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The information below can help you identify the year your Hofner was created. The chart and pictures are straight from my sources. Even though the information on the chart is incomplete because some information does not exist.
| 500/1 and 5000/1 Info | |
|---|---|
| Year | Comments |
| 1956-59 | Black single coil Strat-type pickups. Control panel diamond shaped arrangement-solid top. |
| 1960-61 | Diamond pickups close together at top of body as in 1956-59. Vertical "flowery" Hofner logo. Long tailpiece. Narrow control panel. Early rounded neck heel design with pearloid trim piece at bottom of joint. Flat back. No neck binding yet. Small pickup surrounds with setscrews to adjust pickup height. Carved top in some cases, laminated in others. |
| 1962-63 | Staple pole pickups spaced further apart on body. Hofner horizontal script logo (decal, commonly referred to as "transfer logo"). The Sir McCartney spec bass. Small pickup surrounds attached to pickup with four setscrews to adjust height. Rounded back. Laminated top. |
| 1964 | Transition year. Bound neck and raised plastic Hofner logo phased in, as well as larger Gibson-style pickup surrounds. |
| 1965 | Wider control panel phased in. Shorter tailpiece phased in in this period as well. |
| 1967 | Blade type pickups phased in along with square, flush to body neck heel. Black selector switches phased in 1967-68. Smaller Hofner transfer logo phased in to replace raised logo. Enclosed tuners are individual with humped gear cover. |
| 1970 and up | Metal tuning buttons replace plastic. Hofner decal on pickguard. Narrow black switches replace wide switches. Pickguards generally less pearloid; more solid white than pearl. Hofner logo disappears from pickups by 1980 or so. Knobs change from teacup style white knobs to black with pointer. |
| Additional Comments by Bob | This is just a brief guideline. Some parts vary. I have seen early style neck heels and logos on a 1971 Hofner. I have seen a lot of variation. The control panel can be removed and the pots used to get an approximate date. The pots are coded. The first two digits are the week, the next digit the year. A code beginning 258 would be the 25th week of 1968, 78, or 88. Use other visual clues to help determine the decade. |
From the late sixties onward, Hofner issued many pickup designs based on those already used by Fender and Gibson, and began using pickups from standard pickup manufacturers including Di Marzio, Schaller, and Shadow. These pickups will NOT help you in dating.
| Serial Numbers | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Model | 1958 | 1959 | 1960 | 1961 | 1962 | 1963 | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 | 1970 | 1971 |
| President | 3840-5100 | --------- | -7967 | 7968- | --------- | 8126-8308 | 8355- | 8728-8976 | --------- | --------- | --------- | -9002 | --------- | -9027 |
| President Thin | --------- | --------- | -681 | --------- | 682- | -962 | --------- | 1135- | --------- | --------- | --------- | --------- | --------- | --------- |
| President Flor | --------- | --------- | --------- | --------- | --------- | --------- | --------- | --------- | --------- | --------- | -280 | --------- | --------- | --------- |
| Senator | 4404-7800 | --------- | -11400 | 11401-11702 | 11703- | 12080-12680 | 12726- | 13517-13674 | -13768 | --------- | --------- | --------- | --------- | --------- |
| Senator Thin | --------- | --------- | -1088 | 1089- | 1228- | -1404 | --------- | 1660- | --------- | --------- | --------- | --------- | --------- | --------- |
| Senator Bass 1PU | --------- | -199 | 200-601 | 602- | 644- | --------- | --------- | --------- | --------- | --------- | --------- | --------- | --------- | --------- |
| Senator Bass 2PU | --------- | --------- | -1020 | --------- | 1021- | --------- | --------- | --------- | --------- | --------- | --------- | --------- | --------- | --------- |
| Congress | 5809-7800 | --------- | -9917 | 9918-10958 | 10959-12278 | 12279-13371 | 13922- | 14322-14891 | -15141 | -15366 | -15456 | -15471 | -15517 | -15523 |
| Club 40 | 255-420 | --------- | -1534 | 1535- | 1675- | --------- | --------- | --------- | --------- | --------- | --------- | --------- | --------- | --------- |
| Club 50 | 479-650 | --------- | -1779 | 1780- | --------- | --------- | --------- | --------- | --------- | --------- | --------- | --------- | --------- | --------- |
| Club 60 | -180 | --------- | -1296 | 1297- | 1608- | --------- | --------- | --------- | --------- | --------- | --------- | --------- | --------- | --------- |
| Committee | 2564-2950 | --------- | -3677 | 3721- | 3745- | 3793-3954 | 3965- | 4109-4177 | -4189 | -4247 | -4258 | -4264 | --------- | --------- |
| Committee Thin | --------- | --------- | -1175 | 1176- | -1305 | 1355-1411 | 1420- | 1518-1653 | --------- | --------- | --------- | --------- | --------- | --------- |
| Verithin | --------- | --------- | -350 | 351- | 700-1238 | 1239-2223 | 2260- | 3314 | --------- | --------- | --------- | --------- | --------- | --------- |
| Golden Hofner | --------- | --------- | -47 | --------- | --------- | --------- | --------- | --------- | --------- | --------- | --------- | --------- | --------- | --------- |
| Golden Thin | --------- | --------- | -16 | --------- | --------- | --------- | --------- | --------- | --------- | --------- | --------- | --------- | --------- | --------- |
| Vienna | 468-700 | --------- | -849 | 850- | 981- | 1189-1556 | --------- | 1763-2014 | -2289 | -2414 | --------- | --------- | -2424 | --------- |
| Flamenco | 4527-5100 | --------- | -5433 | 5434-5688 | 5689-6270 | 6271-7074 | 7111- | 7567-7888 | -8338 | -8463 | -8511 | -8556 | -8571 | -8575 |
I must warn you that this table is not 100% accurate, but it can be great help in dating your Hofner. For some reason, Hofner didn't keep production records in 1959 except for the 1PU Senator Bass. Go figure.
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