Rare and hard to find on the used market, for sale is this Hofner Verythin John Stowell Vintage with violin varnish shellac finish. Label notes this is guitar 25 of 50. Built in Germany.
Arched laminate spruce top, flamed maple back and sides. Flamed maple neck with ebony fretboard. An extremely well-built guitar. At 1.25” deep, It really is very thin and comfortable to hold and play. Despite the center block, it has a very different vibe than 335-style guitars.
Excellent access to upper frets—legend Jimmy Wyble explains in the video below that this is why he played this guitar.
Cosmetically in very good condition—the shellac Hofner uses is fragile, so there are minor cosmetic blemishes here and there. I asked my luthier about the thin line in the ebony pick guard. He said it appeared not to be a crack in the wood, but rather the seam from two pieces of ebony used to build the pickguard.
Playability is excellent. The guitar has received a comprehensive setup, including fret leveling, electronics cleaning, etc. Action is low with plenty of room for adjustment. Currently strung with Thomastik-Infeld Swing Flat 11s.
Hofner mini humbucker is mounted to surface of the top with a ring mount and two small screws—the top has not been routed. (Update: Pickup ring for neck mount included with sale, but please note it is cracked and may not function properly.) Useable tones can be found throughout the entire sweep of the tone knob.
Ships with original sturdy wooden case with humidistat and humidifier, case candy, etc.
