Is this real or a graft?

[drbassman]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=170254206470&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=007

Did Hofner really make a Gibson clone? Never heard of one!

[shadowcastaz]

The lighting or something makes me suspicious. Photoshopped? It looks tooo clean, If you know what I mean .That is nice looking aldar.

[lowend1]

Holy Hell! Who finished the headstock shaping? Stevie Wonder? Look at the rear view!

[Dave W]

It's real. http://www.vintagehofner.co.uk/gallery/bass/bas9.html

Also note the entry near the bottom of this page from the same site: http://www.vintagehofner.co.uk/gallery/gallery2/bass.html

HOFNER MODEL 190 SOLID BASS GUITAR

Another fairly obvious copy, but this time using the Gibson SB 400 Bass as the pattern. As with the 189 model, it had the long 34" scale, and in fact it was produced in parallel with the 189 throughout the 1970's and first year or so of the 1980's. Did Schaller's supply Hofner with exactly the same hardware as they had been supplying to Gibson for the SB 400?? It does look rather like it!

[gearHed289]

That one's got Gotoh machine heads.

[OldManC]

Man, if I had a spare $650 I'd buy it just for the curiosity factor. That being said, the back of that headstock does look pretty busted!

[drbassman]

Man, if I had a spare $650 I'd buy it just for the curiosity factor. That being said, the back of that headstock does look pretty busted!

I hate to say this but me too!  Repaired headstock or not!

[Chris P.]

Always nice to discover such gems and learn about it here.

[Basvarken]

I can't see what's wrong with the headstock
If you guys are talking about the difference in colours you see at the back I think it doesn't mean a thing.
I have a Triumph that has similar differences in colour and it has never ever been broken.

Plus I can add that Hofner really makes excellent Gibson copies/clones. A friend of mine has a Flying V guitar that sounds just as good -or perhaps better- than any Gibson Flying V I've heard...

[lowend1]

I can't see what's wrong with the headstock

If you check the rear headstock view, it doesn't even come close to being symmetrical, and it doesn't look like it was designed to be different - it just looks messed up. Compare it to Dave's Vintage Hofner link and you'll see that headstock is shaped "correctly". With regard to the color back there, it's either bad Photoshop or bad finishing.

[uwe]

The mind boggles why anybody would want to copy an SB 400 of all things when the whole SB series was Gibson's attempt at beating the copy cats at their own game. Life imitating art imitating life.

But it sure looks nice (and faithful as a copy).

Uwe

[Basvarken]

If you check the rear headstock view, it doesn't even come close to being symmetrical, and it doesn't look like it was designed to be different - it just looks messed up. Compare it to Dave's Vintage Hofner link and you'll see that headstock is shaped "correctly". With regard to the color back there, it's either bad Photoshop or bad finishing.

I see what you mean. Maybe just a "monday morning model"?

[uwe]

German precision.