Hofner Senator with added Shadow AK48 pickup and case.

This must be one of the best vintage Hofner Senator archtop guitars out there in fantastic condition for its 61 years.  These were very popular sellers in the 1950s and ‘60s, the Senator name being applied to the guitars supplied through the British Selmer distribution, but otherwise similar to what Hofner called the 455 in other territories.

With a maple top and maple veneered back and sides, with some nice flame veneer on the back particularly, it is in very fine condition. There is one small chip - 3mm - on the back and some crazing to the binding which unlike many has not come unstuck in the curvy areas. The neck to body join is solid and stable with perfect finish, the neck has the post-1960 truss rod and has good frets with a nice easy action. It has the original tuners and ‘Compensator’ tailpiece as fitted to the Selmer models.

And here is the bonus.

It is fitted with a Shadow AZ48 floating pickup, often touted as the best jazz pickup of its type, (there are many demos on Youtube to check). The pickup itself is attached to the end of the fingerboard and I made a copy pickguard to wire it to an output jack so I did not need to drill a hole in the body and the whole assembly can easily be removed if you want to return it to its correct vintage acoustic configuration to be replaced by the original pickguard shown in one of the photos, which has had some of the white pinstripe worn off but is otherwise undamaged.

The serial number dates it to 1965 and it is supplied with its original case which while a bit scruffy and tired still functions for its purpose.

Unlike a couple of other Hofners I have listed this one could qualify as 'Collector’ grade.

And while you are here why not check out my other guitars for sale.

I have listed this at $100 to ship by courier as a rough guide but it could cost from $50 for Sydney Metro to probably $150 for the furthest destinations. Message me your town and postcode for an accurate quote.