Hohner HW-440TBK

Okay, I know this is the product and I don't care about whether it's Maple back or sides, or if the tuners are this or that! All I know is that I bought this Black dreadnaught style acoustic/electric Lefty off ebay w/ a supposed retail value of $300. It was advertised @ about $179 and after taxes and s/h, about $200. I've had it for at least 5 years now and although I don't play professionally, it's perhaps my favorite guitar at home. My first was a Mex-made Strat Lefty and I've since bought a Ibanez Artcore Lefty - all to have diff. tones for Jazz, Blues and funk styles of playing.

The guitar IS tough as nails, it stays in tune FOREVER. About 2 years ago, the plug mechinism by which I connect the Hohner to my amp fell inward and now I have cables dancing around in the sound hole.

I still play it like that b/c I have other electric pieces and the Hohner I mainly use acoustically. The tone is very warm on the higher frets and the highs sound sweet and twangy for some good ol acoustic blues sounds. The high action is great for really learning those new chords and practicing them but they'll really put your Hell. It pays off once I switch to the other lower action guitars tho.

Blues, Jazz and Funk

Medium action, good for real deal practice of chords and it's always good to have at least one medium action guitar in the house anyway. Solid made guitar, great finish, stays in tune forever!

I'm more afraid of banging my other guitars but the Hohner is a bad-ass! The only one I bought online (but I won't do that again). I got lucky with the Hohner.

Never had to bother anyone!

Playing since 1999- An Mex-made Strat, Ibanez Artcore

I haven't taken advantage of "better" acoustic guitar deals because I'm loyal to my Hohner. I won't trade it in for it's tone and sound/style but if i lost it, I would prob. get an Ibanez or a Yamaha elec/acoutic for slightly higher price range.

I'm more a believer in what you do w/ what you have than a chaser of better quality. The idea is always more important than the tool.

The Hohner was a great value especially for my first acoustic!

Read previous review for these details. And this one is the LEFT HANDED MODEL.

Definiatly Not an "acoustic only" type guitar. tonal quality, yes, but not loud. With an amp it sounds great! I mainly play it through a CRATE GFX 212 clean with chorus. Sounds good but the lower notes seem to be a little harder to define when strumming.(Dropped tuning only) High and mid clarity is excellent. the tone control on the guitar at low is short and goes to bright with just a small adjustment. Could have a more tapered range.

The action suits me fine. Not too high. No fret buzz except when you tune it down and strum hard. Pickups okay, I suppose. Mine was a showpiece coming out of the box. Really good finish. Since then I've scratched it up playing it hard as is accustomed to my style of strumming. Fit is good. Seems like a good solid guitar that will last awhile.

I think this would be an excellent stage guitar. It's tough as nails.
the finish seems to be wearing just a little, but I'm mostly to blame cuz I hardly ever clean it. And I don't keep it in its case as I play the thing every day. Stays in tune for weeks. And yes, I'd use it exclusively on stage.

Never had to use it.

I've been playing for about a year now. I experiment with alternate tuning quite often. I have two crate amps, one is 15 watts the other 120 watts. I have a Jay Turser Strat copy that I will submit my review for, later. Dunlop Cry Baby wah pedal. Boss pro 10 distortion/fuzz box. (not a pedal) If it were stolen,I'd probably get another one, but natural finish, not black. I love it's amplified sound. Nothing I hate about it. Just wanted a left handed guitar. I lucked out and got something worth keeping around. They're on Ebay all the time, and at reasonable prices. A great guitar for thr money.

This is a Dreadnought cutaway with Mahogany back, sides, top and neck. The Fingerboard is Rosewood and it has tie-cast tuning machines. There is a passive piezo pickup with volume and tone control made by "Shadow". The finnish is a dark stain that shows some of the wood but mostly it is black. I paid $225 for it new without a case. Hardshell case I got with it was $75. There is some sort of tortise shell binding that also is around the tone hole and two lines on the back. If the headstock had a little bit of inlay this would be a classier looking guitar.

The sound of this particular guitar acousticaly is amazing. I was looking for something to replace my Alvarez cutaway that I gave to my step-daughter. I have been playing a lot of cut-aways lately: There was a nice Guild model, Some of the Gibsons and a very nice custom Taylor. Most cutaway guitars give up some sound. This guitar has a gorgeous full sound that just sings with shimmering highs and very balanced mids and lows. I know it sounded better than everything except maybe the Taylor.It sounded better than all the other guitars at the shop I was in. It sounded better than any of the other Hohner also. Hohner guitars in reviews are mostly so-so with a few that are outstanding. I guess I got lucky. I play with a quartet doing mostly lead and 3-4 note comping. My band is a very eclectic Jewish Klezmer band. The passive pickup doesn't have much gain so I run through a boss eq with preamp into a boss GT3 and then into P.A. System. I use the GT3 for verbs and chorus's and some very weird effects on occasion.
The "Shadow" system sounds fine it just needs a little boost from the preamp.

The action is fine. The neck is very nice though it doesn't look like much. I think that it is bookmatched because it sounds so good. The pickup system was unplugged inside when I tried it out - so we had to fix that. I had to readjust the piezo under the bridge so that it lined up with the low E. I was kind of surprised because I thought that the bridge was probably not level. But it was--the pickup was just seated a little off.

I think this guitar will hold up. I don't use a spare so it had better. The finnish seems good--not to thick which I am sure is the reason for the good sound.

Haven't had to deal with them yet. This is a funny guitar as there is a space inside on the label for a serial number but there is no number stamped there. I bought the guitar new and from a dealer so I know it is legit. There was no paper work with this guitar.

I have been playing about 7 years professionaly. It is a double for me as I am a woodwind player--though I would say now I gig more on guitar and bass per week than my horns. I have a Gibson LGO, Hohner ES335, Cort Les Paul, Takimine 12 String, Ibenez strat. I gig 2-3 times a week and use mostly P.A. with GT3 or a POD to play through. If it were stolen and I find the person who stole it and lock them in a room and pipe in Kenny G for a week!!!! I think there are a lot of offbrand gems out there that are waiting to be found. Sound is the most important and it seems that some of these cheap guitars are capable of giving the customs, Gibsons, Taylors and othes a run for their money in sound. You can't compare the gorgeous inlays of Taylors and others to the plain Jane Hohner---but when I play I prefer sound to sight.