Giovanni's 1962 Golden Hofner No 60 on the left, with the 2006 Hofner Chancellor on the right.
"The Chancellor is the new flagship of the Hofner guitar range. Hofner also say that it “carries on where the legendary “Golden Hofner” of the 60s left off”. I am fortunate to own a fantastic Golden Hofner and as I have now acquired a Chancellor, I can say that the message is somewhat misleading. The Chancellor is a top quality guitar, but it is a modern conception with a modern feeling which is quite different from the Golden, or any other 1950s/60s top-quality archtop. Many features are gone, some desirable, other not. But most of all, the Chancellor has a completely different sound to the Golden.
Here the most evident constructional differences between the two:
|
GOLDEN |
CHANCELLOR |
|
Large “frondose” headstock |
Standard size and linear profile headstock |
|
Plastic floral tuners knobs |
Ebony simple knobs |
|
Plastic floral truss rod cover |
Simple ebony truss rod cover |
|
Zero fret |
No zero fret |
|
Multi pieces/woods neck |
Single piece neck |
|
Elaborate mother of pearl and rosewood positions marks |
Rectangular mother of pearl positions marks |
|
14th fret neck to body joint |
16th fret Neck to body joint |
|
22 fret fingerboard |
22 fret fingerboard |
|
Fingerboard suspended over the soundboard |
Fingerboard inserted into the soundboard |
|
Rounded interception neck to cutaway |
Plain standard interception neck to cutaway |
|
Multi-ply bindings |
Simple black (paint?) bindings |
|
Binding on f-holes |
Unbound f-holes |
|
Two pickups mounted directly on the soundboard |
Single floating pick up |
|
Transparent pick-guard |
Ebony pick-guard |
| Parallel body bracing | "X" body bracing. |
|
18” body |
17” body |
|
Highly figured laminated birds-eye maple sides |
Little figured solid maple sides |
|
Ornate and highly figured laminated birds-eye maple back |
Little figured solid maple back |
|
Fret pieces compensated bridge |
Sculptured compensated ebony bridge |
|
Gold plated engraved tailpiece |
Ebony with metal core tailpiece |
The above table shows two really different instruments.
As I said, the sound of the Chancellor is quite different. I think that this may be because of the very lightweight construction of the Chancellor. It also fitted from new with “light” gauge strings (0.11s). Considering the little depression that contours the top, I think that heavy gauge would not be the right choice. (They may even cause damage to the top!).
The acoustic sound reminds me of a plucked violin: a velvet attack - very pleasant fundamental but not as percussive and solid as the traditional solid carved archtops - a little weak and at intervals “boxy” with not much sustain (it seems almost muted). The guitar put in evidence the typical nail to string noise/sound. The soundboard produces a consistent natural “reverb”: the single note is in a halo. The sound is quite balanced, but there are some “wolf notes” (notes with a little bit less sustain). When strumming full chords, the guitar produce a “cheap guitar” sound (similar to an old Hofner 456).
Amplified however, the guitar completely changes in performance. The pickup works very well, and the note halo produces a smooth, very natural, vibrating, light wood pleasant sound. Single note lines come out very natural and acoustic-like. With slow passages, the player is able to bring out a lot of nuances. Also a classic 4/4 jazz accompaniment comes out very soft and full of harmonics. The tone control is very effective, and when the tone is rolled-off the sound is extra smooth. The simplicity of a double control (volume and tone) and only one pickup is very quick and easy. I don't regret loosing the bridge pickup and the classic Hofner panel of the Golden when playing the Chancellor.
The lightweight design and construction make the guitar rather sensitive to feedback. It definitely is not an instrument for high volumes.
So, the guitar is very nice for amplified playing at lowish volumes (say little clubs or recording studios). It is quite comfortable and playable, with very nice neck design. For strictly acoustic use …..... well one could like or dislike the un-amplified sound. It’s really a matter of taste. One thing for sure - one must approach the Chancellor without a pre-conceived “classic archtop sound" expectation!"
After a few more weeks - "The voice of the guitar has become more familiar and interesting, but still quite different to the Golden Hofner. I can define it as a "warm wood" sound. The guitar arrived with medium/high action, and this has now been lowered by means of adjusting the bridge height."
Steve's comment - "It would appear that the guitar is now starting to be "played-in"; a process that is essential with all spruce solid-top guitars."