Hofner Committee

[Phil in London]

I just got this today, from an auction in West England. Made in 1964, incredible condition, beautiful details and inlays, very nice sound. Happy :-)

[GoergeBenson]

Nice Committee Phil.

What auction was that?

[Ric Lee]

Always love the backs that have that little spot of birdseye!

[Phil in London]

Nice Committee Phil.

What auction was that?

http://guitar-auctions.co.uk

this time no Gibsons, unfortunately... but the Committee was a wonderful fish to catch... :-)

[Hammertone]

It's actually a "New Committee", an updated instrument that combined some of the features of the Committee and the Golden Hofner.
Lovely guitars, very playable.
Most of these have laminated tops - how do you know that it is carved?

[AlohaJoe]

That's as pretty a back as I've seen and the inlay is remarkable! Congratulations. I need to learn more about these beauties.

[Phil in London]

It's actually a "New Committee", an updated instrument that combined some of the features of the Committee and the Golden Hofner.
Lovely guitars, very playable.
Most of these have laminated tops - how do you know that it is carved?

hi, thanks for clarification... two points for carving - for the back, one can see the birds eyes that are visible on the polished back also through the f-holes. And for the top its the sound - she sounds so not like laminated top, but has the clarity and treble of full wood. I might be wrong, of course, its just (limited) experience that guides the comparison.

[Hammertone]

Read this:

http://www.vintagehofner.co.uk/cont.html

The only Hofner archtop ever built with a carved top AND carved back is the Chancellor, introduced in 2003 and still occasionally made as a one-off. Since 2003, Hofner has made fewer than 150 of them, whereas Hofner made over 3,000 Committees/New Committees of one sort or another between @1953 and 1969. Most Committees and New Committees have one-piece bird's-eye backs, although a few have popped up with two piece backs, like yours. Hofner matched the inside surface of the back plate with similar bird's-eye maple, and also matched the inside surface of the top plate with spruce to match the top.

It's easy enough to check the top to see if it's carved - just remove the screws holding the switch in place, lift it carefully and take a look at the cross-section of the wood. I have found that the 18" Hofners sound great even with laminated tops - the volume of air inside the body has a lot to do with it. They are really nice guitars.

Here's mine.

[GoergeBenson]

If you don't want to remove the switch, just rub your finger on the underside of the sound board. If its dead smooth then it is likely carved.

But I'm with hammer and think it is probably a laminate.

Still Great guitar.

I've always checked that auction site now and again, but it never seemed to have any stock.

[Phil in London]

Hi HT, thanks again for info... I will take out the switch and check...

just to clarify - its not a status thing or whatever to me if it is solid wood or not... just sounded like it... if it turns out laminate, thats more than fine...

Your guitar is a beauty!

[Phil in London]

Abra kadabra... laminate... :-)

[Hammertone]

If you don't want to remove the switch, just rub your finger on the underside of the sound board. If its dead smooth then it is likely carved.

The undersides of Hofner archtop laminated top plates are quite smooth, as are the carved ones.

Abra kadabra... laminate... :-)

After @1957-58, VERY FEW Hofner archtops have carved tops. I'm sure mine is either pressed/solid or laminated - it still sounds great. And it has a really great '60s neck that's just right - not too small or big. My favourite Hofner necks are from the '60s.

[Phil in London]

good to know, thanks. And wow to your little parade, quite amazing.

I had a committee in my hands recently, which was a late 50s piece. Nice guitar too! The problem was though that there was no truss rod (and likely the need of a neck reset) and guitar had a very narrow nut. I prefer the 60s version.

Currently, the pickups dont work with my recent purchase, I guess there is some fault in the wiring. Will report back when this is done by my tech.

[Hammertone]

good to know, thanks. And wow to your little parade, quite amazing.
I had a committee in my hands recently, which was a late 50s piece. Nice guitar too! The problem was though that there was no truss rod (and likely the need of a neck reset) and guitar had a very narrow nut. I prefer the 60s version.
Currently, the pickups dont work with my recent purchase, I guess there is some fault in the wiring. Will report back when this is done by my tech.

Thanks, Phil. I dug these up (and more) over the years prior to the internet, and it was quite the adventure. Now, ebay makes it easy, which is great. A lot of the older UK-based guys don't like to ship their guitars, and request pickup as part of their sale, but England is a pretty small island from my perspective (I'm in Canada, just slightly more spread out). You are in the right part of the world to find these guitars.

One of these days I'll get one like yours to use for gigging - it's less of a museum piece and more of a practical, modern playing guitar. The necks on the '50s ones are indeed all over the place, from narrow/deep to wide/deep.

As far as wiring and pickups go, the old Pix pickups are easy enough to rewire if necessary, and Hofner (well, Schaller on an OEM basis) has made reissue "staple" pickups as well. If your tech replaces any of the original Preh pots, keep the originals - they are useful and valuable for folks doing restorations on old Hofners (especially basses from 1964).

[Phil in London]

yes, I had a wonderful 2xstaple 511 pup President restored sime time ago... we decided to change the pots, which were faulty... so now they are in a plastic sack in the case, who knows what they might be good for some day... I plan to do the same here... would be surprised if the pups were the problem, they look flawless...

[feet]

i hate everyone in this thread. the committee (of that era) is one of the prettiest guitars ever made, in my estimation. they just don't exist here, so i'll never form an educated opinion on one. i've loved them from afar for a while, though. don't need one, but still want one. every now and again i'll peruse the hofners on ebay (ebay uk, too) and sigh wistfully.

even seen a couple of thinline committees- oh man. if i could, i'd cover some of the uglier guitars and people in my vicinity with birdseye maple and pearloid binding.

[Phil in London]

here are the fretboard inlays... incredible work... 50yo and flawless...

interesting - I put a clay humidifier into the case and the guitar has changed to a warmer tone within 3 days... seems like she was quite dry and enjoys a more balanced climate...

[Hammertone]

Some Hofners built for Selmer had unique inlays not available fo any other distributors.
The Committees and the Golden had "rose" inlays on their fingerboards and headstocks, while the equivalent
Models 468 and 470 (as well as the 465) had "bow-tie" inlays on their fingerboards and "lilies-of-the-valley" inlays on their headstocks.

[Ol' Fret]

The wide-spread fleur-de-lis inlay, a stylized lily, sometimes also called clover leaf device, is particularly associated with the French monarchy in a historical context. At the same time fleurs-de-lis feature prominently in the Crown Jewels of England and Scotland.
I think these inlays on the backs of the Committees were a tribute from Hofner to the (French) Selmer Company in the United Kingdom (The Selmer Story ). Btw., most of the later "inlays" were de facto plain paintings...

The origin of fleurs-de-lis on stringed instruments is said to come from the Brescia violin school, for example by the fabulous Giovanni Paolo Maggini (c.1580 - c.1630):





In Germany, where bling wasn't so essential (or affordable?) for the players, the earlier, light-built 468 model is still a favorite among Höfner aficionados; some regard it similar to the "Triumph" workhorse of the Epiphone line in the USA, the unpretentious looking sister of the "Broadway" and the "Deluxe".

[old tube]

Been after a vintage acoustic archtop for a while.

Liked the high spec / value of the 50's Hofner Committee, but there are just not that many around. This one came up locally to me recently, took the plunge today.

Spec of it points to 1955 as does the serial number 2167, meaning it was no 167 of the model made. In fact dentist mirror and torch reveal that there is a pencil "55" on the underside of the top along with the letters BB, (top carver's initials perhaps?).

It has a 17.5" wide body, 3 1/4" deep rim to rim but with pronounced arch to carved spruce top and laminate Birdseye maple back (Question the laminate, there is clearly Birdseye marking on the inside of the back). It has 25.5" scale. Crazy headstock Design!

I'm only the 3rd owner! Bought in new in 1955/6 in Belfast by a "big band" player and he used the guitar until 1975 when it was purchased by the chap I bought it from.

It's no case queen. Lots of lacquer checking and some play wear, a little binding shrinkage in the curves, but no structural issues. It plays really well, lovely round tone and it is so LOUD! ... puts my Lowden to shame. Really nice D shaped neck, full profile without being huge.

I've strung it with 80/20 bronze 12's just now, but I intend to try Monels and flats soon, to see what it can do.

[MaxTwang]

Wow, nice! And a zero fret.

[Top of the Arch!]

I think that model is the coolest looking guitar ever! Does it have an adjustable neck? Truss rod etc? Bob

[Hammertone]

That's a lovely example of the first version of the Committee.
Hofner started using adjustable truss rods in 1960.
The top is carved spruce.
The back is laminated birds-eye maple.

[neatomic]

spectacular!!..what mojo...germany by way of belfast...

80/20's, monels (pyramid & martin make 'em too now-rounds) & thomastik pure nickel flats..way to go..

keep us posted...

[citizenk74]

What a beautiful instrument! The photos indicate a goodly depth and recurve to both the top and bottom plates, no doubt reflected in the tonal richness and depth. That birdseye boggles the brain; it is indeed veneer-worthy. The ornamentation might be considered by some to be a trifle flowery; my opinion is that the composition works as a whole. Congratulations, Old Tube, and play it in good health!