitars and without the dull, instant deadening of some lesser
archtops. Sustain was good and the quality of tone both acoustically
and electrically was gorgeous. I was a little worried about the "24
fret" issue but it turned out to be nothing to worry about. The guitar
wasn't the least be negatively effected by the extra 2 frets. This
would be a perfect guitar to record a solo album on or do play with a
trio.

I installed the ebony F-Hole plug and the guitar sounded slightly
muffled compared to without them but after a few minutes, I didn't
notice it at all.

Neck profile was great. Just the right thickness for tone without
feeling clubby at all. Like most archtops, the neck gets chunkier as
you get up to the higher frets but it never feels uncomfortable,
perhaps due to the asymetrical neck carving which is thicker on the
bass side.

I'm not sure what the finish is but I'd assume it to be Polyurethane,
however it appears to be done thinly enough as to not hamper the
vibration of the guitar since it had an incredible acoustic tone and I
could see using the guitar in a coffee shop acoustically behind a
vocalist...Hofner is making a limited run of these guitars with the
antique varnish finish which looks wonderful and in theory allows the
top to vibrate more freely.

No finish flaws, bad frets or anything else. This guitar could have easily come from a $6k, custom archtop builder.

One of the best made instruments I've played in years. I can't imagine anything structurally going wrong with it.

Their service and support are fabulous. They have an old-world approach to service and support.

Jeff Hale Music Supply (www.jhalemusic.com) has some great pix and
information on the hofner guitars and then there's the hofner website
itself which is extremely hard to google due to the spelling.
(http://www.musicgroup.com/Instrumen...rameHoefner.htm)

J.Hale Music is selling the jazzica for $2049 which is astounding for
an archtop of this quality. I think Hofner has set a new standard for
price/performance with these guitars.

In fact, I liked this instrument so much that I signed on with Hofner
to endorse their instruments. I'll be purchasing a Jazzica or Bruno
guitar and possibly a Verythin guitar as well.

2003 model, made in Germany, with floating Kent Armstrong pickup in the neck position, foam f-hole plugs, asymmetric neck profile, tapered body with, ebony fretboard with pearl inlays, 24 frets jioned at the body at the 16th fret, ebony tailpiece, tuners, knobs, and pickguard, and select carved spruce top. This is an exquisite hollowbody jazz box, intelligently designed.

Through my Polytone Mini-brute II the sound is terrific. Warm and mellow jazz tone, yet sparkling and bright all at once. Acoustically, with the plugs removed, the guitar is loud and very woody sounding. The ebony neck provides exceptional sustain and the guitar has an evenly balanced tone over the entire fretboard.

The guitar has several nasty finish cracks, and I've seen many other Hofners with the same problem. My guess is that this occurs somehow in the shipping from Germany; I can't believe they leave the factory this way. The guitar came with very heavy strings, which is not in itself a problem, but the action was abnormally high, even with the adjustable bridge screwed down tight. When I changed to a set of Thomastik-Infeld George Benson 12's the action improved dramatically, leading me to suppose that the nut was poorly cut. Also, the fret ends are unfiled and sharp. I think Hofner's QA department needs some parking lot therapy.

It's a solid spruce archtop; don't try to mimic Pete Townsend. Otherwise, it seems strong enough to me for the kind of jazz gigs I get.
The guitar arrived at the dealer with a crack in the neck near the headstock, which was repaired expertly and accounts for the deep discount I received. Only a tiny but of finish blur remains there. Otherwise the guitar seems very solid. I've had it now for about 3 months.

The retailer has served me well. I don't know about Hofner.

I've been playing on and off for 45 years, almost exclusively jazz these days. I have several other guitars, including an Epiphone Joe Pass, a Hofner Vice President, a Gretsch Syncromatic bass, and an Alvarez-Yairi acoustic. I seldom pick up anything but the Jazzica. Words can't really express how much I love playing this guitar, for its sound and its feel. The neck is larger than what I was used to, but I've grown accustomed to it and smaller scales and widths now feel contrained. If it were lost or stolen I would get another in a heartbeat, and at its current street price of about 2k, I think it's a steal.

2002 made in German. Full size acoustic/electric jazz box. Solid top (AAA German spruce) and laminated back and side (highly flamed African maple). European maple neck with ebony finger board. One floating Kent Armstrong pickup at neck. Volume and tone control on the top not on the pickguard. Body is tapered so that thin neck side fits comfortably with my a bit protruding belly.

Amplified you can get a beautiful jazz tone. Clean and balanced from low to high. No noise or hum at all. Tone control gives you a wide range of tonal color. Accoustically the sound is impressive but not amazing due to low volume at low end (probably because of tapered body shape).

Action is low enough. Minor finish flows (such as tiny ink dot on the finger board binding) can be seen here and there, but they are all really minor. Neck block inside the body appears to be not glued well to the back. There is a gap in between. In a long run this may cause neck problem. Most annoyingly, the pick guard buzzes with certain frequencies. There is a tiny space between the ebony pick guard and the metal bar that supports and suspends the pick guard. I consulted a loca luthier. He said thin cork or even plastic tape would suppress the vibration and fix the problem. But I thought this is not acceptable for an over-2k-priced guitar. So I returned it.

I had this guitar for a week. So I don't know.

I have not dealt with the company.

I have been playing more than 25 years not professionally. I owned many different type of guitars (classical, accoustic, and electric). I don't care about the cosmetical finish but I do care about the built quality. Hofner does make good guitars, but their quality control may be not so great IMHO. Actually I asked the dealer about the neck block problem and found that there are many of their guitars showing similar findings. So if you decide getting one of Hofner's, I recommend you to check this issue. I got a Hofner's New President after I returned Jazzica. New President looks better in terms of built quality and sounds fuller and better.

2001 model purchased used. Hand carved spruce top with laminated flames maple sides and back. Beautiful sunburst, gold tuners with ebony tuner buttons, volume and tone knobs and ebony covered tail piece. Floating Kent Armstrong pick-up. Single cutaway with tapered body width, very comfortable to play. Only complaint is that the volume and tone knobs are mounted into the carved top.

Guitar sounds great acousticaly and when plugged in. I'am able to get a great acoustic sound for fingerstyle or a great darker jazz tone. Laminated sides don't seem to hurt sound. Have played it thru a Roland JC 120 and a Fender 1958 Deluxe, sounds great though solid state or tube amps. Comes with ebony foam insulated plugs for "F" holes, helps cut down feed back at higher volumes. Have several guitar players that own 1958 to 1961 Gibson L-7's, their amazed at the sound quality.

Guitar has no flaws, perfect construction and attention to detail. Fret board had srunk abit by time I got guitar. Minor filing and set up by my guitar tech and instrument plays perfectly. Pick-up has great sound. Came with top quality case.

Guitar is an archtop requiring standard precaustion, seems very sturdy. Has great case.

No contact with Hofner except sent an email about obtaining a owner manual. Received answer back within two days, no manual available at this time. They are working with Germany to obtain a reprint.

Great guitar for someone looking for a high quailty, great sounding archtop without paying a fortune. Would compare instrument to those costing thousands more, great value.

This Jazzica was bought used?perhaps a year old?in mint condition with a gloss natural finish. It has a solid spruce top, laminated curly maple back and sides that taper substantually towards the neck heel; the back is book matched and lovely. The neck is maple with ebony block inlays and a bound fretboard with medium/fat frets. The neck is slightly asymetrical?reminds me a bit of a beefly Les Paul's?with a slight volute at the base of the bound head stock. It has all the features of a high-end single cutaway archtop with cat-eyed f-holes. (Art nouveau?) The hardware is gold plated or ebony. The Schaller tuners have ebony buttons. The pickup is a floating Kent Armstrong mini-humbucker. The pickup is very quiet; and in conjuction with smooth tapered single tone and volume controls there are a lot of tonal options for a one-pickup guitar. The detail and finish work is near flawless: the heel of the neck is two-piece and there is a slight variation in the natural finish of the joinery; there is also a trace of filler near the binding of of the upper f-hole. But this is all nit-picking. The strap button at the top of the body mounts to the back of the neck heel?that throws the guitar off balance if it's not cradled by the player. But other than that, this guitar is exquisite. Unplugged, with round wound strings, it is loud and punchy I came with a hefty archtopped case that could survive a flight or two of stairs.

I use the guitar exclusively in trio with bass and drums?rock and roll pop tunes with a little swampy rockabilly. (My bass player likes Buddy Holly) I play through a newer Deluxe Reverb: volume on three (or four tops), bass/treble around six or seven with reverb and tremelo as needed. My only stomp box is a Pro-Co Rat. The guitar is sweet and clear. Again, the Kent Armstrong pickup is quiet and the pots are smooth. Because of the manageble stage volume I can approximate the twang of Fender on rave-ups or rockabilly tunes. The Jazzica looks cool in a bar, and I get a lot of compliments from plays and patrons with regards to its tone. Sometimes I play in a five piece with pedal steel and keyboards and those guys are decibel freaks so on those gigs I leave the Jazzica at home. I wanted something different and this axe fits the bill just fine.

This is a high-end archtop. German made; the attention to detail is superb. (Think Mercedes and BMW.)

Except gigs where I have to play loud, this is the only guitar I use live. To me it sounds best with medium nickle round wounds for the trio, and flatwounds when I play solo. (Flatwounds make the Deluxe Reverb's speaker rattle on the lower registers.) It's simple: one pickup, a volume, a tone... Damn near idiot proof

I'm pretty handy. And I live near Kalamazoo where Pete Moreno-formerly of Gibson, now repairing on his own and with Heritage?is fair, reasonable, and a super nice guy.

I've been playing since the Beatles were on Ed Sullivan. At this stage of life I can have any guitar I want; I've amassed two high-end acoustics and a couple of the usual solidbodies and that's enough. I would definately replace the Jazzica if it's lost or stolen. In fact, I'm thinking of selling off my rock and roll guitars and picking up a second Jazzica because at around two grand I haven't seen anything that can touch it?I fear that right now it's way underpriced. (Are people really paying three grand for some of those low-end Gibson ES's or hollow body PRS? Nuts to that.)

2002 model, made in Germany
- Just received guitar after a 4 month wait, but it was really worth the wait.
- This Jazzica is sunburst, a beautiful subtle shade, with very fancy double binding around the sides, filed with abalone inlays, so cosmetically, the guitar is stunning and could be hung on the wall as a piece of 1950' art deco work.
-Solid spruce top, with great grain and straight lines; sides and back are laminated maple, with the top veneer as highly flamed. The laminated three pieces of maple sound as good as one solid piece that you would see on jazz guitars $6000+ in price.
With one floating Kent Armstrong P/U at neck, the guitar looks and sounds great both acoustically and plugged into a Fender re-issue 65 delux revrb as well as into a SWR California Blonde.
Tone controls are on the body, not on the pick guard, but are made of ebony as is the pick guard and tial piece, so you get a very woody, natural sound.
- The neck is very fast as it is narrow and relatively low in profile; the opposite of a beefy feel. For comparison, the DeAngelica NYL-2 has a noticably thicker neck.
- Most interesting about the Jazzica is the body itself; it starts out tapered near the neck and widens from the middle of the guitar, so the instument hugs your body better. At its most narrow point, the Jazzica is a wide as the NYL-2, but has more body depth from the mid section on.
-Frets are relatively wide, but not too high.

-Sound is wonderful for a $3000 retail jazz guitar; much superior plugged and unplugged to a NYL-2, which lists for $1000 more; plus the Jazzica has a carved top, whereas the NYL-2 has a pressed one.
- A wonderful jazz sound plugged in; you get get lots of tonal variation by adjusting the volume and tone controls.
- Acoustically, the guitar is wonderful and has quite a bit of sound output; with flat wound strings, the acoustic sound is soft as compared to my Gibson J-200 or Taylor 814c.This sound would change if you put on a set of round wound strings 11-52 gauge. I ususally plug the Jazzica in to the Delux reverb with the volume turned down to 3 and backing off the volume and tone controls for the Jazz work that I do. The guitar sounds better through the Delux as compared to the California Blonde.
- While the sides are solid, laminated maple as opposed to one solid piece of maple, the sound is gorgeous and I would challenge most folks to discern the difference between solid vs. laminated maple, other than a price difference of $3K-$10K

Came out of the shipping box in perfect condition and did not require any set up at the store , which is unusual. Not one flaw detected.
-Spruce top and subburst finish was impeccable and the back had book matched maple veneer sides.Superb craftsmanship!

Have had the guitar 2 days, but I would imagine it is a very hardy, well built guitar that should last years.
-Comes with a solid, wood case, which is very protective but would not hold up under airline shipping unless inside its cardboard shipping box.
I back up lot's of singers in the studio as well as live; it would be fine if I was only playing jazz, but most of the folks that I back up sing various styles, so I bring the Taylor 814C for folk style finger picking and the J-200 for more percussive strumming.

Too new to know, but the folks at Washington Music, where I've bought most of my guitars over the past 35 years are very helpful and supportive in fixing things.

I've been playing for 40 years, part time professionally; this is my first Jazz box and it is wonderful and attractively priced. You don't need to pay $6K or more for a good jazz giutar. I believe the Hofner Jazzica is under priced; it could easily list for $4K or more; so if you can find one, get it, because it wouldn't surprise me if Hofner significantly raises the price after a year, given the intense demand for the Jazzica and President models.