Arnold Hoyer Famos, 1956

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Instrument: This fully acoustic archtop by Arnold Hoyer is built to a very high standard. It... more
Arnold Hoyer Famos, 1956

Instrument:
This fully acoustic archtop by Arnold Hoyer is built to a very high standard. It is a typical representative of German design competence and product quality of the fifties: the origin of "Made in Germany". Only a few could afford such a guitar in a time when the average net monthly income was 184 Marks, accordingly they are rare today. On the back of the pickguard, as on many high-quality Hoyer guitars, the date of construction is handwritten in pencil: 5.12.1956 - see photo.

Material:
Massive, hand-carved top made of bookmatched processed Alpine spruce, sides and one-piece back made of solid maple. Two-piece longitudinally glued neck, also made of maple, all beautifully finished in black and cognac burst. Fingerboard made of East Indian rosewood. The neck has a metal reinforcement, recognizable by the small hole behind the nut, Arnold Hoyer started using this type of construction very early. The headstock has an ebony veneer with the typical Famos perloid wedge inside. The color perfectly matches the elaborately crafted pickguard and the fingerboard inlays at four frets including the red stripe at the 12th fret. A detail that some German guitar makers used at that time. The bridge used was the Arnold-Hoyer patent bridge with the adjustable "lighter wheels", here still with the punch "D.B.P. ang", which stands for "angemeldetes Deutsches Bundespatent". From 1955 to 1957, all original Hoyer bridges have this punch, after that (after patent grant) only D.B.P. The solid tailpiece is from ABM-Müller. Both the open tuners and the still original frets are - typical for the time - made of brass.

Instruments history:
Unknown. We found the guitar in the back room of an old, small music store and immediately grabbed it. It must have been played a lot, the open sound and the traces of playing prove it. There must have been an accident at some point, because there are two old cracks in the top. They were glued well, are bombproof and the soundboard vibrates perfectly, so we didn't do anything to them. Also, very amateurish side-dot holes were drilled, which we removed again.

Restoration work:
Complete cleaning inside and out including blowing out the body. A few minor quirks were touched up and all lacquer surfaces were extensively bale polished and sealed. Fingerboard slightly sanded and oiled. Frets polished. The red painted holes of the side dots on four frets have been closed and retouched. The black tarnished brass tuners were cleaned and polished, also the tailpiece was polished. Finally, new strings were put on (Pyramid 11" bronze, roundwound) and a setup was done.

Current condition:
This beautiful, black-cognac-white three-color Arnold Hoyer is a fifties classic. The love and enthusiasm of the Hoyer family is in every detail here! It was certainly played endlessly in the beginning, and the sound is fantastic: loud and accentuated, warm and woody, not a bit tinny or shrill. And it sustains endlessly. Its sound can carry not only strumming but also any solo interludes. It plays like a breeze with its very low action and modern contoured slim neck, and can carry thick strings too. The guitar is technically and visually flawless again. Beautiful, lightly crackled nitro finish and just the right patina for a 66 year old instrument. Small visual blemish are the improperly (and incorrectly!) applied bridge markings on the top, which we could only have gotten rid of with deep sanding and therefore left them. The beautiful cognac tone of the top must be preserved by all means! By the way: in the pictures there seems to be a two-tone shading on the back - probably due to the flash. It is not like that in the original! Everything is 100% solid, all glue joints are bombproof, the guitar is of course odorless and clean. The tuners are absolutely tuning stable. In this condition a player for demanding connoisseurs, but also the very first choice for collectors!

Measures:
Overall length 42.1”/107 cm; body length 20.9”/53 cm; lower bout width 16.4”/41,7 cm; waist width 10.6”/27 cm; upper bout width 12.2”/31 cm; body depth 3.1”/8 cm; scale length 25”/63,5 cm (zero fret to saddle); fingerboard width 1.6”/4,1 cm at zero fret, 2”/5,1 cm at 12th fret; overall weight 2.250 g; string action on 12th fret 0.06-0.08”/1,5-2 mm.

Purchase and payment:
Just send us an email to info@german-vintage-guitar.com and you will receive your invoice immediately. Or simply order here through the shop.

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