Hofner Senator

imalrightjack

Does anybody know much about these? Tempted to pick up a 1955 one locally but really don’t know what to look for, in terms of issues, etc.

Value-wise, presuming £300 or so?

Any ideas anybody? It looks nice. If I get it, suggestions on strings and setup would be good!

Winny_Pooh

If you like Django, Dave Rawling and old timey blues sounds it'd be up your alley. I'd try a couple as the acoustic sound varies as much as one dreadnought brand to another.

The old hofners can have unstable neck joints/heels/fingerboard humps and often need a neck reset. Check that it plays with a decently low action and no fretting out on the fingerboard. 

I'd use a set of PB 12s but thats personal taste. 

300-400 is about right, I've seen £450 on ebay but I'd never ever buy one sight unseen anyway.

imalrightjack

Thanks, @Winny_Pooh ;

I guess if it plays okay, it’s a good start! 

rossi

Those things were bigger than me on the day and still are .Goodish guitars... until we could  afford better so bear that in mind.

Corvus

If it hasn't had a neck reset it most likely will want one eventually. Mine's been needing it but been playable for a few years, it's really not a mad rush thing unless already bad. Check the neck joint area. Check the bridge, is it sat hard down and if so what's the action like. Has it been shaved, people sometimes do that to stave off reset day.
Good news is it's a simple joint and relatively easy to do.

Price varies, some were pure acoustic, some had a pickup. Mods should make it cheaper. The scratchplates often go walkies and can be silly money to replace.

Big meaty necks, small radius, zero fret (which can wear easily but easily replaced also). Can be pretty loud, mine likes being played harder. It's not flash, not a delicate fingerpicker's dream, but it's been all over the place and had it too long to contemplate selling. Plus my boy'd shoot me..

http://alleykat.co.uk/images/stuff/hofner/front.jpg

imalrightjack

All good info, thanks!  Scratchplate definitely missing but I'll go check it out!

Henrytwang

Aside from weak neck/body joints earlier  Hofners didn’t have adjustable truss rods. This will be pretty obvious due to the lack of a cover on the headstock.

imalrightjack

Henrytwang said:

Aside from weak neck/body joints earlier  Hofners didn’t have adjustable truss rods. This will be pretty obvious due to the lack of a cover on the headstock.

It’s a 1955 so definitely no truss rod. 

Roland

Henrytwang said:

Aside from weak neck/body joints earlier  Hofners didn’t have adjustable truss rods. This will be pretty obvious due to the lack of a cover on the headstock.

... and probably a bent neck. My President has been unplayable for years. I keep meaning to removed the fretboard and sort it out, but it’s one of those jobs that never get near the top of the priority list.

imalrightjack

Do these images give much indication on neck joint and bridge?

Frets out on the G around the 14th but it doesn't have flat-wounds on.

imalrightjack

@Corvus @Winny_Pooh Look ok?

Corvus

It doesn't look terrible, as in the action's not so high you'd park your tractor under it, but, the bridge is hard down on one side and close on the other. Same with mine, used to be room to adjust the bridge but it's hard down now and very slowly the action's creeping up.

Part of the tailpiece there is touching the top it looks like, where the other side's got air under it.

If it was me I'd look at that as needing a reset, whether sooner or later, the cost should be right for it. Is it cheap enough, d'you want it enough bearing in mind future cost to sort it etc.

Other things to check are the heel area, no sign of the neck joint making a bid for freedom etc. Is the heel block solid, it can split into it's separate parts.
Being all solid round that area doesn't mean it doesn't need a reset, just less to repair.

imalrightjack

@Corvus Thank you! What kind of cost might a repair be? Not sure how much work it is. 

Corvus

No worries, on the cost it'll vary by person and the job itself, I'd hazard a guess around the 150-200 mark. If you've got local repair people especially ones used to acoustics they should be able to give a better idea. Round here at least costs vary loads between different people.

imalrightjack

A mate works at Fylde, so will get him onto it, @ ;
I gather it’s not worth spending more than a couple of hundred on it?

Corvus

That's handy, see what he says. If it was me I wouldn't spend £300 knowing another say 200 squid was due some time. Though maybe the bloke could be haggled with and your mate can sort it for a good price.
For £300-350 say, without pickup I'd want it complete and frets reasonably OK, and either not showing those signs like bridge hard down etc, or having had a decent reset done already. Although, prices seem to vary a good lot, I might be off the mark.

imalrightjack

Of course, it looks like it once had a pickup, going by the drill holes. 

imalrightjack

Well, it looks pretty

simonhpieman

You decided to go for it, then? Congrats!

I love the Senators. I never got one but had a bit of an obsession with natural blonde ones a while back. The tailpieces are also super cool.

Does yours have the German genius of a plain top and flamed back where no one will see it?!

ICBM

simonhpieman said:

Does yours have the German genius of a plain top and flamed back where no one will see it?!

That’s as it should be - it comes from violins... spruce top, maple back and sides.

Maple-top archtops don’t look right at all.

Henrytwang

Back in the mid 60s I had an old Senator with a loose neck to body joint. As these guitars were only worth about £15 at the time I fixed it with a long wood screw through the heel into the end block. I kept the guitar for another five or so years without any problems!  I believe that Gretsch sometimes used wood screws to toughen up their neck joints on some of the old USA built guitars.