Hofner New President Archtop Guitar
Thursday, June 20, 2013
Born of their beginnings in the classical violin field, Hofner have a long tradition of producing some of the very best archtop guitars.
Those who remember the heyday of Hofner guitars will no doubt recall the names Committee and President as being the cream of the crop, played by some of the great European jazz guitarists such as Attila Zoller or, yes – Sacha Distel! The New President is a recreation of that iconic instrument with a few contemporary upgrades.
This instrument oozes quality – every edge is perfectly rounded and every surface is super smooth. The standard Hofner headstock is faced with a mother of pearl script and lily motif and sports gold Schaller machine heads with ebony buttons.
Beyond the 44mm bone nut is an ebony fretboard that feels more like marble (although warmer!), set with five traditional Hofner style mother of pearl block position stripes and 22 expertly finished standard frets. This is bound and set onto the shallow ‘C’ super-fast flamed maple neck. The solid wood top table is carved from German spruce (16-inch across the lower bout) with flamed maple sides and a flamed maple back that has been perfectly bookmatched. A brass trapeze tailpiece has been capped with a lyre shaped ebony cover and ebony has also been used for the adjustable, compensated bridge, and the pickguard that comes with set-in black miniature volume and tone knobs. A single Hofner Diamond Gold floating pickup is positioned at the end of the fretboard.
The President can either be played acoustically or with amplification, as it has an impressive resonance that produces a big acoustic sound that is both clean and full of character. Amplified through the house SR Jam 100 Acoustic amp, the Diamond Gold pickup, although not the most powerful, is extremely well balanced over the full range and admirably amplifies those full acoustic characteristics. The tone pot gives just enough colouration and edge to add attack, or mellowness, as required.
The President comes in a ballistic nylon weave, latch shaped, hard shell case with a fitted and cushioned velour interior with accessory pocket.
For more info go to www.bandm.co.uk