Hofner New President

It is a jazz guitar - it has volume and tone controls. Three things I will point out: 1) Whoever designed their floating pickup holder is a genius! I have spent countless hours diddling with the floating pickup in my Eastman as I have tried three different pickups before settling on one I liked. Trying to adjust the height with a nominal floating pickup design makes constructing a ship in a bottle look easy. Hofner uses a plastic ring that has two set screws that hold the pickup in place with pressure. It is then VERY easy to adjust the height of the pickup to your liking. The pickup also has pole pieces that can be adjusted - so you can get the response perfect. 2) I am very happy with their stock pickup. My New President is a 2000 model and the pickups in that year are a little to hot - too much output. But the newer ones have been designed with lower outputs. 3) In high end archtops, you will often see the neck "floating" above the body of the guitar - not glued to the top in order to allow more vibration. The New President is glued all the way - so you would think it would be less resonant - but it does not appear to cut down on its resonance because its acoustic tone is extremely loud.

FANTASTIC! The best way to describe the quality of the tone is by relating my story of when I first played a Hofner. I went to Ed Roman's Guitars in Las Vegas not intending to buy a guitar. I was just going along with my wife who had a meeting and wanted something to do. (I really did not need another archtop guitar since I already own a Gibson 175 and an Eastman 910.) I went straight to Ed Roman's jazz guitar room where he had somewhere around 20 archtops to try out. The interesting thing about Ed Romans is that they do not put prices on their guitars. So I had no idea how much a Hofner cost when I was comparing it to the other guitars there (Gibson L5's, Heritage Golden Eagle, etc...) After playing all the guitars at Ed's, I easily settled on the Hofner New President as the best sounding/playing electric archtop guitar in his store. I thought it had to be over $3000 and was flabbergasted when I found it that it sold new for only $1700! Even though I already had two nice archtops, I ended up purchasing a used New President for $1300 and I now play it almost exclusively. It???s acoustic tone really comes through ??? unlike most other archtops ??? it is very ???lively??? to play. I play fingerstyle and appreciate its responsiveness and dynamics. I WILL ALSO NOTE that the reason some people who have written reviews here say it sounds brighter than they are used to is because it really IS brighter! The reason is mainly because its pickup is located closer to the bridge than a traditional archtop because it is 24 frets. Personally, I love that tone! If you are familiar with Pat Martino, you probably know his best tone was when he used the Rivera guitar whose pickup is also located closer to the bridge to give that unusual peak in the midrange. I think it is absolutely beautiful ??? and the tone cuts through better when playing in a combo ??? it is not harsh or brittle ??? just brighter in the midrange than you are used to hearing from an L5 type guitar. (I will note that I understand that Hofner went to a 22 fret fretboard in 2007 - so I would expect the brand new ones to be darker sounding - and thus less appealing to me) I plan on posting a sound sample on YouTube when I get a chance... When I post it - it will be titled Hofner New President Demo

I have played two New Presidents - the one at Ed Romans and the used one I ended up buying. But of them sounded "plinky" on the high E string as I saw another reviewer note. I played around with my truss rod and action and my New President now plays great - but I was say not quite as good as my Eastman (which is butter!). Interestingly, my high E string is now the "best string" on the guitar - it just took a little tweaking.

It seems very sturdy - the case it comes with is extremely solid

I only called the customer service once to ask about what type of strings it came with - I ended up talking to the tech for about 30 minutes - he took a lot of time to tell me about the history of the model and features

I have played jazz guitar for about 30 years. I use an Acoustic Image Clarus 2R going into a Razer's Edge Stealth 12. My New President is my favorite guitar! My Eastman is great for a traditional jazz tone, but I like the New President for its stronger acoustic flavor, brighter midrange, and better responsiveness for playing fingerstyle - it has the ease of playing an archtop - with the responsiveness of an acoustic guitar.

Solid spruce carved top blonde f-hole jazz guitar; Laminated African Maple back and sides (couldn't ask for solid carved at this price); ebony fretboard, scratchplate and tail-piece; Kent Armstrong designed Hofner humbucker; 24 frets. Made in Germany - not made in China! The whole look is clean and very classy.

This guitar was made to play jazz, and it is excellently fit for purpose. Because of the high quality spruce carved top, the guitar has a superb acoustic sound. That's what made me buy it. Plugged in, the pickup and electrics deliver a clean, noise free jazz sound. I wouldn't (want to) use it with a distorted sound.

There is a lot to like. The asymmetric neck profile, thinner at the treble and thicker at the bass side, feels great. I don't like my necks too thin, nor too thick like on the original President, one of which I part exchanged for this. The 16th fret body join and 24 fret neck are great, but the down side is that the mellowest jazz sound is right over the end of the fretboard. I'd like it better with a 14th fret join and a 22 fret neck. The workmanship and finish are mostly first rate. there is a slight imperfection in the binding fit at the waist. I needed to adjust the pickup pole pieces after fitting tape wound strings, but the balance is spot on now.

The guitar is very well constructed and finished. It feels secure on a strap, though I've put a strap lock on the heel button. The electrics do the job with no fuss. This is a reliable guitar and I don't need a backup.

I e-mailed Hofner with some questions. They replied promptly fully and courteously. That's all I ask.

I have been playing since 1962. I am professional. I am primarily a classical guitarist, but I like to play jazz too. This guitar has the edge, soundwise, on my 1958 Gibson L7, and I love my L7! I have tried lots of archtops. Nothing comes close for the price. I do love my classical guitars best because they suit my music. However, if I lost my New President I would replace it without hesitation.

Others have gone over the specs. I give a good rating for the 2 extra frets although the knobs were slippery and hard to grip in a hurry. For a jazz guitar it has nice features.

This is where this guitar (at least the one I owned) fell woefully short. Had a fairly nice acoustic tone. But plug it in and man what the hell happened? Actually the amplified tone is sweet until you get to the high B and E strings and the tone completely and thoroughly falls off. I tried everything I knew to improve the amplified tone because it played well and was certainly beautiful and very well made. But I can only say that the upper registers were horrific: thin, anemic, low in volume and got totally lost in the mix of other instruments. Absolutely no meat what so ever. I don't know if it was the pick up or what. Finally decided that you keep a guitar foremost for reasons of sound and this guitar was useless to me.

Nicely made production guitar

Would guess it would hold up well

Can't say

Wouldn't consider buying another Hofner. I like big fat Burrell/Pass type tone and it CAN NOT be had on this guitar period

My guitar is a 2003 blonde or natural version, hand carved top in Gernmany with a beautiful African Mahogany sides and back. The label is signed. The body is 16" and about 3 3/4" thick. Bridge is Hofner ebony, as is the tailpiece and fingerboard. Real mother of pearl adorns the headstock and fingerboard. Controls are 1 volume and 1 tone on the ebony pickguard. Case with humidifer included.

Amazing! I play instrumentals and this guitar is perfect for that. Amplified you will always encounter feedback, but that can be overcome. I am using it with a little Fishman Loudbox 100 and with judicial placement it works okay. It has a carved top so it has a very rich acoustic and electric sound. The top end is surprisingly bright, and not dark like others I've played. I use 13-56 flats. There is nothing about the guitar I dislike. It is light, easy to hold sitting, and a joy to play. The only complaint (minor) is the strap button placement (on the back). That can be moved but it is a little different to get used to.

Out of the box, I had to lower the bridge to almost even. The nice thing is that it has an adjustable floater with individual pole pieces. Very nice. There are 0 flaws in construction.

It is a solid instrument, and I use it without a backup.

No response from the company.

Been playing for 35 years. I've had everything under the sun but am down to a classical, a Tak, and this Hofner. I bought on impulse as I had one before and the price was unreal. No regrets whatsoever. For the price I paid, the craftsmanship puts many other makers to shame. I had 2 Gibson ES-175's and they don't even come close. A Gibson Wes Montgomery is comparable re sound and quality. I've played and owned a lot of archtops and this is the loudest one (acoustically) I've ever heard or owned. Amazing.

One weird thing of this new president is that it looks like a Chancellor. It has 22 frets instad of 24, floating pickup fixed to the neck instead of pickguard, angled pickguard instead of smooth curves. But it does have a 16" body and the inner tag is labeled as New President. Mine is a violin finish. I gave the feature a 9 cuz the look just kills, the bridge, pickguard, tuning knobs are all ebony, and the ebony fretboard is the highest grade i had ever seen, flawless. (I use only ebony fretboard guitars) And the case is really really elegant

I play mostly smooth jazz and fingerstyle, and I feel like this one is made for me. The acoustice tone is fabulous. Though it doesn't sound like any acoustice guitar, it has the sound i'd love to play in my style. I prefer the acoustic sound and i only mike this guitar in recordings instead of using the pickup. I run the mic(Rode NT1-a) into a focusrite platinum twintrak pro mic preamp, TC electronic M one in effect loop, and goes to whatever output is. I like the pure sound from this set up over the guitar head and amp setup.

Sound has rich expression, very responsive to right hand position which is really important for me. Cuz I use right hand position to control the tone and expression. It does lack of bass punches compared to a dreadnought (which is not realy fair, i know) But it sound so sweet it makes all my acoustic guitars harsh to ears, and most important of all; balanced.

I use this guitar on almost everything I play: classical, Jazz, fingerstyle...and it can sing the tone in my mind.

The only thing to my dislike is sometimes I really need some nice acoustic punches, the bass output is hot if i run the humbucker pickup but it's only the volumn not the "air punch". And, if you are the guy that like to do slap harmonics, dont do that on this one, it produces only noises.

action is extremely low and easy to play fast on the default setting. but when i run this guitar into some serious recordings I found it buzz a lot. It's not really an issue if you play live, but it is unbearable in recordings and i spent a lotta time tweaking the bridge which really annoyed me.

the pickup is too hot on bass end, I only mike it acousticly on recordings.

frets are not dead set into the neck sometimes they stuck my nails when i was doing right hand harmonics, it never happens on my the other guitars and this hofner is the most expensive among them!

the finish is excellent but somewhat TOO fragile. even a slight nail scratch could make dent on it, i dont really like that, i hope it could be tough enough to go with me on the road cuz i love the sound sooo much.

Overall the setting is awful. I cannt believe that i have to deal with these settings so much on a 2300 USD guitar.

The guitar sounds good even live (miking only, still)
Hardware are really firm and solid
The finish is soo fragile that i dont think it could last for long..
strap button is good.
i have to be very very careful not to hurt the finish if i have to depend on it.

Not a chance to

I have been playing guitars for 15 years, my favorite guitar before Hofner is a K.Yairi handcraft dreadnought(yah i use that even on Jazz)

I should have been more careful about the buzz and frets before i went out with it, the tone just blew me away and i was too excited to reconsider.

I'd defintely find another oen if it crashed or stolen.
It sounds sooooo great despite those poor settings.
But i really hate those poor fret works and fragile finish.
My favorite feature except for sound is the looking, man i just love how it looks and it amazed everyone it met.

I wish it could have a professional setup and i'm sending it to one.

Yah it not perfect, but the acoustic tone, it's the Acoustic jazz tone. I gave it overall 10, setup is bad, but it still gave you a low tension even on a 0.13 strings set and i play it like flying on the fingerboard. The sound is just what i was looking for in past 15 years, and it looks realy really unique (i dont like the "universal gibson" looking of jazz guitars)

2003, bought new. This review takes into account expectations of an archtop at the price point (I paid US$1995).

Blond finish; ebony fretboard, tailpiece, bridge, and tuning keys. German-made. I believe the top is spruce, the back is maple, a little flamey. A true carved top (find THAT for $2K). Minimalist as is typical--one floating pickup, one volume, one tone. You can see all the details at http://www.hofner.com/index.php/component/page,shop.product_details/flypage,shop.hoefner_flypage/product_id,44/category_id,23/option,com_phpshop/Itemid,43/lang,en/

I have been playing 40 years, though am primarily a blues player and have played blues and rock gigs since I was 15. I have been studying jazz independently since college (after getting started with two teachers) but do not play jazz gigs.

It is ideal for me but I would think not up to snuff for a recording pro. The tone is very good but rather bright, not as rich or mellow as are some other more expensive archtops.

Turning down the tone control rolls off the treble but also loses richness. I used this once in a jazz workshop and got very nice results; they recorded our final concert performance and the guitar had a lot of presence on the recording. I even used it through a distortion box on one tune. I play it by leaving the tone control turned all the way up but rolling the treble way down on my amp. I can get much finer tone control on my bass/middle/treble controls on the amp.

It does tend to resonate strongly and feed back on A (open A string and 6th string at 5th fret, and also one octave up from that, hardly at all one more octave up).

I got to chat with Jack Wilkins between sets and noticed he was playing a semi-hollow. I told him about my Hofner and he said that he won't play a carved top on a gig because of the feedback, so obviously the Hofner is not unique in that regard. At the same venue, another night, I talked to Jimmy Bruno, who that night was playing a solidbody Benedetto, although now he does endorsements for Hofner. I do not know what Hofner model he plays.

Factory setup for playability was poor. It buzzed like crazy. I took it to a tech who said many of the frets weren't hammered down all the way. He dressed the frets and smoothed some sharp edges, as well as touching up the relief and lowering the action. (I play flatwound 12's).

Occasionally something inside the guitar buzzes (by inside, I mean something other than the strings), I think something under the pickguard may be touching the soundboard. It's intermittent. It could be the result of pressure I'm putting on it somewhere with my right wrist, I haven't really investigated.

There is a long crack in the finish from the tailpiece up to the pickup, although it's not noticable because it is parallel to the strings. I do not even know if it was there on receipt or if it happened later, because it is hard to notice because of it's position. I first noticed it when I got it back from the tech after the setup.

There are flaws in the inlay in the headstock and a fret marker. I was a little excited when I bought it so I didn't notice until quite some time later. I talked to customer service about it, and they were willing to exchange it, but it wasn't important enough to me to deal with at the time. You can see photos at www.seigle.net, click on the Music Room, then click on the archtop in the photo.

Workmanship on the woodwork is otherwise very good.

In the first year I had it, one of the tuning keys lost its grip. This may have been a by-product of higher humidity, as it happened in the summer. Then another. I got two replacements (they replaced the entire tuning machine, not just the key) under warranty. I took apart the ones that slipped and it appears that there is no adhesive to hold the key to the shaft, so I glued them on to keep as spares.

I do not normally gig this guitar though I have taken it to a jazz workshop in Vermont twice, and to one local gig where I did a couple of jazz solos when the rest of my band was on break. (Note: most patrons at bars that book blues bands have little interest in solo jazz guitar. That's why I only did this once.) It is reliable and seems like it would withstand lots of gigs if handled gingerly, though I wouldn't check it as baggage and I wouldn't let a drunk roadie touch it.

I was very impressed with the customer service I got from the stateside rep in California. He was very responsive to my emails and called me a couple of times. When I complained about the tuning key problem mentioned above they sent me two instead of just one (good thing too because a second one developed a problem later).

He was also concerned about the inlay issue and offered to work something out with me if I didn't want to exchange the guitar, although never came to closure. As much my fault as his.

I started playing at 7 and am now 48. I have a 2003 MIM 1950's reissue Tele, 1972/3 ES-335, 1996 PRS Custom 24, 1972 Deluxe Reverb, and a small Peavey studio amp.

I have had no surprises with this guitar. It must be said that despite my few complaints, I shopped for a couple of months before I bought it and you will not find a better new archtop for under $2000. In fact, I don't think you can find any new carved top archtop for under $2000. I even played a d'Angelico priced at $4000 that had a plywood top.

If it disappeared today and I wanted to spend the same amount of money I would probably buy it again, but I would also consider buying a used guitar. My second choice was a used Heritage Golden Eagle with beautiful tone though it was a few hundred more.

The Hofner Jazzica is also a very nice guitar, and also comes with soundhole pads to restrain feedback. But I like the more traditional styling of the New President. When shopping for this I also played the Jazzica, a used Tal Farlow, a Gibson Pat Martino, an Epiphone Joe Pass. I also played a Benedetto that was for sale at $20,000, but just for kicks. I decided I would rather have the Hofner and pay my mortgage for a year ;-)

It's fine for a guy like me who is an intermediate-to-advanced amateur jazzer, but if I were doing recording or jazz gigs I would probably pony up the bucks to get something with richer tone.

But don't get me wrong--this guitar blows away anything else in its price range and many guitars that cost twice as much.

This is a 2004 Hofner New President with a violin finish. Most of this info is below so I won't repeat it. I should point out that I just got this guitar, and will likely provide an update in a few months time.

The tone of this guitar is not unlike the all solid archtops of small luthiers. The violin finish allows the top to fully breathe and resonate, the result being a full, lush and rich tone. I am currently looking for an amp for this guitar. In the meantime I use it through a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe. The volume and tone controls are very responsive, and provide all the variety of sound I need.

As with French polished instruments, care is needed occasionally. There were a few areas that needed some touch up, but a little shellac took take of that. I lowered the floating pickup as it interferred with my picking. I've yet to have it set up by my tech as I just got it. It definitely needs some minor adjustment. I should point out the wood selection is supreme. The guitar features a AAA top and a bookmatched African maple back and sides (laminated).

I tried to email the company a few times and got no response. Not sure what that means, but I do get replies from my dealer. Time will tell I guess.

I've been playing guitar for around 35 years. I'm down to just three guitars after owning a ton of stuff. I have the Hofner, a Thompson acoustic and a Fender classical. Since I quit playing dance bands, I wanted an archtop that had more acoustic qualities. I traded my Gibson ES-175 for this guitar. It has almost as much volume as my acoustic. Of course the trade-off is more feedback. I play either solo or in a very quiet trio so feedback is really not a concern. I love everything about his guitar. I don't think you need to spend a small fortune to have a fine quality carved archtop. Those made by Eastman and Hofner prove that point.

- handcarved top
- flamed maple back and sides
- ebony fingerboard
- ebony pickgard
- gold/ebont tuners
- ken armstrong foating pick up

PLUS: a small modification I made myself, the guitar is stereo now, I added a "Pure Archtop" transducer inside the guitar (NO PIEZO!!) to add a more "acoustic edge" if neede, it brilliantly gives you the sound that you hear when you have it on your lap without an amp. I made some beautiful recordings with it.

I mean, need I go on? This guitar has all I need.

For full features listing, please see reviews below.

For the "pure archtop" look on www.kksound.com to and. The guy who owns K&K plays an old Hofner himself: follow his instructions on installation!

To describe a sound, is impossible. But it is exactly the sound I like in a jazzbox, especially after the modification I mad (see "features"). I play in a lot of styles, pop and jazz and my own poppy/jazzy stuff. I need a liitle bit more versitality than a plain jazz sound, and now I have exactly what I need.

I have to be honest here: I did not ever try to play on an archtop, but when I played on this guitar I decided to buy it immediately. I really fell in love with the guitar acoustically, and later on, plugged in.

I compared it to many archtops later on, and my impulse was the right one: this was the best I could get.

I discovered last week, that the neck was not setup right, but hey, I did not go back to the shop for the free 6 month-adjustment. I played this guitar for 3 years now without problems, as I am used to the action of flattops. But then I went to the store, got a special tool from them, and adjusted the neck and the bridge, and whew!!!! it plays like butter!! If I only THINK a note, it's already there!!!

The guitar was reasonably setup well, but I think the neck gave in a little after three years of on being on the road and being abused with 0.13 strings.

There were no flaws in construction, no flaws in finish. This guitar screams QUALITY!!!

I am glad this guitar is still unscratched, but it sure has been around! Has to do with the highgloss finish I think. It endures all the temperature changes very well, but hey, did you guys get a humidifier and a hygrometer? typically a stunt from the shop where I bought it: they seem to hold them back to sell them seperatly!!

when I have a gig with this guitar (about 40 a year) I never have a backup. I do have plenty of strings. So why bring a backup? When I break a string, I just take a short break. And what else would happen with the guitar? Okay, there are all kinds of disasters possible. But hey, did you ever have to switch guitars for another reason than a broken string? well, me neither.

normally this guitar ships with a b-string compensated bridge, but mine had a straight one. I emailed Hofner about it. They said most probably my guitar didn't need compensation, so they made a custom bridge for my guitar. But,without my asking, they took the liberty to send me a new bridge. First it was the wrong one, and then they send another one, making excuses they send the wrong part (for free!!!). I mean, it can't be any better. When you buy a Hofner, you will get the pleasure to deal with these nice people. They go the extra mile.

I am a singer/songwriter and I play to accompany myself in a kind of a "Tuck and Patty" style, with walking bass and chords at the same time.

If this one would be lost or stolen (well the price has been going up 800 euros since I bought mine, so I have to raise my insurance) I would buy the new president with the really cool "violin" finish. But only for the looks. The rest of the guitar is perfect.

This instrument has become a real companion. Sounds really corny, I know, but after saving wife and kid in a fire, I would go back in to save this guitar.

Hofner New President - blonde finish 2004

Ebony: fretboard , 24 frets, Ebony tailpiece!, Ebony cut bridge with compensated "B" string placement, Ebony Pickguard with volume and tone controls mounted, Ebony truss rod cover that says Hofner , Ebony tuning "buttons" by Schaller Ebony comment: very tight grain, NO BLONDE STREAKS!

TOP: solid german spruce top

BACK, SIDES : Laminated? Afican Maple

PICK UP: one, Ken Armsrtrong humbucker with adj. pole pieces made specifically for Hofner, the pick up has Hofner etched on it

Body style: 17" full body with venetian cutaway

Frets: Jumbo

Case: high quality Hofner Case with built in Humidifer guage

Unbelievable Jazz Guitar, the best Archtop I've played and heard on the market currently. A very impressive acoustic tone with out amplication. Very balaced sound. One can have a bright tone or a dark tone depending how you EQ the guitar, I think it sound more full as a bright EQ or flat.

The factory set up was kind of high, so we lowered it. I can play very fluently and fast on this guitar. The pickup is mounted and sounds great. The ken armstong hofner pickup is a little more hot than other Jazz guitar pickups in my opinion.

The fit was great everything matched, and the bridge was cut and intonated very well. This gutiar stays in tune very , very well; I think it's due to the bridge , nut and the great Schaller tuners!

The only flaw was the 23rd and 24th fret were not correctly placed in the neck, they aren't loose ; but it does detract from a cosmetic standpoint. ( I did call the Hofner USA and they said it would repaired under warranty with no out of pocket expense, unless I had to ship it if I couldn't find a authorized repair place; however, shipping is explained in the warranty information)

This guitar is extremely well built, nice and clean joints inside, the finish looks great and the wood will darken nicely over time. (dark woods go light, light woods go dark over time) Hardware appears to be good qaulity and it's gold plated. I purchased this guitar since I didn't want to use my vintage guitars on stage anymore; If this guitar was to be stolen or damaged; I can order or find a new one from Hofner co. I use this guitar professionaly in the studio and on stage mostly.

I've dealt with the Hofer USA co. directly with the US Rep. They are very professional and returned my agent's call promptly. The warranty is for 2 years parts and labor minus any shipping if neccesary. I would definately purchase more Hofner products if need be....

This truely is a great archtop guitar; I had a budget of about 2500.00 dollars. I compared this guitar to Heritage: Heritage didn't match up in value, acoustical sound (how does the guitar sound and vibrate with out a amp), Heritage didn't match up in playing action compared to hofner. Gibson is just way too expensive for the quality these days. Eastman has too bad of reputation for customer relations , quality ; and Hofner still beat them in price. I also would have to mail order a Eastman, also made in China! Epiphone Elites were almost the same price and with tune-0-matic birdges? Also, Epiphone is notorious for cheap electronics and materials. Hofner is the best playing archtop on market especially for value of a new instrument with a decent company that stands behind their product. I would purchase this instrument becuase I think eventually the price will go up...for the amount of materials (Ebony, schaller tuners, ken armstrong pickups, african maple, german spruce) the price will go up to compete with Heritage and others. Germany always makes high quality products and this guitar is good example.

new in 2002 (I got it Jan. 2003) German made (as far as I know) acoustic archtop. solid spruce top, laminate maple back and sides. Maple neck, 24 (!) frets, ebony board, 25.5 scale. Single passive floating minihumbucker ("johnny smith" style), made by Kent Armstrong. Volume and tone knobs mounted on pickguard

Classic 16 inch jazzbox style, single round cutaway, floating ebony bridge, ebony-over-brass tailpiece. Schaller tuners with ebony knobs. Glossy finish, probably some kind of poly, maybe laid on a little thick. But zero evidence of ripples, drips, or uneven-ness. Glorious quilty/curly figure on maple sides, which are darker than typical blond maple. Very faint flame on neck

All the features you want in an acoustic archtop, except maybe piezo pickups? But they don't usually sound all that good

case come with humidity gauge and a slick little humidifier in it.

Rich, big, clear--the archtop sound, not compromised by pickups in the top or knobs. You don't get the lavish overtone series you get in a flat-top, or the same kind of sustain. You get a big, midrangy, powerful sound that cuts. it's the classic jazzbox sound--not at all muddy, unless that's what you want. I use it with an Allesandro working dog and a fender princeton reverb. It's a different instrument than a solidbody or a flat-top. You have to approach it differently. It's great for jazz because you get all that clutter of overtones out of the sound and you can really hear the harmony.

I'm comparing this to my buddy's 1954 gibson l-7, which he's had for twenty plus years. The gibby has a wamer tone, softer, more mellow. Could be the lower arch, could be that it's fifty years old and has been played hard. I liked the acoustic tone of the hofner a lot right away, after spending over an hour comparing it with the Hofner Jazzica. The new prez was deeper sounding, fuller. I took it home and played it a lot for a few weeks, and it has opened up and softened up a good deal. I usually play it unamplified, and as I get to know it it's getting closer to the sound of that l-7. At this point I would say that while the guitar has excellent balance, the midrange is the sweetest. The high is slightly brittle, and the low booms a tiny bit. But one of the things I loved about this guitar right away was the really superb balance. It plays extremely well in every register, and evenly. I raised the pickups screws under the E and B string and that made them less brittle: I expect them to mellow out more as the guitar ages/plays in. It's improved substantially in a couple weeks

Plugged in there is quite a range of sounds, from a brighter, twangier old country (pre telecaster) sound, to a classic minihumbucker jazz sound--not as muddy as a full bucker, but smooth and full. there's great balance, and the guitar plays nicely in tune (as in tune as a gitar get get) up and down the neck. The 24 frets are nice, tho truthfully I'm not gong above 15 very often

It's a gorgeous tone. No, it won't sound like a solidbody, or even like a two pickup archtop. That's not what i wanted.

Archtops are hard to find. My main comparison is with my friend's L-7. I don't think it's as good as that guitar, but wait a bit. Also it was at least 1000 less than what a comparable l-7 would go for. is it as good as one of the high end, small maker archtops.? I doubt it. But it's a great guitar--really--for the price

Impeccable: finish is flawless. No drips, runs, low spots, ripples. No fret buzz at all, action is quite low with very slight relief ( I would not want the action any lower). No buzzes or rattles. I raised a couple pickup pole pieces slightly, but other than that it's perfect. The store set it up with flats, 13 on the top, and I can't find a single thing to complain about. I've built four guitars from scratch, including making the necks, cutting the slots, etc, so I'm not inexperienced at this

Action, fit and finish are flawless. The neck is like a fast acoustic guitar neck, rather than like an electric guitar neck. it's deep and wide, substantial but not chunky. It's not one of those pencil necks you see on, say, an ibanez metal guitar. It's carved in a way (more shallow on the treb side) that maximizes playability, but it still feels like an acoustic guitar neck. A lot of high end archtops have a vaguely electric feeling neck, feels slighly off to me. I'm still trying to find a finish flaw

Here's one: I'm not crazy about the way the tailpiece looks, and I wish it had a smaller, slimmer pickguard. The finish seems a little bit thick. OK, now it's a nine

Yeah reliable I guess. it's not a telecaster, it's a more sensitive mostly solid wood archtop. I kind of don't get this category. I would be totally confident gigging this--I did do one brief gig with it-- this without a backup. It has gold strap pins and a gold pickup cover, which I'm not crazy about, and in my experience the gold wears off. We'll see

Don't know

Stunning. I've played bass and guitar, jazz and your less overdriven forms of blues and soul for over twenty years. Jazz is my love. I'm pretty stunned by this thing. I've been looking seriously for an archtop for a long time now--at least five years of serious looking. The low end of the archtop market is pressed and laminated and just doesn't get a good acoustic sound. The high end is, well, take out a second mortgage. You can find an old Epi for under 3000, but you've got the problems that come with a 50 year old guitar, and they're somebody else's problems. I don't know how they manage to deliver this much guitar at this price. Really, it's remarkable. Try one--you'll be stunned. I've owned a lot of guitars and this is not a puffed up review.

It's easy playing, rich sounding, and pretty for the most part. A player's axe for sure, for a real price. You could pay that much in a second for a fancy solid body. But this is a reall jazz guitar in the traditional sense

This is a made-in-Germany, carved solid-top spruce, laminated flamed maple sides and back archtop. Fingerboard is ebony, and the very unique feature of this archtop is that it has 24 frets. I do not believe there is another archtop in the world that has a 24-fret neck (with easy access to the very highest one). Other features are already stated by the previous reviewer, but I have to repeat that this is one lovely, exquisitely-made archtop that defies logic for the price. Maybe the laminated back and sides save some manufacturing costs, but the concensus seems to be that lamination in those places do not affect tone. The tone comes from the solid carved top. I can find only one thing to nitpick on: The cable from the Kent Armstrong floating pickup goes through the top via a small hole on the top of the guitar at the end of the fingerboard; why didn't Hofner just route the cable to the f-hole? There must be a good reason, but it bothers me to have a tiny hole drilled into the top; however, you would never know it unless you looked carefully. The ebony pickguard and tailpiece contribute to Hofner's theme of minimizing the amount of metal/plastic and maximizing the amount of wood. Let me repeat, this is a lovely guitar that looks as if it could have come from a custom builder.

Acoustically the President has everything you would expect from a fine archtop. I would suspect that the solid carved spruce top will improve with age and playing. Amplified, it has that classic jazz tone that defines what a jazz archtop is all about. The Kent Armstrong pickup has ample output and low noise, and feedback is easily tamed with judicious location of guitar in relation to the amp. The guitar sounds good no matter what kind of amp is used, including headphone practice amps.

There are no flaws that I could find after 4 months of ownership. Hofner's quality control must be first-rate; my President looks and feels like it came straight from the shop of a master guitar builder.

I cannot give a valid assessment in this category after 4 months of ownership. I do not gig with this guitar; however, there is nothing that indicates it would not last if given the proper care that any guitar deserves.

So far I have not had to deal with the distributor.

Prior to purchase I played a number of other archtops -- Guild Award Artist, Heritage, D'Angelico (the imported ones), and Gibsons. In this price range there is nothing else that comes close. Maybe Hofner does not have the name recognition in the US, but in Europe it is very well-known. Hofner's claim to fame is the famous Beatles bass that Paul McCartney uses, but they sure make one great archtop.

Year Made 2002. 90% handmade in Germany. Spruce top, maple sides and back. The figuring on the back is excellent and very pretty. Single Kent-Armstrong floating pickup. Ebony pick guard, ebony volume and tone control knobs, ebony tuning knobs, ebony fret board, hand carved maple neck that is slightly eccentric to the low-string side. Very comfortable.

See the Jazzica reviews for other features as they share most everything. I'm sure I've left out a lot of features. Everything is first rate.

The main difference in the New President (like the old President) vs the Jazzica is that this is a full size archtop just like a Gibson L5. It's about 4 inches in depth from neck joint to lower bout. It has traditional f holes rather than the Jazzica's stylized f holes. The appearance is of a very traditional jazz box a'la Gibson, Guild, etc.

I did a lot of on-line and in-store research. For half the price of a Gibson, I got a solid wood (no laminate), hand carved (not pressed), full ebony fingerboard (not rosewood), high-end guitar. Like a Jazzica reviewer mentioned - Hofner could sell this guitar for twice the price and get it with no problem. Let's face it. The jazz box market is pretty limited. When someone needs a big archtop, they accept the fact that they are expensive in general. Get a Hofner before the price goes up.

For the record, I've had this for three months, not three days. So far, no problems except the pick guard (See fit and finish).

In a word - beautiful. I use it with a Marshall AS50R acoustic amp. wonderful, bright, full tone just as I would expect from a solid wood archtop.

I use it for jazz accompanying, jazz soloing, and for more fusion type jazz like Larry Carlson/Rippingtons type stuff.

Handles everything great. I use a solid body Alvarez (strat clone) and a Vox AD60VT amp for the blues. Jazz is my interest, blues is my escape.

So all in all, it's a jazz box. Plain and simple.

Guess what I'm going to say. Yup, the fit and finish are perfect. German craftsmanship. Nothing else to say.

The only problem was the pick guard was lose at the neck end. It seems the screw hole was too big for the screw. It tried fitting a slightly larger screw but the ebony was too hard to be re-tapped using a screw. I finally fixed it with double-sticky model airplane "servo" rubber tape. Has been stuck in place ever since. I don't know why or how this happened. Could have been done at the dealer or the factory. this was a little disappointing but has turned out to be no big deal. The quality of this quitar far out weighs some small problem like this.

Came with a large case with tweed covering. I've had it three months and the tweed will get dirty in a hurry. But the case itself will last for years and protect the guitar for as long as it holds together.

The case even has a hydrometer and a humidifier built in.

I gave it a 9 only because of the pick guard being lose. I really don't think it left the factory that way.

It will certainly hold up like any other guitar. If you drop it, it will get dings. If you treat it with care, it won't. The hardware is first quality. The gold finish is holding up fine. The overall finish is glossy and reasonably thick. The wood is solid too - not too thin.

The strap buttons are solid.

I always keep a backup. I have an Epiphone semi-hollow body that is always close at hand. I prefer the Hofner and have not had a problem, but I don't like driving my car for three hours without a spare tire either.

Overall the guitar has been very dependable so far.

I bought it from Jeff Hale Music Supply. He has been an email or phone call away. I highly recommend him.

As for Hofner - they are distributed by Boosey-Hawkes. I think they are in England (but I'm not certain).

I haven't dealt with them or Hofner.

I have been playing for forty years - blues - light rock. - folk - fingerpicking, bluegrass. Jazz for one year.

I own a high-end Lowden f32c flat top, the Epiphone alleykat I mentioned previously, and an Alvarez fender clone. Amps are the Marshall acoustic and the vox. I have owned fenders, martins, customs, ibanez, and a Sears silvertone (that was a long time ago).

There is nothing more I could ask for with this guitar for Jazz. It's wonderful, beautiful, and makes me a better player. If you've never played a real ebony fingerboard you owe it to yourself to try one for an hour or so. I bet with round-wounds on it, it would make an excellent un-amp'd acoustic too.

I like everything about his guitar. Haven't found anything to not like.

As for lost or stolen - I've gotta ask how does somebody lose a $2000 guitar? stolen, yes - lost, hmmm. If anyone wants to lose their guitar in front of my house, be my guest.

Overall, this is one terrific archtop. It does what an archtop is supposed to do, perfectly. It needs nothing.

GET ONE before the price goes up. Dollar for dollar, feature for feature, it will kick a Gibson, Epiphone, Guild, etc. archtop to the curb.