Hohner HC394 Classical

This classical is a 1970s era guitar which was made for Hohner in a Japanese factory. During the 70s Hohner marketed some very good acoustics, some constructed of solid woods, and this guitar comes from that era. It's a very good quality guitar with what is probably a solid cedar top, although the "aging toner" is so dark its hard to really tell what species of wood it is. The back and sides are constructed of jacaranda, a species of south american rosewood, and the wood is probably laminated, although its hard to tell. The neck is honduras mahogany and features a strip of ebony down the center. for strength. The fretboard appears to be rosewood and the bridge is finished rosewood. The peghead is very elegantly carved and the heel is shaped in the characteristic classic profile. The guitar features the "spanish heel" construction on the innards, which is often associated with quality classics. The bracing is quite light and very cleanly set into the linings, a feature which I always look for. The binding on the body is muti-layer topped with tortoise plastic, also a little unusual for a classic. The frets are nickel silver and the rosette is in the typical classic mode. Nut and saddle appear to be bone. The tuner are high quality classic design with gold plating. I bought the guitar used and its featured several nicks and dings from previous use/misuse, although for its age it's in remarkably good shape. The typical Japanese thick, syrupy gloss finish has held up well and done its job of protecting the instrument.

I primarily play steel string, although I like a classic for playing fingerstyle celtic and classic-style tunes. I previously owned a Takamine 132sc which I used for this purpose, but I really think this is a better quality guitar. It is a very solid instrument and has a very solid sound. It's tone is characteristically rosewood, with a nice ring and very good balance. I'm not really an expert on classic guitars, but this guitar does what I need it to do very well.

The guitar features very solid and clean construction, much like you might find on a better Alvarez Yairi classic. Even after 25-30 years the frets are almost like new. Although I dislike the thick finish, its has done a good job of protecting the guitar, although there are several sizable dings on the back of the neck and some scratches on the sides of the instrument. There are no cracks or loose braces anywhere.

This guitar is 25-30 years old and probably has not had the protection of a case for much of that time, but it is remarkably solid and playable right now. The action is just about ideal and will probably stay that way. I have no hesitation about using this guitar vigorously, especially since I only paid $100.00 for it.

No idea

I play a Martin SPOM-16, several banjos and mandolins in a variety of performance situations. I specialise in celtic and old time. I was on a "deal hunting" expedition and came across this guitar. For the money it's really a deal and a very sweet sounding guitar. There is a
lot of good quality used Japanese guitars out there, and they can be had for very little money compared to American equipment. I enjoy finding this stuff and picking it up "for a song".