Höfner Model 191 Double Neck Guitar/Bass Sunburst 1960
Hofner Model 191 double neck, sunburst, made in Germany 1960, sunburst finish. This is a truly unusual find. Hofner were the most prominent manufacturer of electric instruments in Europe in the early 60s, so you see some of their fine wares from this era around, even here on the other side of the world. But a double neck... wow. This model was made briefly around 1960-61, filling the niche of a 30" scale bass and standard six string electric in one instrument. Poking around the internet, it seems each example of the model varies slightly in terms of hardware, decal placement etc., so it's likely these were made to order rather than being a standard catalog offering. It's remarkably comfy for a double neck: light at 3.6kg, pretty comfy to hold, sturdy hardware... it all works surprisingly well. Our handy house tech has cleaned up all the wiring under the hood and levelled the frets, and our other friend with all the relevant gear has re-wound the pickups to an excellent standard, so it's all ship-shape and ready to gig. The case is original, although it's in bad order, so consider it a bonus, We'll ship it super carefully though, don't worry about that. The tone on offer is awesome: the bass is snappy and punchy with a lovely rounded growl. The guitar is clear, warm and musical, with plenty of balance and chime. Wired as-is, both necks send to one output, so you can switch worlds easily. The possibilities are... weird and wonderful, to say the least. Don't count on seeing another one any time soon!
Model: Höfner Model 191
Made: Germany, approx 1960
Serial: none
Finish: sunburst, gloss nitro
Body: maple, semi-hollow, 36mm deep, 330mm across
Neck: both maple with rosewood fretboards, both 12" radius, both 42mm nuts, guitar 648mm scale, bass 770mm scale
Weight: 3.585kg
Mods: pickups re-wound, one tone cap replaced, some wire replaced with vintage cloth wire, pots re-wired
Pickups: Hofner staple single coil x3
Accessories: original case, very poor condition
Cosmetic condition notes: minor finish wear. Both headstocks has dimples, scuffs and some finish erosion around the ends, sides and backs, as well as light scuffs on the fronts of both . The necks are clean and smooth in the hands, rub wear, scuffs and finish checking on the backs and some rub wear and discolouration of all the binding only. The back has a decent bald patches near the neck plates, scuffs and scratches around the back, bottom and top edges and some scuffs and dimples around the whole body. The sides have dimples, scuffs and checking around the whole body, as well as an extra hole from a former strap pin near the bass neck and some wear obn the binding. The front has some holes behind the guitar tailpiece and bridge, a bald patch near the bass pickup, finish chips near the bass bridge, scuffs and hazing around the Hofner logo, top horn and elbow area and widespread minor scuffs, rub wear and dimples around the whole body.
Overall: good condition (7/10)
Playing condition notes: Action is low, neck is straight, intonation is good, truss rod works. All electronics tested and working properly. Wearing fresh 45/105 and 11/49 Moonshiners strings.
Fret life: 7/10, minor wear only