Hofners, seeing Doppelganger

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[@jesseschwenk5310]

These are the only Ted Talks worth watching.

[@JoshuaC923]

Ba dum tsk

[@treadhead1945]

Never a bad time when Werner Herzog makes an appearance.

[@goodun2974]

Several of my favorite guitar players did soundtrack work for Herzog: Richard Thompson played on Grizzly Man; David Lindley and Henry Kaiser played for Encounters at the Edge of the World.

[@treadhead1945]

@@goodun2974 I miss David Lindley...

[@goodun2974]

@@treadhead1945 , I do too, a lot; to repurpose what Jon Stewart said after Kurt Vonnegut died, "your world became a lot less interesting today". RIP, David, 3/3/23.

[@nathanguyon7620]

Unless he shows up with Kinski.

[@goodun2974]

@@nathanguyon7620 , if it's a young Nastasia Kinski, that'd be a little bit of alright! But Klaus, not so much....😳

[@masteronone2079]

I wore my Recapitation t-shirt for a trip to the hardware store. While I was browesing the fasteners aisle, a random stranger walked by muttering "Polishing, polishing, polishing..." Woodford brand recognition has reached Tasmania, can globale domination be far off?

[@badscrew4023]

this is great. I was wearing the Recapitation T on my last gig, and no one have got it :)))

[@jeeplife2035]

@@badscrew4023only the cool kids like us who are in the know will understand the reference of your shirt. We are an elite class of ppl lol

[@pharmerdavid1432]

Isn't that where the poppies are especially potent...?

[@roberthudson4822]

"They kind of look like the marking stripes on a bf109." - You Win 1 Internet!! 😄

[@RideAcrossTheRiver]

I was expecting 'Pips' Priller's markings, but yes, they do look like a 1940 _balkenkeuz._

[@joesantamaria5874]

It finally dawned on me that Canadian players have a far greater collection of unusual import instruments that their neighbors to the South. I’ve seen endless German, Japanese, South American, and Spanish instruments on this channel. Fascinating.

[@courier11sec]

This is the Woodford/Hertzog collaboration we've all been hoping for.

[@elbowache]

I've owned a hofner. They remind me of the homemade halloween costumes my grandma would make. "You want to be Sonic Hedgehog. I will make Sonic for you."

[@anthonyf4439]

Those were the best costumes.

[@benjaminsmusicadventures]

as a german guy i can say that your pronunciation in german is quite good! keep up the good work - i love your content

[@manysnakes]

Yes, but how's the Vernor Herzog impression?

[@bennydesign]

⁠@@manysnakesI don‘t know about Vernor, but the Werner Herzog impression was spot-on!!

[@brucefreedman3655]

Werner is in The Mandalorian!

[@musicmann1967]

"Achtung! Hofner!" really made me laugh first thing in the morning!

[@onionkeeper]

Now I want Herzog narration on... everything really.

[@brucefreedman3655]

So do I

[@ferringtoncaster]

Here he may have filmed his murderer. What haunts me is that in all the Hofners that Woodford filmed, I see no kinship, no understanding, no mercy - only the overwheming indifference of plywood.

[@BackToTheBlues]

Laminate, please - let's be posh about this! 😄

[@Zykked]

Laminature, maybe? ​@@BackToTheBlues

[@BackToTheBlues]

Hofner wiring was what eventually made long-term 1950's and 60's UK endorser Bert Weedon (of 'Play in a Day' book fame) finally give up and go over to Guild. The rectangular panel is confusing enough - there are videos on KZbin explaining it; the main gist of them is 'when both pickups are on, they're both off.' With regard to the slightly more conventional two volume, two tone setup of the other one, they always seem to have been interactive - I read a review of one which said 'all the sounds are in there, if you can find them.' I have a '56 Hofner President, with an oval control panel (which they only used for a couple of years) with two volumes and two tones, but even then they're counter intuitive - the volume for the neck is the furthest away from the pickup, and they're marked that way on the panel. Its also got the original version of their 'black bar' pickups, which again they only made for a year or so - they're hollowed out pieces of rosewood with the magnets and winding in, with a plastic top. Wooden pickups! Hofner guitars from that era were quirky and eccentric, and I love them.

[@badscrew4023]

I agree - no one have ever understood this pickup switching panel (that doesn't make any sense anyway). When I had my Hofner, I was running it with a custom panel having master tone, master volume and pickup switch (neck, both, bridge). When sold, I've put the original back on for the "resale value" whatever that means.

[@jackpijjin4088]

The mysterious brown lord-knows-what on the back of the pickup plate was probably adhesive that held on a piece of felt, to keep it from banging into the soundboard.

[@davidwood351]

Good answer.

[@lesliefranklin1870]

It looks like old contact cement.

[@badscrew4023]

I thought that too. Was holding a piece of felt or rubber

[@stevenkarnisky411]

Pliobond brand. Haven't seen it in years. You could use it as contact cement and holding gaskets. I think it was made by Goodyear.

[@michaelpilgrim8131]

Danke, Herr Woodford.

[@maximee]

it's an absolute miracle to have all of these pickups working.

[@kindisc]

My august 1962 , left hand converted, has a set of 12-56 flats on it, since 2001. Dead straight neck, never loses tuning, a testament to the skills of European wood craft. So well constructed that experts can't easily get them apart 60 years later. When I got mine, in a right state, I got a top London luthier to level the frets, add an inch or two of missing binding and make a functioning bridge. I rewound the pickups with about twice as much wire, they're. Single coils so there's loads of room, and put 4 small pots and new caps, much better than the WW2 surplus components that were in there. Best neck feel ever, carving used hofner necks before they learned to make their own. Light, comfy, easy to play guitar. But I never play it, cos I've got better ones.

[@kindisc]

Carvin

[@mightyV444]

Great intro! 😄👍 As being German myself, I appreciate Ted's effort of pronouncing 'Höfner' properly and commend him on the result too, including 'GmbH' 😊

[@sjgreaves]

I had one of these in my reckless youth and I used to play it through a full on Marshall stack at volume... feedback was plentiful but what I really like was the feel of the whole guitar resonating like it was breathing...

[@davidiwaoka4146]

Thank you for the W. Herzog impression. That always makes my day. The filed down frets looks like a Gibson "freetless wonder" treatment. I had that on a 60's Epiphone Crestwood Deluxe. The frets on the Crestwood were not as big though. Mahalo!

[@badscrew4023]

Had the same age Hofner - the fret slots were cut through the binding too. It apparently have never been refretted

[@quobba3645]

I have a early Höfner 463 with original frets they liked butchering the binding in Bubenreuth. I figured it was part of post-war bi-polar therapy, take it out on the guitar not yourself. That’s why I love my Höfner. It’s a therapy device, works well. 😂

[@gasvictim1]

I've said it before and I'll say it again: If your Hofner PU appears to be dead, don't have it rewound, least not right away. The wire in there is of a minuscule gauge, which is why it breaks so easily. But which is also why a rewound PU won't match an original, their impedance will be grossly mismatched. Instead carefully disassemble it and carefully unwind until you find the loose end of the coil. Resolder the little cable to it and make sure it won't be able to move and tear off the wire when you reassemble. I've done this several times and was unlucky only once. Even if you uncoil a couple of metres it will still be a better match then a rewound PU. Which, of course, is the last resort if my method doesn't have success.

[@thecaveofthedead]

The rare and precious Ted Werner Herzog impression. Always love it.

[@gmill7911]

Always grateful for the appearance of Werner Herzog, as you can tell.

[@hankgesmag9650]

The pickguard! I wish I had thought of that when converting my Hofner very much like this one to electric in the mid-sixties...

[@viewer112358]

Looks like that Hofner screening can had a layer of felt glued on?

[@alexmarshall3815]

My God Ted, this was masterful. So much thought about the tiny details!

[@pharmerdavid1432]

I can tell you played the intro - good job too, I love coming here to hear it...! Repairing guitars is much more challenging than making them in many ways.

[@ishgumi44]

My first instrument, in the late 60's, was a solid body Hofner bass. I wish I kept it.

[@steverolfeca]

Ted, you do lovely work. Your bridge solution was so much better than butchering the pickguard assembly!

[@garywhitt98]

Ted. That boy has some real talent!

[@bldallas]

I bet that drooled pookie on the back of the electronics cover used to adhere a piece of felt to protect the wood top from the vibrations of that metal box.

[@brent4uc]

Ted you are always thinking of new ways to bring valuable content to your channel. This is a home run, thank you for what you do!

[@jeeplife2035]

I would not trust my guitar no matter what it was to anyone else but this guy to fix any issues I had with it. He’s such a knowledgeable perfectionist that I wouldn’t trust anyone else but him to work on it.

[@iiWNMii]

The metal pickguard and assembly is near identical to the pickups used by Framus. Those assemblies were made by Schaller

[@Prellium]

I subscribed to watch amazing Guitar repair videos but I always leave being amazed at your guitar skills. You know so many different styles.

[@DerekHerbst747]

Das ist wunderbar! Polieren, Polieren, Polieren! 😂😂😂

[@Furtheronmusic]

Love the bridge fix. Smart

[@myopicautisticmetal9035]

I love me a zero fret! My dad gave me a Hofner bass copy when I was 11 or 12, it was amazing to play as a beginner because of it's zero fret and short scale, plus it sounded badass! Dad sold it to punish me for something I can't recall or I'd still have it.

[@stephenbridges2791]

Those stripes on that one fretboard will make you dizzy. Hofner is definitely quirky.

[@waltergeer1411]

Favorite all time moment on the channel when that 61 control plate came off...thing looks like enigma

[@brianferguson8380]

I had been wondering about Paul’s Rickenbacker bass nut since first watching Get Back a few years ago. You’re the first person I’ve heard mention it. I was amazed that it had been wrong for so long. Rubber Soul to Abbey Road. Crazy.

[@badscrew4023]

His acoustic guitar also has the "wrong way" bridge compensation. Never bothered him apparently, and the Blackbird track was reasonably in tune, I wonder how.

[@jeenrabsky]

Those steel pickguards came often with a screw-on plug. Made originally for Philips Ronette microphones.

[@guitarsofold100]

cutting a slots in the bridge base for the thumb wheels to drop into is another possible option!

[@PetraKann]

Quote: "Eric Clapton learned to play on a Höfner acoustic. The young Ritchie Blackmore played a club 50. A Senator was Peter Green's first real guitar. Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones traded in a stack of records in order to purchase his first guitar, which was a hollow-body Höfner cut away. McCartney recalls ordering the bass as it was "quite cheap" in comparison to other instruments. It is likely this was the first left-handed 500/1 bass Hofner made."

[@picksalot1]

I particularly liked the brown Hofter problem solving, mods, and resulting tone. Very nice. Thanks

[@kkupsky6321]

Achtung Gang!

[@stevenbryson4824]

That impression though! Nailed it!

[@kbjerke]

Sunday with Ted and his classic instruments!!

[@mikejordan6093]

Came for the top notch guitar work. Stayed for the sophisticated comedy.

[@ericcurry-pitcher5493]

Over 30, minutes gotta love it.

[@pauljohnson4590]

I had a second hand stereo verithin in the mid 70s, and it had had a hard life and had a broken trussrod and needed a refret. It was second guitar and it played horribly. I knew nothing about refrets and repairs, so I decided to do a Pete Townsend. I plugged it in and smashed it like in the TV program I had seen. Instead of sounding great, it just went 'clump' and disintegrated. Since then, I've never sold a guitar or bass, and wish I'd kept this Hofner. The things you do when you are 17! Hofner Verithin Stereos go fo silly money here in the UK - thanks for this video, reminding me how stupid I was. P

[@phialdictator6493]

Ted, love your work. I use a tuning fork to test pickups. Less whacking required.

[@johnnyennis9864]

What miserable instruments to work on. You have more patience than I do! lol! Great job and excellemt playing!

[@baritonfelix]

It's interesting that they put "HOFNER" instead of "HÖFNER" on the tailpiece as an apparent concession to international sales.

[@yellowmonkee0]

The Werner Herzog impression is spot on.

[@monday6524]

The trouble always start when I say “I want one…”. 😆

[@DavidMorley]

I've had quite a few Höfner and Framus.Sometimes dreadful, sometimes great. I still have a late 70's or 80's jazz box which is built amazingly well out of superb woods. Alas someone fitted 2 Seymour Duncans and cut into the top. But by then they were building in a much better "normal" way. I also had an original Jan Akkermann Framus and in the voice of Werner, "it was an instrument of such devastating unplayability, that the only sound escaping from it was it's dying soul, screaming from the ungodly carcass that held it captive"

[@Poodleoop]

I bought my first Hofner in Toronto in 1980 (Verithin) just as I left high school. I became a professional jazz guitarist and used the Verithin as well as collecting and playing about 10 other vintage Hofner models. Hofner definitely had questionable manufacturing decisions such as building a beautiful well made (but laminated) archtop guitar and then putting on a super dookie bridge to spoil the sound. Yes the frets are actually cut into the binding on the neck and the necks tend to slowly come out. I still have a few and some I’ll never part with but I can no longer play the big fat necks with the 25 1/4 inch scale length. Thanks for the great video!

[@davidrees1840]

This sounds like my Dad and his friends discussing British cars they've had :)

[@pczTV]

The maestro at work!

[@davidsamson5811]

Your videos are really entertaining, Your like the "Bob Ross " of guitar repair, I really enjoy watching the ultra fine wood working you do on the guitars. And I think your " the ZECK " impersonation is spot on.

[@DuoSonicboy]

I recently got a ‘66 500/1 with the neck detached. As you said - had been reset with yellow glue and broken loose again, tearing up the neck block. After spending too much effort grafting in new pieces and trying to get a snug fit at the correct angle, i opted to put in a couple bolts accessible through the neck pickup rout. It ended up playing great! But yes, getting these old Hofners to keep up with modern traffic is a big project.

[@markbryant4641]

Ha! Awesome Herzog style narration.

[@leiferickson3183]

I just want to say that you make me so happy! The Herzog is perfect.

[@mikrom]

Greetings from the Czech Republic BTW 😊

[@stewartmcardle8149]

I have a couple of Hofners....'59 and '65..... they're all laminated maple bodies.

[@soundpainter2590]

So are ALL ES Gibsons. But if you perform on Guitar... For a living. @ least Gibsons Are INSPIRING to play. & ALL the parts, & Most Inportantly, they are designed/Engineered in every way, to be a joy to play.

[@stewartmcardle8149]

​@@soundpainter2590​@soundpainter2590 Agreed, though I don't possess any Gibsons..... only Epiphones.

[@BackToTheBlues]

Laminated spruce tops though, as far as I'm aware (with early Presidents having solid spruce).

[@margaretanncarno4014]

As always a great video

[@Anson120]

The first Hofner looks like a nightmare to fix. The whole dang thing is like a 3D chess board. LOLOLOL

[@joemcgraw5529]

Ted you seem to always get guitars that the public never sees very often and I like that being a guitar tech as well I always marvel at what customers give you ,and thats what I like about working on guitars especially vintage because you just never know what your going to face ,but you always find a way and usually like the first guitar that was never able to intonate

[@Jasserification]

That Werner Herzog impression killed me

[@donald-parker]

Those switches on the earlier one remind me a lot of Sir Bri's Red Special, which was built around the same time these were made. That funny way of intonating the bridge is also similar in concept to the way the Red Special bridge worked (saddles with discrete slots they could be fit into vs a fully movable saddle on a threaded screw). Coincidence?

[@mccypr]

Thanks! 🙂🎻✌️😎

[@GahMehGrrrr]

Thanks again

[@matthewstephens6848]

I once did a full rewire on a Verythin. That was a right laugh.

[@bengordon2330]

Thank you.

[@seankerrigan1627]

Glad of that working through the rectangular plate for the tone and volume as I've a kitset McCartney bass I'm working through. I'd done some research in and around the schematics/layouts but it was always 'what?' whereas Ted's 'ah, this is what they're doin' quite suddenly made sense. Maybe I'll keep to the original or maybe I won't but I'll definitely keep to the spirit of it, as opposed to the law, now I've Ted's 'how to achieve what', though maybe it's 'what to achieve how', to stand alongside.

[@maestromecanico597]

Wunderbar! Glad to see Werner make a cameo toward the end there.

[@RedLittleBee]

Polieren, polieren, polieren. Hahahaaaa 😂 You did it well, Ted 👍👍 Thank you for saving bavarian culture. And regarding Werner Herzog: you have to read his biography - I swear you haven‘t read a book like this before….

[@J.C...]

Perfect! 👍

[@TyphonKrazilec]

very nice work :)

[@OtherWorldExplorers]

I don't know anything worthwhile about guitars but when it comes to electronics that's my job. And if a capacitor is bulging leaking sticky or otherwise sickly looking. It ought to be replaced.

[@chriswareham]

Cutting through the binding to fit the frets seems to have been a common thing on European made instruments of that era. My 1960s Eko semi-acoustic bass, which has never been refretted, also has the fret slots cut through the binding.

[@mccypr]

Time for a fret job on both. 😆😎

[@evrgreen_69]

That was fun thanks Ted!

[@mrclaus859]

Thanks Ted

[@mnemonik61]

Willkommen, Herr Herzog! Your musings are always appreciated. Sadly, for me Hofners rank with the oddities produced in Italy around the same era; pretty & exotic, but decidedly weird and only good for wall hanger collectors. I've never picked one up and thought "Yeah, I can work with this."

[@alanwilson1724]

Wunderbar!

[@stevenkarnisky411]

I agree about the allure. Years ago I had an acoustic archtop from the fifties, brand unknown. The action was way too high, so I simply channeled the upper bridge where it rested on the two adjustment wheels. The action was where I wanted it, and the adjusters could still be used to raise it. Of course the bridge saddle was wood.

[@Alanbataar]

Love your Hertzog reference.

[@michaelrice500]

Vielen dank!

[@davidj6008]

Love Hofner Week! More please Hofner were usually sold at premium prices but the logic of construction was, at times, suspect Early on, Hofner was a builder of other very good stringed instruments; violins/violas They applied their knowledge to guitars In some examples the experience and knowledge didn't transfer well However, like any other guitar builder, if one finds a "Good One", its a treasure Such a unique sound Currently, North American distributor is Adam Hall Group It seems Hall is letting the brand, slowly die out Damned shame, really

[@giovanni5063]

Holy Crap, and I thought that rebuilding my 1972 Epiphone F150 POS, after it imploded, was a pain in the Ass. BTW that POS is now my go to acoustic, call me weird. But thanks to you TW

[@friedjohn]

Thank you for this video. My first electric guitar was a Hofner Verythin (a little newer, 1968 or -69). Back then (late sixties Europe) Höfner was considered a good(-ish) brand for those who could not afford the real American gear. It was said to be better than the cheaper Italian brands (Eko etc.) and the Japanese guitars (Teisco etc.), but nothing special. Around that time of course the Japanese guitars quickly improved (e.g. Yamaha) and started taking over the beginners' market I loved it (I had very little experience with other guitars). As expected the volume controls each controlled a pickup, but I had some issues with buzz from the saddle (the newer type "tune-o-matic" wannabe)

[@vegashdrider]

I love the last one, I would of course refret it and tear the guts out and rewire it with a modern wiring harness I think it would sound awesome

[@paulketchupwitheverything767]

I was surprised to see pliers being used on the nuts for the screening box on the deep bodied jazz one. Maybe an unusual size, but I would have guessed metric? Thanks for the video.

[@terryeaster1]

The Sunday treat!

[@UmVtCg]

Happy Hofner Week!

[@reverendtrask1]

Great Werner Herzog narration!

[@moogoomoogoo5990]

Polishing. Polishing. Polishing. Resistance is futile.

[@paulrobertson3326]

I had a Verithin in the mid-sixties and it was configured like the '63. I couldn't afford a Gibson. While I really liked the guitar, it used to feedback endlessly (and not in a good way) in a Rock band. I sold it and bought a Tele and tried to modify it a la Dominic Troiano. I discovered that winding pickups is a delicate undertaking 😂. When you are 17 you will try anything 😂 Thanks for these videos. Very enjoyable.