Paul McCartney's legendary Karl Höfner bass

Karl Höfner GmbH & Co KG is a German manufacturer of plucked and bowed string instruments. The company was founded in 1887 by violin and guitar maker Karl Höfner in Schönbach (now Luby in the Czech Republic). By the beginning of the 20th century, the company became the largest manufacturer of string instruments in Europe and gained worldwide recognition.

In the 1910s and 20s, the company began producing acoustic guitars. Following the end of the Second World War, the firm moved its production to Bubenreuth in Bavaria.

In the mid-1950s, the company's master craftsmen realized the idea of creating a semi-acoustic bass guitar with an electric amplifier. This bass guitar was introduced under the model number 500/1, now famously known as the "Beatle Bass." Bassist Paul McCartney of the Fab Four played exactly this model. Thanks to this instrument, Höfner became one of the most sought-after manufacturers of electric bass guitars. While its shape resembles the Gibson "Violin Bass," they are completely different instruments in terms of construction.

After the family business joined the British Boosey & Hawkes Group in 1994, which operated in both music marketing and instrument making, significant sums were invested in modernizing Höfner's production technology. In 1997, production expanded, and the company’s location was moved to the neighboring town of Hagenau.

In 2003, Höfner GmbH separated from the Boosey & Hawkes Group. In 2005, Höfner was transformed into a limited partnership and became an independent family-owned business once again under the management of Klaus Schöller and Ulrike Schrimpff, as Karl Höfner GmbH & Co.

Hofner HZ-27 Guitar Test