Hofner Travel Guitar

Sparkly dark blue Chinese made re-issue. Small body, single humbucker, pleasantly wide neck. Made as a travel guitar and serves its purpose very well - cheap enough not to panic if its lost / bashed, small and light enough to carry about, even the nylon gig bag that it comes with is pretty good.

Bought 18 months ago - still going well.

Unplugged much louder than expected -loud enough for messing about. I completed my travel guitar set up with one of those fag packet amps.

With everything turned up full you get a fairly decent sound. Difficult to get a more toned down 'clean' sound but possible. Surprisingly bluesy.

Bought mine via ebay from a guitar shop in Harrogate on someone else's recommendation (some reviewers complained about factory set up, this guy seemed to be taking the time to set the guitars up properly before dispatch).

Very playable, comfortable action. Neck is wide enough without being cumbersome.

Cosmetically one flaw - the chrome coating on the bridge had been scraped of (I presume during set up). Can't say it really bothers me. Paintwork on body seems robust, neck is nicely finished (not a glossy finish - sort of satin)

Very slight fret buzz on one string - otherwise very good,

The basics - the neck,body etc - seem pretty sturdy.

Electrics only cause for concern. Others have noted that the tone and volume pots are mounted on the scratch plate - I've had a couple of poor contact moments but nothing that cannot be fixed.

Mine has survived the interest and attention of my two toddlers over the past year or so, including a jumping incident (aagh!).

N/A - no real issues, electrics noted above just needed tightening up a little.

Came to this guitar after a few years with a lovely Fender tele-deluxe and an old Gibson.

The neck on the Hofner is not AS nice but its pretty good. The sound plugged in again can't match the Fender but is acceptable - you could probably gig with it but to me that's over and above what I wanted from it. As a travel guitar to mess about with its absolutely fine.

I picked up a new shorty via ebay and it cost peanuts (??45). Well whats to say, looked lovely, really nice quality neck with nicely finished , tidy frets (24). The body is apparently maple and I took out the pickup and scratch plate and it looks to be the case. The finish is in a black sparkle but you really have to look hard for the sparkle finish. Tuners are groover style and do the job as it keeps in tune as well as my other guitars ( Usa fender and Gibson LP. It has a standard full scale neck and a combined bridge and tail piece which looks ok but probably not too good quality but does the job. The single bridge Humbucker is a pretty cheap effort ( I took it out as it was an offront to mankind) and the pots are similar (they went too!). Has a pretty good quality nylon case with the Hofner logo emroidered on to it. Its a bit difficult to rate as its cheap as chips and the stock pup and pots are absolute pants but if you take them out, you have potentially a very good travel guitar which if you put some decent parts in plays very well.So the rating is for my new improved shorty. I would rate the original as a 4. Spend ??50 on decent bits and bobs a proper set up and some decent strings and halleluja its a babe which is the equal of a ??300 plank

I got it to take away on trips and in my camper van to play on an Orange micro crush or similar. With a Tonerider pickup and some decent pots, it is ideal and will vie with my Washburn Rover for a berth depending on my mood. As such I`m rating the sound as it is modded up, as to be honest the original parts were so bad I would have left it gather dust. Its plays really well through the orange for classic rock/ hard rock and can even shred when needed to. On clean with the tone knob turned down it is ideal for blues and mellow fruitfulness. Obviously with just one pup in it , it is somewhat limited but i tend to play mostly on the bridge pickup on my other guitars so i`m happy

well i spent ??50 on a proper set up at the Well Guitar Clinic in North Wales and it was well worth it. The original set up was ok but by adjusting the nut and lowering the bridge ( and ripping out the in situ excuse for a pickup) it is a pleasure to play. It is neck heavy but with a strap its surprising how quickly you get acustomed to supporting the neck and slouching its fine as is playing it in bed ( don`t ask!)

will come back to you on this but it looks rugged and if bent well its a hundred quid and not the end of the world

No experience

Key to the Shorty`s appeal is its function, its a travel guitar, unless you have a hankering to emulate Michael J Fox that is. Its not particularly pretty, but is compact and stowable. Taking a prized guitar either on a plane or train is just a total pain and its heart breaking to ding one of your beauties, or it takes up so much room it becomes a nuisance- non of these apply to the Shorty, it can be abused and just stuck in a corner and its no problem. The curret price that these can be picked up at means they are replaceable,and even suping them up can be done for hardly anything, as it is pickups like the Toneriders are approaching the quality of SD`s and the like,at less than half the price and if you stick a decent pickup in then low and behold you have a decent little guitar which is actually a lot of fun to play. Am I glad I got it yes definitely, am I glad i paid the same price as the guitar to upgrade it and set it up,most definitely. The upgrade is crucial in my books otherwise it is not very appealing and sounds rubbish. Plug the upgraded shorty into a decent valve amp and bingo! plug it into a micro cube a micro crush or the DA 5 and you can make lunch breaks, hotels, rainy days in camper vans and any other place you just wished you had a guitar with you an indulgence. Get one cheap and pimp it up and you won`t have wasted your cash. Get one don`t do any thing to it- cash wasted. Simple really. Rating for pimped up.

??57 brand new. I picked this up as I travel and am just learning to play. The neck is of a good quality with 24 frets and a good action. The guitar would not stay in tune to start with - I changed to Wilkinson Tuners and changed the strings - now stays in tune. There is a humbucker and volume and tone for amplification. The pickup was not parallel to the strings so I modified it and the change in sound was instant.

This is not an easy guitar to play from two points.
1. There is nothing to rest on your lap so you need a strap, but it will not balance - I added a piece of Maple above and parallel to the neck and that is fine now. This still makes the Guitar small enough to pack into the travel case, and matches the neck.
2. You have to get used to having your right hand suspended in the air as there is nothing to rest it on. This is not as big a problem, but you can end up doing a lot of palm damping as you get used to it.

I still rate the guitar a 7, as its main feature is portability and it hits the nail on the head there

I started playing guitar to learn the blues - particularly Gary Moore - progress is slow, but I cannot blame the guitar for that !!
Before I changed the position of the pickup the guitar sounded poor. This was such a simple thing to fix though and made a big difference. I had to bring the back end of the pickup up about 2mm to get the strings to run parallel to the coils. I use a VOX headphone amp that is OK in the hotel room. Recently I got a Roland MicroCube that is excellent for practice (also is battery operated for travel).
I am not qualified to comment further on the sound as I am in my first year of playing.

Manufacturing flaws were not an issue. The action was nice and low. I like the neck. Its fairly slim.

As stated it would not stay in tune to start. I changed the tuners to Wilkinsons and the strings - not sure what cured it but its no longer an issue. This bought the cost of the guitar up to ??75.

Mostly no comment - gut feel is that it will last OK.

I have an Epiphone Les Paul. I bought the Hofner through e-bay, and on reflection I think I would never have bought it if I had tried to play it first.

But:

Having modified it there is no way I would sell it. I like being able to walk discretely into a hotel with the Hofner, to practice in peace. The biggest risk is that someone will think you have a rifle over your shoulder, not a guitar!

Would I buy another if lost / broken / stolen? Probably.

I would definately buy another travel guitar but I would look at my options and funds first, however at this price point there is not a huge choice

I picked this up whilst waiting to test out another guitar and was pleasantly surprised. The neck was of a very good quality with 24 frets and a playable action. The machine head is also a good one. There is a humbucker and volume and tone for amplification. Unfortunately it is hard to reach beyond the 20th fret. You need a strap and you have to get used to having your right hand suspended in the air as there is nothing to rest it on.

It is about the same as a normal electric umamplified. With amplication the sound is adequate but I bought it realy to play along to MTV in hotel rooms so I don't really expect to plug it in.

Perfectly set up which considering the price was very pleasing.

The woods used on the neck are very strong. I think the knobs might eventually wobble and break but to make music unamplified it seems fine. I would not gig with it, although it does provide an option of taking two guitars in one case with this as a backup if I have to travel to a gig by public transport.

No idea

Some travel guitars have a built in amp but they are still quite large. This one can fit inside a suitcase (only just though) to while away the dull moments on a holiday. It only cost eighty five pounds and it was a totally different guitar (rather than just another bargain) so it is certainlt worth a try.

This is the re-issue of the eighties favourite 'Shorty' guitar, very similar to that seen in the opening scenes of the movie 'Back to the Future', when Marty blows up a rather large amp! This is a budget chinese made travelling guitar. I'm not sure what woods are used. It has a single (hofner) humbucker pick-up, single volume and tone controls, fixed bridge and tailpiece, and an incredibly small body. The neck is full length. The body has a metallic red, blue, or black finish (I have the red) and the neck is bolt on. It comes with a padded gig bag, and in my case cheap cable. Have rated 8/10 for features as although this guitar is slim on features it is not designed to be a main guitar and in my opinion has all the features you need in a travlling guitar.

Sound is surprising good. Acoustically it is bright and clear and through an amp it does not dissapoint. Though it only has the one pick-up and therefor no configuration options I found the tone control to be far more expressive than on my other guitars (A 70's Fender Strat, and a Les Paul Standard). This guitar has been bought as a travelling guitar so I use it acoustically or through a Marshall MS-2 mini battery amp. I have however put it through my Marshall amp at home and it sounded quite impressive. I play a bit of everything and although the range of sounds are limited I found the single humbucker both warm at the one end of the tonal range and pleasantly bright at the other. Again my score reflects that this guitar is not designed to be a main or performance guitar.

I bought mine from a local guitar shop, and I get the impression that they had perhaps not quite put in the effort with the shorty in light of its cheaper price tag. The strings were not all in the guides which was a poor first impression. However once this was corrected the action was impressive and the guitar plays very well. Finish is NOT perfect, the cable socket surround is not curved quite to match the curve of the body, the metal tailpiece is not as 'shiny and flawless' as on more expensive guitars, and the paint finish (on mine at least) has a couple of small imperfections at the neck join. I know some reviewers say their tuners are plastic. Tuners on mine are metal, and are ok, but I would prefer them a little tighter. Once again these are issues that had the guitar carried a ??300 price tag I would have worried, but at ??85 what do you expect?

This is not designed to be a performance guitar, but if I had to I think it would probably be ok as a one off. The finish seems quite thick and solid. I think the cheaper hardware will probably age faster than it should, but aren't we all meant to crave that vintage look these days? I think its actually very well made for what it is, and what it costs.

No issues, so no comment

I've been playing for a couple of years, and my other guitars are a Fender 70's Strat, a Les Paul Standard, and an Epiphone PR5E acoustic. I bought this guitar as my wifes parents live away and we frequently visit for weekends, I used to take my Les Paul when I could but everytime we went I was terrified of someone damaging my pride and joy. I also travel for work and until I bought my shorty did not dare take a guitar with me.

If my shorty were stolen I would buy another the next day, as a traveller it is great. Of course it's not as good as my other guitars but it doesn't claim to be, and it cost a fraction of the price. We all know that you get what you pay for, so as long as your expectations are realistic you won't be dissapointed with a shorty. When looking for a travelling guitar your options are limited. You can buy a Squier junior, which is basically a kids guitar and still quite big. Or you could go for a Fender Speedster, but do you really wanna pay ??300 + for a guitar that you'll only play on occasional trips, and that you're going to be throwing around with your other baggage.

If you want a guitar that is small and light, easy to transport around anywhere and actually sounds pretty good considering its cost, I think the Shorty is the best choice. Best of all, if one day you get careless with it and it does get damaged, at ??85 quid buying another won't reduce you to tears !

2005 OR 2006....JUST PURCHASED FROM musicians friend for 80 bucks. i love the shape of the guitar. but it's a cheapie alright. the knobs seem plastic as well as the tuners. there's some paint issues as well. but the frets are amazingly good. and it plays so easily...action was great too. but the biggest problem was getting comfie with it while sitting. it was nearly impossible.

i haven't played it amplified yet.

action was very good. everything else was good as well.

not sure if it will last. the hardware is hardly hard. :0 but for 80.00 what the hell do you want? i bought mainly because i wanted a guitar like warren from missing persons. like the one he used back in the early 80s. it's definitley cool looking. just get new tuners and knobs...and i think it's pretty damn good for the money.

been playing for 20 years or so. i own two fenders, one american one mexican...one prs ce 22 20th anniversary model, epiphone classic les paul quilt and a killer sitar (japanese made guitar/akira takasaki/loudness), mesa boogie triple rec and shitload of effects. whammy pedal, morely wah, etc...chose it because of price and looks.

Small body travel guitar, single humbucker at the bridge, black sparkle finish, Gibson scale length 24.75".

The one I picked sounds pretty good. The humbucker has a loud, bright, somewhat harsh sounds, but warms up pretty nicely when the treble is rolled off. Note definition is good, and it seems capable of some pretty good blues and ZZ-top-type licks. Some reviewers have complained of weak-sounding pickups, but that was not my experience.

OK, but not great. The store had 4 of these on display, and I tried each of them. The other 3 had real tuning-stability/intonation issues so I picked the one that seemed the best of the bunch. I wanted a red one, but all the store's red ones had some stinkiness, so I settled for black.
Neck is fine, frets are level but a bit rough on the edges.
Even though I took the pick of the litter, it still needed some tweaking when I got home. Two of the strings kept going sharp, the result of a badly finished nut. I took off the strings, dressed the guilty nut-slots and put some graphite (pencil lead) in the slots, and the problem was solved. At the price I think buyers may have to expect they'll need to do some adjustments.

I have a number of really good guitars... this isn't really one of them. But, hey, it's an $80 travel guitar. At that price, I don't expect anything approaching perfection, just something to make do with on frequent business trips. I'm giving it a decent overall rating because it exceeds my expectations at the price.
My advice to future buyers is to check the guitar out carefully before purchasing. It's clear from the other reviews and from the inconsistencies in the 4 I examined that the quality of these things can be pretty spotty. But if you can find decent a example you've getting a bargain.
I'm happy to get a small, cheap, easily transportable guitar (fits in an overhead bin) that plays acceptably. I travel on business almost every week and need something to practice on and divert me in the hotel room at night.

Not sure of the year made. 1990's I'm guessing. Solid, flat top body. Basically just a small oddly shaped piece wood (not sure what kind) with black glossy finish. Bolt on maple neck with rosewood fingerboard (or some simulation thereof). Single humbucker pickup (brand unknown) with tune-o-matic bridge. Tuners were decent enough, Grover -style, I think. Please pardon my ignorance, as I am not a guitar tech-head. Came with a gig bag and a cheap cable. I bought it because it was so darn cute at a really low price (the reason it was so inexpensive would become clear later...let's just say you get what you pay for!) Oddly balanced with a strap and nearly impossible to play balanced on your leg. But initially I was willing to give it a chance.

Sound? Didn't even get to play it long enough to realize it's full potetntial. Played it through a Pignose mostly. Sounded decent enough with effects applied or clean. Pickups were quiet. Not too bad soundwise overall, but not very powerful sounding either. Decent enough humbucker sound, I'd say. Definitely benefited from some electronic enhancement. Not a good unamplified sound at all.

Guitar came pretty well set up. Action was okay. I didn't need to adjust anything. Not the most comfortable neck; a little too thin for my taste. Wood on fingerboard really cheap and not well finished. Frets were not well filed. Finish was solid black so no complaints there. Not too fond of the proximity of pickup to bridge. Also bridge was way at the bottom of the body. Didn't leave much room for picking hand. Body a bit too small overall, but it IS a travel guitar after all.

I would not reccomend this guitar to anyone under any circumstances (live, studio or as a back-up!). Let me explain. Intonation started to go out of whack very soon after I got it. Bridge adjustment did nothing to remedy the situation. Had it as low as it could go. Action was very high at twelfth fret. Realized then that the neck had warped near the 2nd fret. Truss rod adjustment did nothing. Neck was also twisted! Cheap materials were the main culprit. Fingerboard was poorly glued on. Not only that, I accidently bumped the tone knob against something and the whole pickguard cracked into several pieces. Even tried to glue it together, but it was hopeless, the knobs were bolted direcly onto a 1mm thin piece of cheap plastic. Guitar was hopeless after that needless to say. Beware, beware, beware!

Bought from a eBayer. No warranty as I remember. Threw it out in a fit of anger after trying to adjust the neck and realizing it was beyond repair. Lesson learned.

I've been playing for over 25 years now;semi-professionally years ago,
now just in my spare time. I would never,EVER buy another one of these. It lasted a total of 6 months at the most. I found very little to like about this guitar, in retrospect. It was impulse buying at it's worst. Because for some reason I wanted a travel guitar, it looked really neat and the price was right. As I said, it was fairly
uncomfortable to play, had only mediocre sound, and proved to be completely unreliable. Not worth a dime!

Small body, 24.75 inch scale, one humbucker, one volume, one tone, wrap over bridge.

Neck unfinished but I quite like the feel.

Black sparkle body. Don't know what wood the body is made from.

A decent heavy nylon bag supplied with guitar. Only problem is it looks a bit like a gun bag... the staff asked me to open it at Heathrow last week but I think they were just curious.

This guitar is suprisingly loud when played acoustically.

The sound of the pick up is probably the worst thing about this guitar. I replaced it with a Epiphone one that I got off ebay for #5 and now the sound is quite acceptable.

I play it through a Marshall MG15DFX at home and Korg Pandora PX4 out and about.

Actually mine was set up quite well.

The supplied strings were weedy so I replaced them with 10's. The intonation was good but the action a little high so I lowered it.

There were no real howling faults when it was supplied it just needed a little tweaking.

Not owned it for long but it looks tough. The paint on the body is thick.

I don't gig.

n/a

Playing 2 years other guitars are 1983 Ibanez AM50 and a lite ash tele.

For the money I think that it is great. It is light and compact, it fits in the overhead bins with room to spare. Took it to a conference a few weeks ago to while away the odd hour and it was fine.

A collegue also owns one so we compared them and mine was the better of the two. So if you buy one it is probably best to go to a shop and pick the one you want. I was lucky to get a good one by mail order.

Solved the balance problem by using the strap like an acoustic with a string around the headstock just by the nut.

If it was lost or stolen I'd buy another it is just so useful for traveling.

I give this guitar a good mark relative to it's price and intend purpose.

Chinese made shorty travel guitar in dark blue metallic
details as above. neck width is widish but thin, mine actually gets thinner from about the 7th fret up. neck finish is matt with a nice timber feel. I noticed the head is spliced on with a bevelled joint .

Acoustically suprisingly loud & resonant. pickup is reasonably powerfull with a good bark. Like someone said, a single sound guitar

factory set up poor. quality contol is farly poor. The neck pocket is not flat so the neck is slightly angled in the body - higher on bass side. This isn't helped by the nut being slightluy proud on the bass side. Also there appears to be a slight twist in the neck the same way, but the action is low without buzzes so it may be an optical illusion. the 12 frett dots are not centred equally between the frets and the edge marker dotsa are equally p1ssed. plays ok though

I mainly twiddle for my own amusement, the main role for tyhis guitar is so I can play when away on holiday/ business, also for annoying the wife & kids when they're watching telly. Body finish seems tough enough rating based on fitness for purpose

no need

I've been playing on & off for 30 years and have previously owned a fender Strat ('74 - good sound but crap to play) and a Rickenbacker semi. I still own a '63 Hofner galaxie that I've recently customized, plus a 50s Framus archtop My two AC30s have long gone and I now use a Line 6 spider II.
This guitar is great for what it was bought for & I would replace it if it got nicked I like being able to play it while slumped on the sofa.
I wish I'd got the red though as the blue colour is too dark (nearly black)