Hofner Club 40 Arch Top Hollow Body Electric Guitar (1957)
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Hofner Club 40 Model Arch Top Hollow Body Electric Guitar (1957), made in Bubenreuth, Germany, serial # 163, natural lacquer finish, laminated maple body, spruce top; laminated maple neck with rosewood fingerboard, black chipboard case.
The Club 40 is a classic beat Group guitar, a mainstay of the Liverpool and London music scenes in the late 1950s and early '60s. This single pickup, small hollow body electric was the most affordable version of one of the German Hofner company's more original creations, the Club series electrics. This line of small-body slimline arch-tops with no sound holes were quite popular in Europe and especially the UK in the late '50s and early '60s. The Club 40 debuted in 1955 and this 1957-era blonde model is a quintessential Skiffle and "Liverpool beat" guitar.
This Club 40 has a very early serial number impressed on back of the headstock indicating it was imported by Selmer in London; the features also date it to around 1957. Selmer models were fairly at the time common in Britain; before American guitars were widely available the Club series were some of the best guitars available to the UK market. While popular in England and on the Continent Hofners remained completely unknown in the US at the time.
This example has features specific to 1957; the small "wood-box" pickup has a plastic cap. It is mated to the Hofner 2-knob tortoise celluloid circular control panel that was phased out in 1958. The body is made of laminated maple with a spruce top, the neck is a 3-piece maple laminate with an unbound rosewood fingerboard. The guitar has a nicely ambered natural finish overall, with triple dark-edged binding on the body. The headstock veneer is three contrasting pieces of celluloid with no logo, another mid-50s feature. The tuners, bridge and tailpiece are standard period Hofner fittings, the tailpiece has the small "KH" (Karl Hofner) badge in the center.
The Club models were among the most popular Beat-group guitars in early 1960s Liverpool and Hamburg; all three Beatle guitarists played versions of this single-pickup Club 40 model during the early stages of the group. This example is similar to but slightly earlier than those owned by George Harrison & John Lennon. John McNally of the Searchers played a top-line Club 60 on all the group's early recordings, which remain an excellent demonstration of this guitar's capacity as a propulsive rhythm machine.
This 1950s Club 40 is a very rare guitar in the US; they were never imported or sold here when new. Over the years some examples have been brought over individually by Beat fans from Europe. The single-pickup Club 40 was the plainest of the series, and even though fairly common when new many of these beautifully made but rather fragile guitars have been lost to time and tide. This is a cool early example of this Hofner classic with the Selmer UK pedigree in good playing condition.
Overall length is 38 in. (96.5 cm.), 13 in. (33 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 2 in. (5.1 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 24 1/4 in. (616 mm.). Width of nut is 1 5/8 in. (41 mm.).
This is a lightly worn but original and good playable example of this beat-group classic. The neck has been reset (ubiquitous on these) with few visible marks while the neck heel is solid and has no separations, which is a common problem on these. The nicely aged natural finish shows light checking overall and a some small dings, dents, and scrapes, mostly on the top a few of which show some light touchup. The pickguard is missing but otherwise the hardware is original and complete; everything on the instrument is original except one fretwire string saddle piece. There is a small patch to the plywood on the side of the body where the pickguard securing screw was once situated.
The deep "C" profile neck is straighter than many; these early models do not have an adjustable truss rod. The original frets show very light wear but play as well as they ever did; the fretwork on these was spotty to begin with and the spacing on the highest frets is inexact. There were no strap buttons fitted to these originally (a dog-clip strap was provided) but this one has a small whimsical strap knob (that looks like a tiny brass drawer pull) added to the back rim above the tailpiece. The tone and volume knobs work but are very stiff in operation, typical of the crude German pots of this era.
This veteran beat era guitar probably saw some interesting use wherever it lived in the UK back "back in the day" and still sounds great; close your eyes and play an E7 and you can be transported back to Liverpool, Blackpool or Hamburg in 1960, ready to "Mak Schau". It resides in a modern hard shell case. Overall Excellent - Condition.
The Club 40 is a classic beat Group guitar, a mainstay of the Liverpool and London music scenes in the late 1950s and early '60s. This single pickup, small hollow body electric was the most affordable version of one of the German Hofner company's more original creations, the Club series electrics. This line of small-body slimline arch-tops with no sound holes were quite popular in Europe and especially the UK in the late '50s and early '60s. The Club 40 debuted in 1955 and this 1957-era blonde model is a quintessential Skiffle and "Liverpool beat" guitar.
This Club 40 has a very early serial number impressed on back of the headstock indicating it was imported by Selmer in London; the features also date it to around 1957. Selmer models were fairly at the time common in Britain; before American guitars were widely available the Club series were some of the best guitars available to the UK market. While popular in England and on the Continent Hofners remained completely unknown in the US at the time.
This example has features specific to 1957; the small "wood-box" pickup has a plastic cap. It is mated to the Hofner 2-knob tortoise celluloid circular control panel that was phased out in 1958. The body is made of laminated maple with a spruce top, the neck is a 3-piece maple laminate with an unbound rosewood fingerboard. The guitar has a nicely ambered natural finish overall, with triple dark-edged binding on the body. The headstock veneer is three contrasting pieces of celluloid with no logo, another mid-50s feature. The tuners, bridge and tailpiece are standard period Hofner fittings, the tailpiece has the small "KH" (Karl Hofner) badge in the center.
The Club models were among the most popular Beat-group guitars in early 1960s Liverpool and Hamburg; all three Beatle guitarists played versions of this single-pickup Club 40 model during the early stages of the group. This example is similar to but slightly earlier than those owned by George Harrison & John Lennon. John McNally of the Searchers played a top-line Club 60 on all the group's early recordings, which remain an excellent demonstration of this guitar's capacity as a propulsive rhythm machine.
This 1950s Club 40 is a very rare guitar in the US; they were never imported or sold here when new. Over the years some examples have been brought over individually by Beat fans from Europe. The single-pickup Club 40 was the plainest of the series, and even though fairly common when new many of these beautifully made but rather fragile guitars have been lost to time and tide. This is a cool early example of this Hofner classic with the Selmer UK pedigree in good playing condition.
Overall length is 38 in. (96.5 cm.), 13 in. (33 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 2 in. (5.1 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 24 1/4 in. (616 mm.). Width of nut is 1 5/8 in. (41 mm.).
This is a lightly worn but original and good playable example of this beat-group classic. The neck has been reset (ubiquitous on these) with few visible marks while the neck heel is solid and has no separations, which is a common problem on these. The nicely aged natural finish shows light checking overall and a some small dings, dents, and scrapes, mostly on the top a few of which show some light touchup. The pickguard is missing but otherwise the hardware is original and complete; everything on the instrument is original except one fretwire string saddle piece. There is a small patch to the plywood on the side of the body where the pickguard securing screw was once situated.
The deep "C" profile neck is straighter than many; these early models do not have an adjustable truss rod. The original frets show very light wear but play as well as they ever did; the fretwork on these was spotty to begin with and the spacing on the highest frets is inexact. There were no strap buttons fitted to these originally (a dog-clip strap was provided) but this one has a small whimsical strap knob (that looks like a tiny brass drawer pull) added to the back rim above the tailpiece. The tone and volume knobs work but are very stiff in operation, typical of the crude German pots of this era.
This veteran beat era guitar probably saw some interesting use wherever it lived in the UK back "back in the day" and still sounds great; close your eyes and play an E7 and you can be transported back to Liverpool, Blackpool or Hamburg in 1960, ready to "Mak Schau". It resides in a modern hard shell case. Overall Excellent - Condition.