Hofner Veri-Thin

Mine's a '64 with a flame maple back and comparatively plain spruce top. Hofner was famous for violins, so that makes it a little bit less backwards to those of us raised with Les Pauls. Mine has a translucent cherry finish that has faded at least as nicely as a similar era 345,355, etc (I have one of those too). It's a gorgeous body shape, though people are always comparing to a 335, its shallow cutaways remind me more of the '67 Gretsch Viking I used to have. Extremely thin body, no center block, and single coil pickups mean A)it's delicate B)it'll feedback A LOT with too high a gain saturation and C)the pickup output is not as high as P90, though it has some very similar tonal characteristics and excellent tonal range. Pearloid Pickguard (probably not original, repros available through musicground.com) and bisby (probably not either) it is a well equipped, classic looker with amazing tone.
There is a sticker on the back of the headstock from Andy's guitars in Denmark street in London. Having visited that place, I know that over there they're aware of the collector value ot 60's Hofners.
Fortunately for me this one somehow ended up in Texas where they are not. $200.

The pickups are noisy by themselves (they're single coils, this is normal), and the middle position takes a good deal of knob twisting to sound balanced as both neck and bridge are VERY loud and tonally opposed. Best advice would be to bring the tone of the neck all the way open and rein in the tone on the bridge (and volume) slightly to match. That being the case, you can get some interesting range all the way from ES 330 (not enough sustain to be comparable to 335 or center block models)through Gretsch (mid position) and Rickenbacker (bridge), making it a very useful and versatile guitar, a good investment, and with its inlay work and pearloid p/g and translucent cherry, I think it's prettier than the ES330.
The neck is also unusually nicely radiased for people with huge hands like mine. Nice and thick too, all in all one of the best feeling necks I've found.
Right now I'm using a pair of BITMO modded Epi Valve Juniors in stereo with mismatched (ALNiCo & Ceramic) 12's in Bell & Howell cabinets and a Vox tonelab SE. For any purists out there who think inexpensive rigs are "getting what you pay for", I have a top-boost tube rectified AC30 with celestion blues and a Matchless Lightning 15 that sit around my closet now when I go to sessions or live, because stereo 5W class A and mic'd cabs actually sounds better and especially with hollowbodies) makes feedback less of a problem.
I'd give its sound a higher rating if it had a bit more sustain. It does great for sounds like U2's "One" where it's punchy and bluesy, but for a lot of the stuff I like playing that uses open strings, my two filter tron equipped Gretsches have moreof the ringing I need. It does have a very unmistakeable characteristic growl to it's breakup though. Not quite Fender nor Gretsch and more articulate than a humbucker.

When any of this was relevant (1964), I was not yet born, so I've no idea. The Hofners that are still made today apparently have excellent fit & finish though, so I'd be surprised if it had ever been bad. Germans aren't exactly known for being inexact about much of anything.

I wouldn't risk it if I had an option.
Perhaps were I at the point where I had guards and roadies and anvil cases for everything, but another great thing about gretsches? They're still made about the same. The new Hofner is much more of a jazz box than this was.

Never contacted.

If I could find another one affordably, I'd buy it even though mine has not been stolen.
I have (currently) two boutique amps, but have been through about ten. I'm also addicted to modding little Valve Junior heads for customization. I have a 60's Gibson ES345 TDSV, a Gretsch Malcolm Young Signature, a Gretsch Light Blue Pearl Jet, a Casio DG20 Digital guitar MIDI controller, a Parker Nitefly, a Les Paul Signature, a Jazzmaster reissue, and a tele w/Bigsby. Effectswise I've used Lovetones pedals, Z Vex pedals, digitech, I have a Matchless HotBox and DirtBox, and a Vox Tonelab SE. The Tonelab can't do quite what $5,000 worth of boutique handwired pedals can do, but since it costs less than 1/10th of that, I think I'll forgive it. I've played for 14 years semi-preofessionally.

Mine's a '64 with a flame maple back and comparatively plain spruce top. Hofner was famous for violins, so that makes it a little bit less backwards to those of us raised with Les Pauls. Mine has a translucent cherry finish that has faded at least as nicely as a similar era 345,355, etc (I have one of those too). It's a gorgeous body shape, though people are always comparing to a 335, its shallow cutaways remind me more of the '67 Gretsch Viking I used to have. Extremely thin body, no center block, and single coil pickups mean A)it's delicate B)it'll feedback A LOT with too high a gain saturation and C)the pickup output is not as high as P90, though it has some very similar tonal characteristics and excellent tonal range. Pearloid Pickguard (probably not original, repros available through musicground.com) and bisby (probably not either) it is a well equipped, classic looker with amazing tone.
There is a sticker on the back of the headstock from Andy's guitars in Denmark street in London. Having visited that place, I know that over there they're aware of the collector value ot 60's Hofners.
Fortunately for me this one somehow ended up in Texas where they are not. $200.

The pickups are noisy by themselves (they're single coils, this is normal), and the middle position takes a good deal of knob twisting to sound balanced as both neck and bridge are VERY loud and tonally opposed. Best advice would be to bring the tone of the neck all the way open and rein in the tone on the bridge (and volume) slightly to match. That being the case, you can get some interesting range all the way from ES 330 (not enough sustain to be comparable to 335 or center block models)through Gretsch (mid position) and Rickenbacker (bridge), making it a very useful and versatile guitar, a good investment, and with its inlay work and pearloid p/g and translucent cherry, I think it's prettier than the ES330.
The neck is also unusually nicely radiased for people with huge hands like mine. Nice and thick too, all in all one of the best feeling necks I've found.
Right now I'm using a pair of BITMO modded Epi Valve Juniors in stereo with mismatched (ALNiCo & Ceramic) 12's in Bell & Howell cabinets and a Vox tonelab SE. For any purists out there who think inexpensive rigs are "getting what you pay for", I have a top-boost tube rectified AC30 with celestion blues and a Matchless Lightning 15 that sit around my closet now when I go to sessions or live, because stereo 5W class A and mic'd cabs actually sounds better and especially with hollowbodies) makes feedback less of a problem.
I'd give its sound a higher rating if it had a bit more sustain. It does great for sounds like U2's "One" where it's punchy and bluesy, but for a lot of the stuff I like playing that uses open strings, my two filter tron equipped Gretsches have moreof the ringing I need. It does have a very unmistakeable characteristic growl to it's breakup though. Not quite Fender nor Gretsch and more articulate than a humbucker.

When any of this was relevant (1964), I was not yet born, so I've no idea. The Hofners that are still made today apparently have excellent fit & finish though, so I'd be surprised if it had ever been bad. Germans aren't exactly known for being inexact about much of anything.

I wouldn't risk it if I had an option.
Perhaps were I at the point where I had guards and roadies and anvil cases for everything, but another great thing about gretsches? They're still made about the same. The new Hofner is much more of a jazz box than this was.

Never contacted.

If I could find another one affordably, I'd buy it even though mine has not been stolen.
I have (currently) two boutique amps, but have been through about ten. I'm also addicted to modding little Valve Junior heads for customization. I have a 60's Gibson ES345 TDSV, a Gretsch Malcolm Young Signature, a Gretsch Light Blue Pearl Jet, a Casio DG20 Digital guitar MIDI controller, a Parker Nitefly, a Les Paul Signature, a Jazzmaster reissue, and a tele w/Bigsby. Effectswise I've used Lovetones pedals, Z Vex pedals, digitech, I have a Matchless HotBox and DirtBox, and a Vox Tonelab SE. The Tonelab can't do quite what $5,000 worth of boutique handwired pedals can do, but since it costs less than 1/10th of that, I think I'll forgive it. I've played for 14 years semi-preofessionally.

Hofner Verithin JS
Mine is relatively new-only about 1 1/2 yrs old, and is different from normal Verithins because it is configured to be a Jazz Guitar--meaning, structurally, one (neck) p.u., and, more importantly, a footed bridge (no studs through the body, no stop tailpiece) and a kind of trapeze tailpiece. This means more downward pressure on the top; to accomodate the bridge the neck angle had to change to make more pressure so the bridge wouldn't move. It is, frankly, the best Jazz Guitar I've ever played. Full scale (25.5")Ebony board, Hard case,Schaller tuners, Spruce top, Maple sides, Spruce block (which is very lightweight).

It is a pure Jazz Guitar, and as such can also be used for Blues. Thick mids, but still has good highs. Bass response is excellent. In fact, the overall balance is superb. I use it with my old, ignorant Polytone, and/or my fairly new Blues Jr. Hofner's stock pickup, one vol., one tone pot. With treble up, a very big Blues sound, fat and not too trebly, but still sensitive to right hand dynamics. It's a very quiet guitar; the pickup is a Humbucker. This guitar doesn't have a lot of variety, but it absolutely nails the big, warm yet well-defined sound I was always after. It sounds superb in the studio, especially if you also put a mike near the f-hole and mix that with the sound out of the amp. It sounds incredibly huge, and incredibly real. The thinness of the body contributes to the great balance, and even loud, this box doesn't feed back at all(under my hands--I don't play really loud anymore).

They don't make too many of these, and this one didn't come perfect. A little tweaking later, though, and it is perfect. The fretwire could have been better, and the wiring needed quieting. But the wood is beautiful, well matched, and very live sounding.

Because this guitar isn't a fatbody, it travels way better than most Jazz boxes. That also means it doesn't have all that much room for the intonation to go nuts when the temp. or humidity changes, like at a live gig. The finish is Urethane, not Nitrocellulose lacquer, which probably would sound better, but not be as roadworthy in the long run.
I can and do use it professionally without a backup.

I took the time to find and deal with the company, and my problems all got solved. I don't expect any more, frankly.

I've been a pro guitarist for nearly 40 yrs. I have other guitars, by Fender, Parker, Harmony, and Ryan, as well as a couple I've put together myself. If it got stolen, I'd replace it. It's not my most versatile instrument, but it has this wonderful soulfullness--it's the best Jazz guitar I've ever had.

Not sure of the exact year, but it has two diamond hofner pickups (look like humbuckers, but are truly single coils). Lovely cherry red finish with trapeze tailpiece. It has a very nice floral inlay on the headstock which is diminished by a previous owners installation of ugly gold plated ping tuners, grrr. Two of those diamond PUs, no switch and an oddly reacting 2 tone, 2 volume control setup, but it will work for you if you give it time. The wood used is stunning, really nice curly maple on the back and sides. Chunky yet thin neck feels just right I must say. One note, you often see the harp-shaped tailpiece on many of the nicer Kay and/or Harmonys from the 60's. Any clue as to what the connection is?

Odd sound. It goes from nice mud to terrible treble. It is actually quite versitile. I play anything I feel like and if I twiddle with the guitar and my fender super I can do anything. Thumbs up.

Looks handmade, feels handmade, plays handmade, is it handmade? Very tight guitar. It is very solid with no signs of giving in. The neglected Mercedes of guitars. People tell me it is garbage, but I think they are just jealous that they paid $3,000 for a refinished 335 and my guitar plays better. The pickups may not be PAFs, but different is good in my book. Poor saps.

I wouldn't hesitate to do anything with this guitar. My only thought would be having it smashed by stupidity or stolen. This is my second one. The first had a bass amp fall on it. It didn't stand a chance. It was promptly replaced

Um, hehe

I have many hollowbodies, this is the nicest. I have a few cheapie 1950's gibsons. they don't compare. P-90s are nice, but when the rest of the guitar is slacking, the Hofner is the best buy for the money. You couldn't get a new Korean Epi Sheraton for twice the money. Wake up.

how many versions of one guitar can we have without suspecting some sabourtage..3 pick ups, toggle switches..this is hofner we are talking about. My verithin is about a '61 i think but someone at sometime removed the serial number....veristrange. but now it's mine it is red, same as all the rest. 2 vols and 2 tones, my pick ups do not have the diamond logo, no original case either.

sounds like the piece of crap that it is... but to be fair i'm not into a clinical sound at all so it suits my needs well. some variation is available by twisting the hell out of the vols and tone controls, my suggestion is crank the amp up and use the guitar to create the sounds, this hofner does a great job, dirty sounds are there as well as that BB King deep jazz sound. these guitars have been known to scream back too....how wonderful...and cheap too.

action is fast, neck is fat, body is thin...sounds like an old girlfriend of mine but the hofner treats me a lot better. the bridge is all wooden.

i don't think 'The Who' played hofners or there wouldn't be any left.
I've never gigged the hofner it stays at home in the studio.

yeah alright!

i love guitars...any and all.. i have a tokai accoustic, orville SG(much better than the new gibsons), 1970 Maya fretless bass, 1971 gibson les paul recording, Vantage hand made accoustic 6, epiphone EBO copy(complete crap)

This is a 1963 (late) Hofner Verithin semi acoustic. Looks like a slightly squashed 335 but with amazing flame maple back. Very very shallow and light.
Fancy fretboard + striped inlays & factory fitted bigsby trem..
The pick ups are the "staple" humbuckers from late 63+, I used to have another from early 63 with diamond single coils but ah well...all good things go in the end...:-( Colour is a cherry sunburst. It came with really knackered bone plastic tuners so I replaced these with Gotoh kidney tuners. Also someone has replaced the bridge, refretted it, in fact you name it...it's happened to it Including a truly shocking rewire....it now is wired like a 335 + a selector switch (sacrilege!) on the upper cutaway!

The sound of this guitar is amzing!! I have a Traynor Mark III head + cab and this guitar sings through it! It had to be rewired after someone had tried to turn it into a 335 but the sound is still amazing. Treble pick up is fantastic - sharp and clear whilst middle position is that typical Hofner sound - sorta like a prototype Gretsch twang. Front position is mismatched - dont know why but is amazingly loud. Fantastic! Perfect 60's r n b sound - Pretty Things, Stones etc...

This guitar has been sadly butchered. I had another Verithin and this is a whole world away. Basically someone tried to turn it into a 335 and failed. Altered position of tone / vol pots and also added selector switch (in wrong place doh!). Back is lovely and unmarked. Front has that weird line effect that all old Hofners get. Not an entirely bad thing. A fair few pits and dings but nothing hideous. Still has original scratchplate etc + Bigsby arm.
Binding is intact but headstock vine inlay had to be professionally revarnished due to lacquer falling apart with age.

Dead easy to play although light to strap on and new frets make it seem a touch bumpy!

This guitar has been gigged and is fine although too near the amp and it plays itself. Hardware is very very solid. No complaints there. It's surprisingly strong and very durable esp given that its 38 years old. hell of a lady! Yes you can depend on it because a). it never goes out of tune even after severe bigsby abuse + b) it's a very very cool guitar. Cooler than a 335 anyway! As well as this i have my Jag and Casino but I prefer this. This Casino is a pain in the ass for tuning instability!

Ha Ha - customer what?

Overall a good 8 - 9 out of 10. I love it. It's v unique and a beast too! Must get another although people are now realising how good they are after having slagged them off for years about not being 335s. I agree, they're not! they're better! My other stuff is a Danelectro 12 string, Eko Ranger acoustic 12, 1999 Epiphone Casino (sunburst) , 1987 Fender Jaguar (sunburst) and a 2000 Crafter solid top acoustic.

Mine is a 1964 example, the first year that that Hofner started fitting their "Staple" pickups (i.e. no diamond logo). A tad like a Gibbo 355 from the front the Verithin lives up to its name when you see it from the side - its about 1 inch in depth. This is very thin for a semi with NO centre block. They had a lot of appeal in the UK in the 1960's when Gibsons and Fender were hard to come by and cost a fortune here.
The beauty of these old Hofners is that they are well made guitars, they look good and have decent proportions yet are very collectable as they don't command the stupid prices of well known brands like Gibson and Fender. You get a lot of guitar for your money and can have a lot of fun playing it too.

When I purchased it the pickups were weak and I had a tough time deciding if these should be re-wound. Well I did and the thing is now very loud! Lots of treble, particularly from the bridge p.u. though careful adjustment of the tone/volume controls allows you to dial in just about any sound you fancy.
It makes for a pretty good blues/sixties/jangle instrument though I would have to say it ain't gonna sound like a Gibson, though why would you bother comparing to another manufacturer anyway.

Hofners didn't muck about on their archtops with thin short scale necks. The Verithin is no exception as you get a great chucnk of neck that is surprising to many modern guitar players. It does take some getting used to! The action is not low but comfortable enough and plays well. I use it occasionally for rythm guitar and it suits me OK.
As far as I know all Verithins were finished in a sort of Cherry Red. Upmarket Hofner tend to be covered in plenty of Mother of Toilet Seat and this guitar is typical.
The pickguard (still original) is fitted in the usual Hofner way with a couple of common finishing nails fitting into the neck and bridge. God, Hofner were an odd lot!

Now 36 years old it is in fine condition, though I don't think it has done much work over the years. These are well made guitars but you wouldn't want to thump it about as the thin timbers used wouldn't really stand too much bashing.

Hofner closed some years ago (though Boosey & Hawkes now own the name) so parts aren't that easy anymore. Music Ground in Leeds UK are pretty good and some collectors will help you out. In the end you need to find a decent guitar luthier to do any work.

I own 5 Hofners - 1962 Club 40, 1963 Colorama, 1964 Verithin, 1964 500/1 Beatle bass, 1966 Ambassador. None of these has cost me more than #600 so collecting old Hofners is cheap and good fun. The Verithin is a good Hofner to start with, it looks good, is unique in the thickness (thinness?) of the body and is actually quite playable. They can be found without much trouble in the UK for around #300 - #600. Some were fitted with Bigsby trems and are worth looking for. Very rare are stereo examples (I've never seen one).

This is a mid-sixties gutar made in Germany. It's a semi and the body is a proper hollow construction, like a violin - not like a lot of semis which have a solid core. It has beautiful bookmatched laminate top & back and is finished, like almost every other example I've seen, in red laquer. The body is err.. very thin, the thicknesss of a solid guitar. Its shape is 335-esque, but the cutaways are much shallower. There's a white plastic Volume and Tone control for each of the two Humbucker pickups (these are the plain chrome ones with the etched diamond). There's no switch to select the pickups, you just have to "mix" them using the volume knobs. The strap peg is located on the heel of the neck, and the guitar is so light that it tends to pitch neck-down when you let go of it. Mine came very original - chrome Schallers with *tiny* "pearl" buttons, a fixed-height cast-aluminium floating bridge, scratchplate still in place, Bigsby and a brown/cream weave hard case. Of course I've replaced all this with a tune-o-matic bridge, no scratchplate and more modern Schallers - but I've kept all the original parts. The neck has the most fantastic low action and plays like a dream.

This guitar is perfectly suited for Reggae, with its harsh, bright treble for rythmn and its Jazzy bass sound for lead. I've also used it for 60's psyche to great effect. It does those Yardbirds sounds to a "T" - and the Eddie Phillips feedback/bowing technique. Lots of bands at that time used them, particularly the Dutch groups like Q86 & the Bintangs. I've seen film of the Pretty Things using one, and there's one featured in the promo film for the Troggs "Wild Thing".

These guitars are generally well made. They look hand-made and you do find some that are simply "lemons". But find a good one and they beat an ES335 for playability (though not for tone). The finish is invariably excellent.

I've done years of gigging and recording with one of these and it has always made me nervous. It's so light a fragile-feeling that you'd think it would bust up you dropped it. However, it's a lot more robust than it seems. I've never suffered any significant damage to mine. The finish is not very durable. Mine has a bald patch south of the strings where my plectrum has worn away the laquer, and the back is almost completely bare wood where it's rubbed on my belt buckle. For me, this just adds character.

I've been playing 24 years. I would have to get another one if I lost this one.

I bought my Verithin here in England for #400, around $650, which shows how collectable they are! It is the popular cherry finish with amazing flame maple back and front which I suspect is laninated.It is in sound condition, no splits, just a few honest chips to the gloss. All mother of pearl is intact, and the Bigsby tremmolo unit sets off this great looking guitar.It looks good against my fabulous Gibson ES125 jazzer! The guitar has 2 pick-ups and a floating bridge wound down real low to give the flattest action you can only dream of, complimented by the slender neck.

I'm no Jimmy Page, but the Verithin is great through a Peavey valve amp with full reverb, but is it ever a trebble tone!Put on full base with the neck only pick-up and Blues sound good. The bass/trebble bias is huge, and the tone controls are very influential to the sound.Unplugged the Verithin sound poor, all rattling and tinny, but good to practice on without waking the household!

It was made in the late 60's and was famouse I'm told as being difficult to play due to the action being so close to the body top, this is why most Verithins do not have their pick guards, there's no room for the sweep of your hand!The guitar tunes very easy and holds it's tune for weeks on end, even if you over use the tremmello Bigsby. It is very light in weight and feels very balanced on the strap. Getting the bridge in the right place helps the tone a lot.

The Verithin has lasted around 35 years now and has seen some Band action. It must have been cased for much of it's life though this is missing now. It is not as solid feeling as my Gibson, but it would survive a drop or two, it feels 'all together'.In my 3 years as owner it always works and would travel anywhere and still look so good!

Hofner have a big following here in Europe. There are a surprising number around, especially in London, and you can get lots of parts secondhand and at good prices, and pickups new. At the current prices, keeping things fixed is well worth it, as poor examples fetch little money and are usually broken up for spares.

I've played guitar now since 1970, own a killer Italian EKO 6 string in jet black, a rare German Roger (1950) 6 string solid carved spruce blonde,a Gibson ES125 with short neck and P90 (1969), this Verithin, and just bought my first new guitar, a Taylor Big Baby which just shows how things have moved on!A great guitar, and a great Company to deal with.The Verithin is different to all these guitars, I like offbeat guitars and a bit of variety. Wish I could play well!

My guitar is from around 1968, I think. Hofner is a German brand, based in Bavaria, and they're pretty much the only German company popular in the sixties that is still in business today: their competitors Framus, Hopf, Hoyer, and Klira all went under at some time or another before the end of the eighties. I like European guitars, simply because they're not run-of-the-mill copies of Fenders or Gibsons (although those do exist...). Or call me a sucker for European craftsmanship. The Hofner Veri-Thin was essentially Hofner's answer to the Gibson 335: it's a double cutaway semi-hollowbody guitar with f-holes. These guitars were manufactured in several finishes: sunburst, natural, and cherry being the most common. I happen to have a tobacco-sunburst one. They were also manufactured with a variety of pickups: mine happen to be two single coils (that look like humbuckers). Some were made with various onboard effects buttons and knobs, like built-in fuzztone, etc. This is a great-looking, kinda fancy guitar. The cutaways are relatively shallow when compared to most hollowbodies; they aren't as pronounced as a 335's. I believe my Veri-Thin is made from maple, and it has a laminated top which actually looks like it'a solid wood. As the guitar's name suggests, the body is pretty thin, probably about an inch thick, which is weird for a hollowbody. The guitar has creme-colored binding on the body, neck, and headstock. The neck inlays are classic Hofner: they consist of a stripe of tortoise-shell sandwiched in between two mother of pearl stripes - very elegant. The headstock has an inlay of a flowering vine in mother-of-pearl, which the Hofner logo is also conctructed out of. The metal tuners are original and actually stay in tune amazingly well. The bridge is ebony, but most Veri-Thins had metal ones. The guitar has a Hofner vibrato on it which works great; it's basically like a Stratocaster whammy, and even has a skinny little Strat-type arm which almost looks out of place on this guitar. Although my guitar is all original, it is missing its pickguard, which was probably either black or mother of pearl. It didn't come with a case, but I found a Yamaha case which fits it perfectly. I got the guitar for $275.00, which is an amazing price when you consider these things are fetching lots more than that these days. It's a cool-looking guitar.

I'm into surf and post-punk music, and the Veri-Thin sounds great for either style (even though there is no real post-punk guitar "style," per se). Man, is this guitar trebly! It has two Hofner "staple-pickups," which someone told me were like P-90's, and which I believe Hofner started using on guitars from the mid-sixties onwards. Hofner manufactured their Veri-Thins with a variety of pickups and pickup configurations: I've heard of one pickup models, but I've also seen some with three humbucking pickups! I play it through a Silvertone Twin Twelve half-stack, and I run a Univox Super-Fuzz through that sometimes. By fiddling with the dials on the pedal I can get the amp to sound almost like a Marshall (believe it or not), and the guitar sounds loud and powerful. It tends to feed back when you turn the fuzz level up all the way, though, but then again, it is a hollowbody. It sounds really nice (to my ears, at least!) and ringing through a clean amp; but my friends shudder when I have the treble turned all the way up on both the guitar and the amp, which is almost all the time. However, you can get a good midrange tone out of it; the bass isn't really all that bass-y, though. My guitar has three knobs (two tone, one volume) and a three-way toggle switch on the bass cutaway. Pretty simple and straigtforward, but if you have an amp with lots of tonal choices or a pedal that can really give you a whacked sound you'll be surprised at how versatile this guitar can be. But, since these guitars were built with all different pickup types, some Veri-Thins may be more versatile than others.

The screws on the pickup housing don't really seem to tighten that well, and I'm beginning to wonder if the wood beneath them is stripped. Still, the pickups stay in place and the sound isn't affected. The neck is pretty small when you compare it to a Gibson or Epiphone neck, and this isn't a guitar that you can play blazing solos on, but it's easy and comfortable to play. It's a jazz guitar, you must remember. The action is nice and low; however, I've had to adjust the bridge like crazy to get it that way and to keep the strings from buzzing over the pickups. I've heard that every 20 years or so, Hofners need a neck re-adjustment, and I think that might be what this guitar needs, as I've started to notice a very slight bow to the neck. I don't really worry about this much because the guitar still plays and sounds great, but I might need to take action in the next few years to correct what might eventually become a problem. But don't neccessarily expect all Hofners to have the same quirks as mine.

You could use this guitar live, but it definitely isn't one that can withstand a lot of trashing. If you want a hollowbody guitar that can take a lot of damage I recommend you go for a Gibson or an Epiphone, as these brands seem to be more sturdily contructed. The Veri-Thin is an amazingly light guitar, but this might add to the feeling that it's not the sturdiest ever built. The guitarist from Gwen Mars plays Veri-Thins (he uses the fancier, triple-pickup, effects-laden ones), but he's not exactly Kurt Cobain on stage. Besides, you probably wouldn't want to mess up this (or any other Hofner) guitar since the finishes are usually so nice. Mine's from the late sixties and still looks relatively unused; the flamed maple back still looks brand-new! However, there are some cracks on the front which most German-made guitars seem to acquire with age. Nothing too serious, though. The few Veri-Thins I've seen besides mine have all had their strap pins on the bass cutaway. So does mine, but what's weird is a second pin on the other cutaway, too. I don't know if this was a factory detail or not (or if a pervious owner was left-handed). At any rate, the pins seems reasonably solid, although they might be a bit small for the average strap; several times I've considered getting those special "strap-lock" pins installed in place of the original ones, but I've never really had many problems with the guitar slipping out of its strap to merit such an operation. The electronics in German guitars are notoriously weird, and can sometimes prove unreliable; however, I've never had any problems with pickups shorting out or pots breaking on this guitar. That doesn't mean that all Hofners are as electronically sound, though. Check out any old German guitar thoroughly before you commit yourself to it.

Hofner is still in business, but nowadays they pretty much just stick to making those Paul McCartney Beatle Basses for which they're so famous. I've heard that they occasionally custom build guitars (not basses), but I haven't done any research into this matter. I've been considering calling their American office to find out about possibly getting a replacement pickguard, but I'm not really sure if they would actually take the time to get me a part for a guitar that they haven't manufactured for God-knows-how-many years...

I love this guitar. True, I could have gotten a better-made Gibson, Gretsch or something else, but I didn't want to shell out thousands of dollars for one of those. Plus, I'm just attracted to those weird old European guitars more than I am to the American ones. It's got lots of personality. I just wish I had a damn pickguard so the guitar would be complete. I've seen Veri-Thins for sale on the internet from around $400, to in some cases $1000 (!), and I realize that I got a good deal on mine. I'd kinda like to get one of the triple-pickup models, but those can get pricey. If this guitar was stolen I'd go out immediately and try to find another one, which can be tough, since these are sort of scarce. People have always asked me why I like this guitar so much, and I guess I have to say that it just seems to suit me. I don't really care if it's not a top-quality guitar (though it looks like one), since it gets the job done and doesn't give me many problems. This is my favorite guitar.