NGD! New Guitar DAY!!! Ok so as I began playing more and more and got involved with a band I realised that my little acoustic parlour guitar running through a lead channel of an amp was just not gonna cut it for the sound I wanted. The problem is due to the big move to London and all the travelling I've been doing, I didn't have a lot of funds to devote to a guitar. Another problem out current flat is extremely small and so we didn't have room for full-sized guitars and amps. We also knew we would be moving around a lot and eventually we would like to move back to the states. So I set my self to finding a small, inexpensive guitar that played well and sounded good enough for playing the types of gigs we where playing. Oh and by the way my budget was about £100 (about $160 USD). I know what your thinking easy right. (sarcasm just in case you didn't pick that up). I also didn't have a lot of time to find this guitar that I wasn't even sure existed as out next gig was coming up. So I did my research and eventually came across the Hofner shorty. These are popular with a small group of people who know what they are capable of, from people who use them I have heard nothing but good things about them. The best part is they where selling on eBay for around £120 used. So started bidding and got one at right about £100. I wasn't crazy about the teal-ish blue colour and I usually don't like buying guitars or equipment sight unseen but I didn't have much of a choice with my time and budget constraints. So it came in and yes there where a few issue as will all used things: the case had seen better days and the zips where useless (the cases seem to be really cheap anyway), the jack was kinda worn but I was able to fix the connection without soldering by bending it back to place. Other than that I was extremely surprised at the quality. The neck is comfortable and fast, the fret board and frets where installed well I had no issue with dead frets or sharp ends. The action was great when I got it but it was even better after a slapped some medium gauge strings on and set it up properly, then it played unbelievably well. The bridge is a little confusing to work on, but it's a pretty interesting wrap around bridge/tail-piece all in one sort of deal. Its similar to what you seen on a PRS. It set up great and I was able to easily get the intonation right (which was so nice after fighting with the intonation on my parlour guitar). The feel of it is awkward but it doesn't take long to get used to and the weird little body actually has some ergonomic qualities. If you try one of these and you find with a strap that is hangs in a odd position then I recommend tying the front of your strap to the headstock like you would an acoustic guitar. Also it's much more comfortable when sitting if you play it in your lap like a classical guitar. Another great plus about these guitars are they are extremely light and super comfortable on stage. As for a case I found I can fit my Hofner, my tools, my accessories, cables, effects pedals, and anything else I want at the gig in the case for my parlour guitar. I've also put this guitar in my back pack with just the headstock and a few frets sticking out. The best thing about the shorty is that despite all these advantages of being a compact guitar the shorty has a full scale 24 feet neck so you don't have to sacrifice any playability. As far as sound goes I was extremely please when I first plugged this guitar in. It tends to be a bit bright but rolling back the tone knob seems to fix the issue without making it too muddy sounding. The guitar has one humbucker, a volume knob, and a tone knob. I am able to get a surprising amount of versatility in my sound just from playing with the tone knob. Unfortunately I don't know the model of the humbucker and I also don't know for sure what wood is in mine. I know some of the early models where made with woods like maple and mahogany but I think mine is probably something like basswood. I also found out if I take the strings off and remove the neck it fits in a carry on. Not something you would want to do with an expensive guitar but I think this will be a great way to move back to the states with my shorty. All in all I am extremely happy with this guitar and even the colour has grown on me a bit. It's a bit odd looking but it has sort of become a signature look that I'm known for around here, I've gotten many compliments on the look and the sound.
For more info on the Hofner Shorty here is a great website: Hofner Shorty Fact File
Some photos. As you can see I managed to fit it into my pack, pretty cool. I also managed to completely disassemble it and see all the mojo this particular guitar has earned from its previous gigs.
