Is Hohner a good guitar brand? Who is the manufacturer of all the Hohner guitars? Where are Hohner guitars made? How good does a Hohner guitar sound? Are all Hohner guitars durable? What are the materials used in making Hohner guitars? Are Hohner guitars still made?
Although Hohner is one of the most popular guitar brands in its heyday, new musicians can still be unfamiliar with the company and its products, as the questions mentioned above are usually asked by those people who are not familiar with the brand. So, if you are one of them, it is time for you to know everything about Hohner guitars and the quality of their guitars.
Hohner Musikinstrumente GmbH & Co. KG or known globally as Hohner, is a German company that is known for manufacturing musical instruments like electric, acoustic, classical, and bass guitars. They are also known for making accordions, melodicas, banjos, mandolins, ukuleles, and many more.
The company was founded in 1857 by Matthias Hohner as it started to make harmonicas as its main product, which his wife and a single employee assisted him in making them. In its first year, the company was able to produce 650 harmonicas, and today, the company is now one of the most famous harmonica manufacturers in the world.
Hohner started to make some electric guitars in the 1950s as they were sold in the United Kingdom under the name Hohner London. All the models under the brand are associated with some London spots and some of its surrounding areas. The guitars were built by a third-party manufacturer as the company did not have any guitar facility at the time. The guitars that have solid bodies were manufactured in the United Kingdom, while all their hollow-body guitars are from Germany.
In the 1970s, the company decided to start producing acoustic guitars, as Hohner also started to re-produce its electric guitars with its newer models. One of the most famous artists of all time, Prince, was known to be an avid fan of Hohner guitars. He always uses a Hohner Mad Cat guitar, as he considers it to be one of his favorite guitars. The guitar is similar to a Fender Telecaster with a pickguard that has the color of a wildcat.
Some of the Hohner guitars that were made in the 1980s were from Japan, but in the 200s, they started to transfer their operations to China. It has been a while since Hohner stopped making guitars, and there is no news on whether they are going back to making their famous guitars.
Examples Of Good Hohner Guitars
Hohner Mad Cat
The Hohner Mad Cat is one of the most popular guitars known to mankind as it was highly associated with the legendary singer-songwriter Prince. In one look, you can see its similarity with the Fender Telecaster, but the produced sound of its pickups is similar to a Fender Stratocaster sound. Prince started to use the Hohner Mad Cat in his Dirty Mind tour.
The Hohner Mad Cat’s body has a walnut center block, while its sides are all made of ash. Its top and back are all made of flamed maple, while its neck is also made of maple. It has a C-shape fretboard and has 21 frets. It is equipped with two single-coil pickups but is closer to a pickup from a Stratocaster than a Telecaster, while it also has a three-way switch for better voicing options. Its hardware has a chrome finish.
The guitar was first released as the H.S. Anderson Madcat, which was released by the Japanese guitar company Morris. As Hohner liked the design and the sound of the guitar, the company decided to produce the guitar under their brand name. As Morris Guitars received a lawsuit for copying designs from the maker of Telecaster, which is Fender, the production of the Mad Cats was stopped. There are only an estimated 500 Hohner Mad Cats that were produced.
Hohner Classical Guitars
Hohner classical guitars are one of the more highly-touted brands in their heyday as they are usually one of the go-to classical guitars for students and children. Their classical guitars are available in different sizes, which is perfect if you are looking for many options to suit your needs. Great examples of the classical guitars made by Hohner through the years are the HC03, HC06, HW03, and the HAG250P.
For the HC03, HC06, and the HW-03, the top of their bodies are all made of spruce, while their back and sides HC03 and the HC06 are all made of nato. For the HW-03, its back and sides are all made of mahogany. All of the guitars have a nut width of 52 mm. They all come with natural color and a gloss finish.
For Hohner HAG250P, it is one of the best entry-level classical guitars that was made by Hohner. It was specifically made for children as it is a half-sized classical guitar. The guitar’s top, back, and sides are all made of laminated Agathis, while its neck is made of mahogany. It comes with a bridge made of basic hardwood, while its fretboard is made of some generic hardwood.
Hohner Essential Series Guitars
The Hohner Essential Series is one of the last series of acoustic guitars that Hohner produced in the market. The series offers different guitar body types and sizes, such as parlor, dreadnought, folk, classical, and jumbo. The company uses its revolutionary technique known as frequency matching, in which their guitar technicians utilize a form of tap tuning to be able to determine the resonant frequencies of the woods that are used in the guitars.
All the guitars under the Essential Series come with solid spruce tops, and their back and sides are all made of mahogany. The guitars are all equipped with a special nut and bridge that enables the acoustic guitar to play with the perfect intonation. They also all come with the Earvana Compensated Tuning System.
Hohner Rockwood Pro RP 250
The Hohner Rockwood Pro RP 250 is the company’s version of the Gibson Les Paul electric guitar. These guitars were made in South Korea in the 1980s and have come with a solid body. The neck is made of rosewood, and all come with 22 frets. Similar to a Gibson Les Paul, the guitars also come with a floating pickguard, which is really one of the iconic parts of a Les Paul guitar.
It is equipped with two humbucker pickups and has a 3-way selector switch, where you can choose the guitar’s voicing option, whether it would be on rhythm, treble, or its classic sound. It has four knobs; two are for the neck pickup’s volume and tone control, while the other two are for the bridge pickup’s volume and tone control. It also comes with crown slot inlays, which is unique for a Les Paul copy.
So, is Hohner a good guitar brand? Yes, it is a good guitar brand, especially if you are looking for an affordable guitar with great quality. Their guitars really sound good and are durable, as most of these guitars were made in the 80s and 90s, and still, you can see them being sold as used guitars in great condition in online music stores.
