Mystery Vintage Archtop Rehab - Is it German, Japanese?

[@ricos1497]

I believe David Hasselhoff used this exact guitar on his massive hit single "Looking for Freedom". He used a local German luthier, who had recently become deaf after an unfortunate accident trying to re-enact an underwater scene from Baywatch with friends. It was the fourteenth Baywatch reenactment injury in the state of Baden-Württemberg that year, and so David felt compelled to give something back to the area, commissioning this one-off piece. Sadly the luthier died before finishing the piece. Relatives said that he was broken-hearted after hearing that the Baywatch guys were never getting back together, however witnesses suggest that he actually choked himself whilst playing a traditional German sex game. With the guitar still in two pieces, and the record company pressuring Hasselhoff to release the single, David rescued the guitar and, in his own words: "fired in a threaded insert, a couple of screws and called it done!". The single reached number one in Germany and a 25 metre statue was erected in memory of the fallen luthier, which Hasselhoff visits every year to pay his respects. Unfortunately, the guitar was lost after recording, its whereabouts remain a mystery to this day. If found, it's expected to be worth millions in Eastern Europe, where wealthy aristocrats have been searching for years without success.

[@danmacmillan5114]

That tracks.

[@timsway]

Thank you. I looked it up and all this fits. Bidding now starts at $1,000,000 Euros.

[@Da5idc]

Is this serious? - it sounds like a fantastically weirdly creative sh!t story ❤😂

[@tiltil9442]

As a German, I can confirm 👍🏼

[@myndfields8539]

"Traditional German sex game.' May be the most German sentence ever.

[@dandjurdjevicplus1]

Beautiful work! I especially love the pickguard!

[@jonboy8181]

Really cool looking guitar. I really like the checking on the finish.

[@jonboy8181]

Being that the bridge is floating and there are some adjustments on it, I bet that intonation could get sorted out.

[@audiotechlabs4650]

Tim, it’s fantastic! You have an eye for projects that turn out great! You knew what to do with the restoration. Light strings, yes, flat wounds, maybe? I think 1/2 wounds would give it a little more definition, that’s just me. Great entrainment! Thanxz

[@zhiracs]

There are lots of examples of FASAN guitars with the three soundholes, the wave-like headstock, the checkered purfling, concave heel, the full-width block inlays, or some combination of all of them. Might be a low-end FASAN-originating model, either built by them or licensed out to another manufacturer.

[@davebauerart]

Slightly faded finish looks totally appropriate and nice style choice on the pick guard.

[@spliffburger]

Gosh, I love the Framus/Orfeus red burst finishes. They always clean up so well.

[@notanimposter]

That floating pickguard looks sweet! What a perfect use for the funky sound hole

[@timsway]

Thanks! Looks better than the hole. LOL.

[@sgsax]

Definitely Germanese. Really like the look of this, and it's perfectly playable. And good demonstration that not very restoration needs a complete bare wood strip down. This has been a really fun series. Now I need to watch out for these oddball guitars as I make my estate sale and flea market rounds. Thanks for sharing!

[@sapelesteve]

Nice restoration on that guitar Tim! 👍👍🎸🎸

[@RichardConnor1]

Many, many years ago I had an Antoria Jazzter archtop guitar. I remember it was very nice. I sold it in hard times. I'd forgotten about it. Thanks for the awesome video Tim.

[@timsway]

We all have the ones that got away. Mine were a 1962 Guild thinline archtop and a 1986 Les Paul I bought brand new with money I earned at my high school jobs.

[@mattliebenau9083]

When I saw the thumbnail my first thought was something along the lines of Hoyer or Hopf but I won’t argue with Japanese. I do have an Italian Crucinelli nylon string with the same machine bolt neck joint for whatever that’s worth.

[@bigkeg9173]

Really liking these resto videos 😊

[@timsway]

Thanks, but I would call them "rehab" or "refurb". Restoration is a much more detailed process. I'm more like a pit crew :)

[@bigkeg9173]

@@timsway Restomod lol

[@gothridercreations]

Great job mate, like the idea of the stand alone scratch plate and electronics 😀

[@garagemonkeysan]

Great video. Cool rebuild. 🙂❤️❤️❤️

[@duanetrivett750]

I love Archtops and think you did good Job !

[@keithwindow4435]

It could be made by Musima, I have one of their jazz archtop acoustics and that has a single bolt neck although my one has a recessed bolt with some sort of brass ferrule. If you do a search for that brand you find that you find headstocks and fret markers very similar. Musima were based in the GDR (DDR) and made all types of musical instruments.

[@ChrisHopkinsBass]

I was going to say East Germany or Czechoslovakia. It looks German made but a bit cruder, hence East Germany perhaps? It doesn’t look like a typical Japanese guitar from the 60s

[@timsway]

COuld be a Musima, but I couldn't find any others like it. E. Germany makes sense...

[@Da5idc]

Love all the strangely interesting guitars you find 😊 But, the third hole was really cool - I miss it

[@billstolz9587]

I just got back from a salvage store I bought three acoustic guitars needing work that he didn't want to do two are Japanese one Korean one I'm going to paint an change to electric the rest are good enough to restore. Keep up the good work😊

[@derkeksinator17]

Since you're above the f-holes with the electronics anyway, may I suggest adding an additional pickup. Maybe a piezo, or even an electret microphone or something.

[@WeirdandWired]

That pickguard and pickup rig is smart, both the concept and the look 😎🎸 always enjoyable to watch your work and results!

[@timsway]

Thanks. That was the whole reason I bought the guitar all those years ago, was to make that pickup idea :)

[@axelnoi]

Hi Tim. The guitar you have there is an old Arnold hoyer guitar. It’s from Germany. 1950’s

[@notenoughpaper]

The text is clearly german! Maybe this british import brand also imported from germany, not just japan). Hof is a city in northern Bavaria close to the border of the Czech republic and close to the border to what was then east germany, more specifically the modern state of saxony. Maybe there is some conmnection (its only about 50km away) from before the separation to Markneukirchen, a city in southern saxony known for its long history of instrument making, particularily violins and guitars. If im not mistaken, Christian Friedrich Martin (founder of Martin!) is from around there (Musikwinkel)

[@thenonebadh]

It really could be a guitar by Isana. I have a "BlackPearl" in RedBurst an it has the same headstock as yours. And yes the writing on the sticker is most possibly german. It says something "der"(the) and "Hof"(home) in it. The font is typical for guitars of that time too.

[@theothertonydutch]

Egmond was a Dutch brand! In fact, in their time they were one of the biggest producers of guitars.I believe they also imported guitars.

[@timsway]

I saw one of those show up on FB marketplace recently near me. So tempting...

[@TheGorillafoot]

Sounds pretty good.

[@DavidRavenMoon]

I see these guitars listed as “Antoria.” Not the original tailpiece though.

[@rossamundbrennan7248]

I had an Antoria with an identical headstock and very similar neck inlays. Binding was not as fancy. Can be tricky to figure out where they're from, as they were produced both in Germany and in Japan.

[@gluteusmaximus1657]

Hardware, non adjustable trussrod and bridge points to Germany. German companies produced under many different names for mail-order catalogs. Very often mixed components of several companies.

[@ellenrugowski6255]

Hmmmm, it kind of looks like a Hoyer. The bridge is what gives it away for me. I've played a couple of 50s Hoyers with the exact same bridge.

[@stevenleek1254]

Cheat a little by intonating the nut. Set the contact point back. There are formulas but I just cut and try. You don't have to remove much.

[@stevenedwards4470]

Did you clamp that heel break? The fact glue flowed out of it implies it's not really tamped down where it should be. I might've redone that break entirely.

[@timsway]

Yea, It's all tightened up the best I could. I thought about rebreaking it but decided against it.

[@miguelromero3256]

i remember you showing me this guitar when i was considering a commision a few years ago!!

[@timsway]

I finally got to it! lol

[@richardjameswinter7642]

Could be a Klira. I actually live in Bavaria and also have a nice Framus.

[@SBZ5809]

Antoria made - or, rather, had that brand name on - some excellent guitars. I have around six, including an archtop similar to this.

[@timsway]

you have one with the extra sound hole? I'd love to see it.

[@SBZ5809]

No, sorry, mine doesn't have the extra soundhole, but it's similar otherwise.

[@pranananda108]

Could it be the thickness of the G string is wrong for that guitar? There are intonation issues when a guitar uses a plain G string when a wound is expected.

[@Rebar77_real]

Never heard of using Windex for wet sanding. Reading a bit it sounds like a knifemaker's secret weapon(no pun intended). Thanks for the tip! Too bad about the guitar...

[@timsway]

I guess the theory is its a little soapy so more lubricated than just water. I use it on metal sometimes and I figured there was enough finish and I was going to be using it lightly enough for this. I don't think it's a "too bad" for this guitar - It's really fun to play and sounds good, just tough to get tuned up!

[@Rebar77_real]

@@timsway Fair enough, fun is fun!

[@swish9017]

There's nothing better than coming home from a Friday night at the bar to a fresh video of Tim turning straw into gold.

[@timsway]

thanks man

[@matthewridgeway9250]

Looking at the ornate herringbone binding etc, I have a feeling this guitar was made maybe in Spain are a Latino nation where guitars are traditionally made for tourists. I can not remember which nation, maybe even Argentina. So, yeah. Very nice guitar.

[@presmasterflash7555]

Man there’s finish checking… then there’s finish checking!

[@timsway]

So the guitar spent a little time as a beach umbrella....

[@stevesstrings5243]

Love it!

[@alioth2021]

It's not out of tune. It's just speaking German with a Japanese accent.

[@RayLilith]

best comment

[@TheFIDASchannel]

That’s a good one 😂😂😂

[@timsway]

Good one.

[@jonboy8181]

🤣

[@DJBuglip]

Link to that database Tim? I've got my dad's 64 Framus 12-string. I'd like to identify it conclusively.

[@timsway]

www.framus-vintage.de/en/Guitars/Archtop/

[@bignotben]

This really looks like my Jolana that's waiting for the restoration in the closet.

[@_-_Michael_-_]

Hello. It’s definely German made but it’s not Hofner or Framus from type of craftsmanship I see there. It’s most likely Klira, Hopf or Hoyer or something I don’t remember from top of my head. Oh yes, it might be Fasan, that makes sence. From what I see it’s not Japan. The headstock is German.

[@kunaikai]

I feel like you could get away with calling it refurbished. This would make an amazing slide guitar.

[@timsway]

refurbished or rehabbed, not restored.

[@GianmarioScotti]

Framus guitars have all had a zero fret, and so does this. The color scheme is also reminiscent of Framus.

[@_-_Michael_-_]

Not Framus type of build from what I see. Klira, Hoyer or Hopf. Maybe something more exotic like Rossmeisl…

[@biggjimjones8381]

This looks like an early 1960s Hoyer from Germany.

[@cranque__7737]

It's been a while since I've sat down and watched a youtube video like this all the way through, on account of my dopamine addicted zoomer brain. But this is a damn good video.

[@timsway]

TL/DR :)

[@shawnfunstuff]

What kind of polish did you use?

[@timsway]

Some kind of non silicone guitar polish from stew mac. I didn’t buy it. It was given to me.

[@ErickC]

Hm, I think the zero fret is in the wrong place - it looks much further back than it ought to be.

[@timsway]

one of them is wrong, that's for sure!

[@toddnelson4784]

It looks like it may be a Japanese knockoff of a German Hoyer. I think the extra sound hole may have just been some "artistic license" taken by the manufacturer?

[@toeffimz]

Hi Tim, maybe you can try to take a better photo of the note inside the guitar and show what it says (as it definitively is German). So I/we could translate and help to find out where the gut was made. Cheers from Mainz, Germany.

[@timsway]

Sadly, the photo really shows all that is there.The shadow might cover one or two letters but not together in one word. Those are the only groups of two or more consecutive letters.

[@Milankoful]

Framus Sorella copy?

[@timsway]

"copy" is the key word! lol Copied by whom?

[@lespaulgoldtoplover]

I believe it is a Hoffner German brand guitar.

[@Dutchluthier]

Looks like a German Hopf guitar

[@timsway]

it looks like a LOT of German guitars, but the sound holes, cutaway and position markers are different.

[@gianny9484]

❤

[@Mr3DBob]

The pearly position markers that go all across the fretboard and the lamination seen in the bare wood headstock seem Hofnerish to me. But those characteristics may have been common to European guitar manufacturers.

[@timsway]

Yea, it was a thing of the era, region. However this one has only three of them, which is less common.

[@vctrsknt]

Pretty sure thats a Hopf

[@ВанечкаЗвезда]

Looks like migma from east germany

[@gregorywhite921]

Could be a German Huttl

[@asafsetty]

It's by HÜTTL

[@asafsetty]

Did you noticed if the top is solid?

[@timsway]

It might be, but the headstock, position markers, cutaway and F holes are notably different. reverb.com/item/34484912 One "Antoria" is the only oen I could find that's an exact match.

[@greylocke100]

When I saw the thumbnail for the video, my first thought was an old Harmony or Teisco

[@SSRT_JubyDuby8742]

Like deployed 👍

[@drno2141]

hopf ?? looks like ..definitly german to me

[@FunsongsMusicByPeterRahill]

217th sub LIKE; 1,539th looky-loo view.

[@1-eye-willy]

that thing sounds like craplola

[@andrelapiana3610]

'PromoSM' 😌

[@jonboy8181]

Really cool looking guitar. I really like the checking on the finish.