HOFNER "JUGEND" / "WANDER" ACOUSTIC GUITARS

GERMAN-MADE: 1948 to 2008

 

 - taken from the front cover of the 1990 Hofner Children's Guitars Catalogue.

This section of the website has been put together in order to assist owners identify the model and approximate manufacture date of their Hofner guitars. It has been compiled by reference to all those Hofner Catalogues and Price Lists that are available to me. I would like to thank the Hofner Company in Hagenau, Germany for allowing me to consult their factory files with regard to these sources of information.

Hofner, like other German manufacturers such as Framus, produced a range of guitars that covered all ability levels and budgets. At the bottom of the tree were what Hofner sometimes called "Wander" guitars; the impression being given of guitars that could be taken on hikes and picnics in the countryside! At other times they were called "Jugend" or "Youth" guitars, or simply "Classic Guitars for Beginners". They tended to have a shorter scale length than Hofner's Classical Concert guitars, which obviously helped as far as the younger end of the market was concerned, and also most had laminated body tops. 

Like Hofner's other flattop acoustics, the evolution of the various models and ranges of Hofner Jugend/Wander guitars over the years since they were first introduced in the 1940's is very complex; more so than the history of the other types of Hofner guitars and basses. In addition, differences between some of the various models seem to be only slight. These may be the reasons why there is so little information about these  models to be found elsewhere. Putting these guitars into some sort of order just isn't straightforward! In an attempt to simplify matters, I have therefore split the various models into various date-based series, in order to hopefully produce a small degree of logic into the exercise. I have also used scans of models and variants taken entirely from contemporary catalogues, rather than using gallery photos of owners guitars, in an attempt to provide some consistency into the presentation of the details.

I have retained the Visitors' Galleries, which also include actual photos of some of the guitars described below, to allow for further research, and they can be accessed using the following link:

 

Visitors' Gallery - Hofner Jugend/Wander Guitars

 

 

1. FIRST SERIES (INTRODUCED 1948 - 1953)

 

 

2. EARLY 1960's SERIES

 

 

3. Late 1960's SERIES

 

 

4. CHILDRENS' GUITARS (1970 to 1990)

 

 

5. Late 1980's SERIES

 

 

6. 1990's SERIES

 

In 1991, Hofner swept away the whole of the above complex Jugend guitar range that had developed over the past several decades, and introduced a rationalised German-made range called the "HS" Series. The HS Series were the last German-made Jugend/Wander guitars up to the present day.

 


 

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© Steve Russell 2011
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