Hofner Galaxie 176 Mid-60's - Red Burst

Merillon Guitars Item # MG01078

Make: Höfner

Model: Galaxie 176 (Red-Burst)

Style: Solid Body Electric 6-String

Year: 1960’s

Scale: 24.75

Frets: 22

Weight: 8 LBS. 1 OZ.

Condition: Very Good

Case: Hard Shell Case (New)

Description: Karl Höfner established his instrument building company in Schonbach, in eastern Germany, in 1887. His two sons, Joseph and Walter, moved the company to Bubenreuth, in what would become western Germany, shortly after WWI, and the family controlled business continues there to this day.

The ‘Galaxie’ line was an attempt to compete with Fender’s bolt on neck instruments like the Stratocaster and the build quality, if not the design spirit, shines through. 

The wiring is generally thought of as too complicated but the system does offer up a remarkable number of preset options as well as on/off switches and tone controls for each of the three humbucking ‘Nova Sonic’ pick-ups.

This Red-Burst example of Höfner’s top of the line solid body has fared rather well. All of the electronics work. All of the hardware is present. The flic-up damper works but the foam strip (which might have been felt) is gone. The black plastic tip on the end of the tremolo bar is likely not original. She has a Maple neck and a Rosewood fingerboard with double stripe MOTS inlays. Her headstock sports 6 ‘Butterfly’ tuners and a raised plastic “Hofner” logo. The face of the headstock also has a dealer sticker attached from Musik Schaller Kaiserslautern (see pic) so she must have at some point been retailed in Germany. She doesn’t have a serial number that I can find but the number 453-72-1634 is hand engraved on neck plate (an American SSN?) . In Höfner's serial number scheme she should be somewhere between 3147 & 4859, and as I understand it, she would have one if she had been intended for export. Maybe she was purchased, in the 60’s, by an American soldier from one of the near-by American bases who brought her back to the states from Germany.

She shows some fret ware but plays perfectly. There are a few dings (see pics), there is a small chip on the end of the pickguard on the upper bass bout (see pics), but overall she is very clean. The black plastic access cover plate on the back is cracked and missing a piece (see pics). Also on the back, there are a few surface cracks in the finish (see pics). 

Another one of those guitars that doesn’t sound like anything you already have. To quote Höfner’s catalog of the era “Made to give all the effects and variety of tone color that today’s music demands”. 

 A super cool, clean as you are likely to find example of a European electric guitar design classic.

She will ship in a new hard shell case. 

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