1976 Hofner 176 DeLuxe eguitar in Sunburst (Restored, Galaxie, Blade, Vintage, Höfner)

The Höfner 176 Deluxe

Up for sale is a beautiful, fully restored Höfner 176 Deluxe electric guitar in the classic Sunburst finish with a black pickguard.

This instrument is the final version of the Höfner 176, known as the Deluxe. Compared to the standard 176, the Deluxe features an additional control option: a separate potentiometer allows the volume balance between the Solo and Rhythm circuits to be adjusted individually. And of course, it features the highly sought-after Höfner Franz Pix 513 "Blade" pickups.

The neck and middle pickups have been professionally rewound by me. For my rewinds, I use the same type of wire, the same tape and crepe materials, the identical winding direction, the original number of windings and the same assembly technique originally used by Höfner and Franz Pix. The result is an authentic sound with no audible difference compared to an original pickup.

All pickups, switches and potentiometers are working perfectly. The complete electronics remain original. The fingerboard has been levelled, allowing for a comfortably low action.

An interesting detail can be found around the bridge area: the guitar already received what could best be described as a factory "Goof Hider" when it was originally made. The reason was some finish damage and cracking, most likely caused when the bridge bushings were pressed into the body. Anyone who has ever installed bushings into a freshly finished guitar will know that this can happen – I have actually had exactly the same thing happen myself on a freshly finished instrument in the past.

During the restoration, I carefully inspected these areas and treated them as a precaution. The cracks are superficial finish cracks; they do not extend deeply into the wood and do not present any structural issue. Höfner covered the affected areas at the factory using pieces of matching pickguard material. Pragmatic factory solutions like this are by no means unheard of on vintage instruments - oversized drill holes, minor routing mistakes and cleverly concealed factory corrections can also be found on instruments made by other major manufacturers of the period. ;)

The guitar received a comprehensive restoration down to the smallest detail. The entire instrument was completely disassembled – right down to the very last screw. Every single component was carefully cleaned, inspected, restored and polished, always with the goal of preserving as much of the original material and authentic character of the instrument as possible. The tuners, hardware, electronics, fingerboard and frets were all thoroughly serviced and restored. Finally, the guitar was professionally set up and made ready to play.

The original Sunburst finish once again has a beautiful gloss following the restoration and naturally shows the age-related wear and authentic character of a genuine vintage instrument.

In short: A rare Höfner 176 Deluxe in classic Sunburst, featuring its original electronics, the extended Deluxe circuitry and fully restored by me – ready for many more decades on stage or as a special addition to a vintage collection.

• Pot Dates: 638 250k (CW38 1976)
• Solid double-cutaway body in Sunburst
• One-piece maple neck with black finish
• Rosewood fingerboard with binding and 22 frets
• Celluloid fingerboard inlays
• Three Höfner Franz Pix 513 "Blade" pickups
• 3x pickup ON/OFF switches, Rhythm/Solo switch & blend control
• 1x chicken-head switch with 5 tone variations
• Master volume and 3x tone controls
• Höfner vibrato and height-adjustable bridge
• New Pyramid Nickel Classic strings 10–46
• Weight: 3.29 kg

General Information

Please keep in mind that this is a more than 55-year-old vintage instrument. The condition described above represents the condition in which the guitar leaves my shop and could be personally collected.

Despite careful packaging, changes can occur during shipping, particularly during international transportation involving significant fluctuations in temperature or humidity. Original celluloid parts in particular can shrink or develop stress cracks over the decades. Likewise, expansion and contraction of materials can, in rare cases, affect solder joints or the windings of old pickups.

I pack every instrument with the greatest possible care and, should an issue arise, I will of course support my buyers in a fair and straightforward manner. Nevertheless, please remember that vintage instruments are not new products. Age-related wear, material changes and a certain degree of sensitivity are all part of the character