There are still treasures out there ... and then some.

joel · 2012-02-23T08:49:01+00:00

Apologies to Keira :-[ ? I was desparately looking for a water leak detector and remember seeing one at a certain pawn shop. I went there yesterday and picked up this beaut for a measely R ?......... instead ? Hofner 457 S/E1 Archtop . Not sure yet of exact age , ( +-1955-1960 ) I reckon its the 457 because the top looks like Spruce , not Maple . There is no paper visible from the F-holes giving model details etc. But , I've read on a website that the year of manufacture of these guitars was also written under the top , near one of the F-holes to the inside of the guitar before assembly. But , I'll need to get a small dental type mirror and use a torch to look for that . http://www.hofner-vintage.com/vintage-guitar-showroom/vintage-hofner-archtop-guitars/hofner-vintage-456.html I tested it through a First Act amp ? . Pup works , but wiring and switches need to be cleaned up etc and re-earthed. Single original Hofner "toaster" Humbucker pickup , Has been refretted at some stage in the past with brass classical guitar frets , now badly worn from the steel strings ? , so those will have to be redone....probably with suiteable stainless steel frets. Genu-wine checkering of the clearcoat ,due to age . 8) Ornate pearloid on headstock . Tuners ( not original ) will need to be replaced. Comfy neck is as straight as an arrow and feels like a 50's Gibson neck , but a bit square-ish , not round . The paint at the back is worn off in the right places. One piece flame maple back Trem system that will be replaced ☹ Flame Maple sides with binding All in all a 7/10 beaut , that needs a bit of work. This ones a keeper for me , so it'll have to be done . ? Grant from TOMS Sandton will be doing the work. I'll post pics when the fix starts........watch this space 8)

Squonk

Excellent Guitar Joel. What a great find. I think I will be off to the pawn shops in my area

Strange enough I was at the Cash Converters at the Hillfox on Monday and they had a Hollow Body Ibanez (Gibson 335 shape) for R10 000(are they serious) but looked extremely dodgy, I spoke to the salesman to ask him who put's a price on the instruments because they are more expensive than you can get them at the Music Shop. There was a CUBE 15x going for R1800 and it was dirty and and had lots of nicks and scratches.

So well done

Attila

Ha ha Joel ... see you explain, how that detects leaks to your wife....... ?

Nice buy

kapepper

thats a nice one!

I have to say, SA is full of treasures ?

another one coming my way in a few days ?

costafonix

well spotted Joel.

Styles

HNOGD! ?

Keira-WitherKay

? you do know joel .once you tire of that beauty .. i will buy it from you ? ... i just love those jazz box's........ so there you already have a buyer if you lose interest ......

and yes some deals are definitely floating around..........but most of the chain pawn shops are very aware of value of gear thanks to easy internet access..and ebay .........

so these days most fabulous deals are on guitars like you just bought joel where the brand and model are "off the radar"(obscure) enough to not get quick internet prices like a fender or gibson or even ibanez or cort would..............

and of course the other thing that leads to good deals is when someone( like my mother) who knows a fender or gibson by name but would look at the slightly beat up and well played 50's jazz box that her father or grandfather bought for R100 back in 50';s and think it's just a cheap guitar thats been lying in the garage for 60yrs and she's happy to sell it for R500 and thinks she';s getting a good deal ............ you and me joel ? we live for deals like that ........

deefstes

Great find Joe! Looking forward to the follow up.

blue42

Nice find!

The Hofner Club series was used by The Beatles for most their earlier stuff so they're definitely very collectable. I walked into a pawn shop coupla weeks back and there was a 1957 Club 40 hangin on the wall for 2 grand. Slightly different to yours in that it had a volume and tone pot, 2 button switch and no soundholes. Had a crack running all the way along the front panel though so I declined. Was otherwise fine and the crack did'nt affect sound too much. Regrets, regrets, regrets! Enjoy that guit, it's worth more than you'd think.

Squonk

Good Stuff Joel!

I am a Pawn Shopper these days but yet to find a gem like this!

Alex-B-Broadway

Squonk wrote Good Stuff Joel!

I am a Pawn Shopper these days but yet to find a gem like this!

My greatest pawn shop find to date is a 1977 Shergold bass I picked up for 650-700 (if I remember right). If you look past the usual Sanchez brands and stick around long enough you might find something cool. I'm thinking of visiting a few pawn shops the next time I get some cash.

Sean

Wow, really nice job Joel. Looks great ?