Hofner Verythin JS

2004 Hofner Verythin JS. This one is a blonde, not the violin finish that hofner now offers. Ebony fretboard, tailpiece, tuning knobs, and volume/tone knobs. The ebony is beautiful.

This is a pure jazz instrument that can do a passable job of blues. Single humbucker in a floating neck position.

I'm not sure of the finish on this particular model, (nitrocellulose?) but it is as solid as they come. After a year of playing and rehearsing, this thing has almost no dents or scratches. (and although I'm generally careful, the finish has to get some credit too).

Before ordering this guitar, I had only seen front profiles of the instrument. I was surprised to see that while the body is thin, the neck and neck-body joint is quite solid. I had worried a little bit about the survivability of the instrument, but after seeing the construction, I was suitably reassured. This is a solid instrument with a solid neck and solid neck-body joint.. this thing will NOT crap out on you during a show.

The neck itself is nice and fat. I can't actually notice the asymmetrical profile, but I think I have hands that adjust to any sort of neck without complaint. (I can use my jackson soloist, then switch to this thing without any issues whatsoever). One thing I enjoy about this instrument is that the 12th fret occurs fairly low down on the neck, meaning that you have pretty much unrestricted access to the higher registers. The guitar is very easy to play as a result.

The case is pretty nice. No problems there.

The only feature I truly dislike on this guitar is the bridge design. Why in god's name did john stowell opt for this goofy bridge??? In order to intonate the instrument, one must delicately remove these little pieces of fretwire from pre-cut slots. It's a major pain in the ass to do this, not to mention dangerous (the fretwire has tangs, for some reason that completely mystifies me.. all the pressure on the bridge is downwards, not side to side). Next time go for a tune-o-matic with graphite saddles, john. Please. Easy to intonate.

this guitar is also light!!! It is very comfortable to wear for extended periods. Due to the body design and neck placement, it is also very comfortable to play while sitting down. In a sitting position (non-classical), the fretboard is fairly high up, and easily accessible. Great for the back!

This thing puts out a great jazz sound that calls up something reminiscent of a hollowbody.

I have a bunch of amps and a bunch of guitars. My main instruments are Jackson USAs, and I also have a rainsong, a ramirez and a godin lgx and sdxt. In terms of jazz guitars, I have had an ibanez george benson, an aria pro II herb ellis, an epiphone emperor, and a yamaha aes-1500. (One of my jacksons is the JazzR - a jazz guitar of superlative character). In terms of amps, I have an evans jazz preamp, a mesa formula preamp, a VHT 2:50:2, a boogie 2:50, an F100 head, a duncan convertible combo, and ear candy cabs. (two 1x10's, and two 2x12's).

Compared to my other jazz guitars, this is probably as close as it comes to obtaining a hollowbody sound in a semi-hollow package. it's a really woody, warm instrument that draws compliments from just about anyone who listens to it. It is warmer, but less versatile, than my JazzR. With the VHT poweramp and evans preamp, I can get a beautiful pat metheny tone ala question and answer. It also grits up nicely to give a scofieldish warp. However, you aren't going to switch to a lead channel and get supersaturated gain sounds out of this guy. It's a jazz guitar with no bridge pickup. I'd love to try it out on a polytone, but they are very hard to find up here.

I've also used this with a fender twin head, which was a nice little setup. The guitar is naturally very bright to the ears, but when plugged in, it calms down and settles into a nice jazz tone.

The feedback resistance on this guy is phenomenal. THe first time I used it was in a small rehearsal room with a bassist (carvin DCM1500 into an ampeg 8x10 cabinet), drummer and second guitar player. I ran through my rack setup (evans preamp -> 31-band eq -> GMajor -> VHT 2:50:2) into two earcandy 10" cabs. At volumes loud enough to swamp the drumset, this guitar was completely silent with regard to feedback. I can't emphasize enough how startled I was to see how well this guitar handled those volumes. A hollowbody would have been screaming at 1/4 of that volume, I guarantee. My AES-1500 was also great in that respect, but the hofner is a bit better, and has a better sound. (the AES-1500 does have more versatility due to the pickup configuration, however) The same thing happened with a fender twin and a 4x12, as well as my mesa F100 and a 4x12... excellent feedback resistance. Well done hofner.

Here's where hofner gets into some trouble. The fretwork on this guitar is kind of ugly. Some frets are not completely flush with the fretboard. Compared to my jacksons, this fret job is unacceptable. in fact, compared to some of the cheaper korean guitars, this fret job is unacceptable.

However, there are NO dead frets on this guitar. No buzzing. I was kind of surprised, since I can clearly see a couple of pieces of fretwire that should be pushed down more firmly. Ah well. Maybe they were set badly, but levelled nicely. Since there are no issues, I'm not taking it in to get any work done on it. I don't know, however, whether hofner's fret jobs are like this generally or not. (nothing to compare it to)

There are also some minor little flaws in the binding. Not a huge deal, and irrelevant to playability, but for a instrument that retails for 1900, this is not good.

I have no idea what the factory set-up is like, since I obtained the guitar used. I also set up the guitar for very heavy strings and higher action.

Besides the frets and a couple of very minor binding flaws, the guitar is in lovely shape. No extra glue hanging around inside. Tight joins at all major points such as the neck-body joint. The finish was applied nicely, and the wood quality is astoundingly good. The truss rod is smooth, with plenty of room to move on either side.. no sticking whatsoever.

I'd say the workmanship on the whole is very good, apart from the fret job and tiny binding issues. (who cares about bindings, but frets matter). And beautiful beautiful wood.

This thing has indeed withstood live gigging. I drag it around to rehearsals and gigs without problem. When I play duo, I alternate jazz gigs between this and my jackson JazzR. (for full band stuff, I go with a jackson Swee-tone solidbody)

I always play without a backup. This thing will not let you down, period. Just bring extra strings.

Never tried. I imagine it would be hard, given the lack of hofner material available on the web. I do speak german, but poorly compared to how well germans speak english!

I've been playing over 13 years. I did the working jazz musician thing for a while before bailing to pursue other interests. (I also had a habit of developing wrist injuries, so a career as a jazz guitarist wasn't a long term possibility) I don't play for money anymore, but I do play out around once a month.. and as a result, I retain an interest in having pro gear.

I bought this guitar long distance on a whim, given that there were no hofner dealers around in my area. I'm glad I did. I honestly did not expect to like this guitar.. I was thinking that I would flip it in my local market for a profit. However, I ended up selling my AES-1500 instead. The JS is a wicked little semi-hollow that can give you a good approximation to a hollow-body without the feedback issues thereof. It is classy-looking and unique in design. it is extremely light compared to those bloated, heavy gibson semi-hollows. (And if truth be told, the AES-1500 was a bit bit and bulky for me). Compared to my other jazz guitar, it is a bit more traditional in tone, which is a nice option to have. And the feedback resistance is excellent.

If it were stolen, I would get another, provided I didn't luck out and find something more exotic such as a used benedetto solid-body being sold at a garage sale for cheap. (a man can dream!). I'm not a hollow-body guy anymore, so this is one of the only choices out there in terms of a pro-level jazz semi-hollow that is light-weight, soulful and resistant to feedback. I've tried the cheaper stuff, I've tried gibson, hamer and gretsch.. so far only the hofner has really hit the spot. (if eastman strings eventually makes a semi-hollow, I might take a look)

Ultimately, the slight workmanship flaws are outweighed by the grace and tone of the instrument. the only feature that I really dislike is the stupid bridge design. Happily, I can probably upgrade that to a tune-o-matic. So far, it hasn't been such a pressing concern. (a minor irritant yes) John Stowell and Hofner deserve a lot of credit for designing such a unique and elegant instrument.

2002 natural finish model. made in germany.
laminated german spruce top
maple back/sides
one-piece maple neck
schaller tuners
ebony headstock veneer, tuner buttons, fingerboard, bridge, tailpiece and vol./tone controls
floating armstrong neck p.u.
m.o.p. block inlays, logo and cool vine inlay on headstock

great round, clean and fat jazz tone. moogerfooger ring mod., mxr phaser/auto wah, guyatone micro delay, 2 moog expression pedals, boss tuner, ernie ball vol. pedal into '69 traynor bassmaster head/ boogie 1 by 12 recto cab..
despite the fact it's a jazz box, it'll cover any style except maybe hardcore metal. i play in a jam type band and do all the weird sounding effects stuff. honestly, the guitar doesn't matter at all, this one just sound better than most

nothing comes out of any factory perfect. had to tweak the truss rod and bridge, other than that, flawless. i

this harp is extremely light which gives you the feeling it's fragile. it's a dependable, solid box despite it's weight and i'd gig w/out back-up. poor strap button location @ neck heel

n/a

just bought this box a month ago and i can't believe it sat around the shop for so long and at this price? except for maybe heritage, you can't buy a harp this sweet with so many ebony appts. for less than $2,000. been playing for 15 yrs and usually spend my time playing instead of writing reviews and adjusting pole pieces and shit like that. i guess this is a special guitar which i'd replace in a heart beat if necessary

2004 Antique Violin Finish - made in Germany. Set up with Thomastik-Infeld George Benson Roundwound 12-56
Just the right features if you're looking for a semi-hollow jazz guitar also capable of a bright woody blues tone:
Selected german spruce top
Back and sides from selected flamed maple
European hard rock maple neck
Ebony fretboard, bound, 22 frets
Mother of pearl block inlays
Scale: 25 1/2" (64.3 cm)
Neck width at nut: 1 3/4" (44mm)
Machine heads: Schaller M6 with tulip buttons
Bridge: Floating Ebony jazz style
Tailpiece: Solid Ebony over brass
Pickup: 1 Hofner/Kent Armstong minihumbucker
1 volume control, 1 tone control
Gold-plated hardware
With Hofner Deluxe wooden hardshell case, tweed-cream covering and humidity control system
I'm not giving it a ten because it doesn't have two pickups, toggle switch and coil splitting like the Verythin Classic which would help in the blues department. But that would also detract from the jazz tone and feel. It could also detract from the woodiness of a classic blues tone. So if you're interested in a Verythin, I'd suggest you try both out. My choice is the JS. The antique violin finish is more resonant and woody than the regular poly finish. I like the sound of the AV finish best on the Verythin.

Use it with an early '60s Ampeg SB-12 Portaflex and a Genz Benz Shen 200 (great jazz amp as well as acoustic amp). I play jazz and blues and it suits my style perfectly. For such a thin guitar, it is quite loud and resonant acoustically. Plugged in, it has a rich warm jazz tone and a great bright blues tone (depending on the amp settings).

Beautiful wood, action was just right out of the box. Fit and finish are superb with the exception of a few of the frets hanging out a titch over the binding. I was able to file these down easily myself. Hence, I give it a 9.

While this guitar is very well and solidly made (think BMW, Mercedes), it is somewhat delicate by the very nature of its jazzbox features. Add to that an easily dingable Antique Violin French Polish finish. Nonetheless, I've had it about a year and it's held up very well. I gig it with a backup. I'll give it an 8.

Customer service is excellent - quick, good communication by e-mail and very responsive. (It had been jostled in shipping which cracked a pick up ring). I e-mailed and was sent a replacement immediately.

I've been playing 30+ years. I also own a Heritage H-535, Heritage H-575, Hofner New President, and a Gibson ES-335. This is my main ax because it's just as rich sounding, and more versitile and convenient than my pure jazzboxes (H-575 & New President). As for the tones I get from the semi-hollows, my first choice is the Hofner Verythin JS AV-Finish (most rich, resonant, clear and woody). Second choice is my Heritage H-535 (very nice ax and few more blues tones). Sadly my ES-335 is now my 3rd choice (just too dead sounding period - drab sounding, but a beautiful guitar and a classic in its own right). The Hofner Verythin is also a good value compared to the Gibson ES-335, but it is a superb guitar that I prefer to any semi-hollow I've played at any price.