The Hofner President was a full-body electric-acoustic guitar produced by German manufacturer Hofner for UK distributor Selmer. From its inception in the mid 1950s, the Hofner President had had a single Venetian-style (rounded) lower body cutaway, but in the summer of 1965, Selmer demonstrated an updated Florentine cutaway President, or President "66". Compare this guitar with an example from earlier in 1965 with the old body styling, here. This new body style remained in place through the final years of production, but the President 66 did not sell in especially large numbers, and is a comparatively rare variant - not because of the body design change, more likely due to the decrease in popularity of full body guitars in general.
This is how the Hofner President was described in the July 1968 Selmer catalogue
An established Hofner favourite redesigned in the Florentine styling. Now fitted with two Hofner high-efficiency bar pick ups see page 42). Elegant purfling on body edges and F holes. Exclusive Hofner easy action "Slenda-nek", the strongest, thinnest guitar neck ever, with internal adjustable truss rod. Heavily engraved single machines. Head, faced with hand-cut mother-of-pearl marquetry. Finest quality lyre style tailpiece. Fitted with tunable micro-matic bridge.
But the new body style was not the only update. The control layout also changed, from a volume and tone for each pickup, to three pickups in a row: two volumes and a master tone control, with a pickup selector switch on the lower bout. The new "high-efficiency" bar pickups (model 513) were added in 1968, so not a feature of all President 66s. Finally, a more angular scratchplate completes the look.
In Blonde finish it had Selmer model code 5125/06 (or 5125/05 for Sunburst examples). The July 1968 list price for the Hofner President was 69 guineas, or 67 guineas in Sunburst finish.
The Hofner President is, in itself, not an especially rare guitar. But later 1960s (Florentine cutaway) Hofner Presidents are pretty hard to find.
Sadly this example has lost its sound-hole label, and with it, its serial number. The non-Selmer European equivalent to the Hofner President was the Hofner 457, and with no serial number it is possible that this guitar is in fact a European Hofner 457, rather than a Selmer-imported President. Both are pretty rare guitars and making an absolute comparison is difficult. But in any case, it's a great-looking, and very distinctive guitar.
Placing an accurate production date on this guitar is not easy. The paper label in the soundhole that holds the serial number is unfortunately gone. The potentiometer codes read 395, indicating their production as the 39th week of 1965. The Hofner President "66" launched in late 1965, and was last listed in the 1971 Selmer catalogue. The 513 bar pickups used in this guitar suggests a guitar assembled no earlier than 1968.
The early 1950s Hofner President had six triple-dot fret markers changing to eight in 1956. It stayed with eight throughout the 1960s. But there is some suggestion that some later Presidents had reverted back to six triple markers. Catalogue images from 1966 through to 1971 show guitars with six fret markers.
This guitar most likely dates between 1968 and 1971. With Hofner President sales dropping throughout this time, an earlier production date is perhaps more likely than a later one.
The pickups fitted to this guitar are both Hofner 513 bar pickups.
The lyre-style tailpiece was a common feature on Hofner electric-acoustic guitars, and was inherited from earlier versions of the President.
The President "66" was fitted with a three-way pickup selector switch (neck / both / bridge) on the lower bout - an improvement on the four-pot / no switch layout of pre-66 examples.
This is a beautifully-built guitar: from the book-matched maple back, and laminated neck; all made using really nicely grained woods - to the extra details like the 6-ply binding and heel cap. Of course Hofner made far finer, and more ornate guitars (check out the Hofner Committee for example), but for a mid-priced instrument this is one really nice guitar.
This headstock has significant lacquer checking / crazing, though not enough to obscure the inlaid pearl vine motif and HOFNER name.
Five-ply maple-mahogany-maple-mahogany-maple laminated neck. Some nice flaming too!
Extra content on this guitar is included in the Supporting Members area here
$1799
$2795
$1700
£650
£1699
£550
£800
£899
£255
£1200
£995
€2500
£800
£750
£700