Instrument: At the beginning of the sixties, Walter Höfner and Jakob Winter, owner of the case manufacturer with the same name, sat together at a trade fair and Höfner complained about the effort involved in producing good and durable finishes for his guitars. Especially for the heavily used solid bodies. Jakob Winter came up with the idea of simply covering them with vinyl material, just as he had been doing for his instrument cases for a long time. Höfner was enthusiastic and so, for a short time, the vinyl-covered electric guitars and basses that are sought after in collectors' circles today were created. Höfner was the first in 1962, quickly followed by brands such as Isana, Klira and Fasan. The last vinyl bodies were produced by Klira in 1965, by which time the short-lived trend was already history. Winter supplied all German manufacturers, no one else had mastered the technology of the special vacuum process at the time. Our Klira is the Ohio model, which dates back to 1963 and was therefore one of the earliest vinyl guitars. The identical Nevada model differs from the Ohio only in its lacquered body. Many young guitarists entered the electrically amplified solid-body era with the affordable Ohio and Nevada.
Material: The body is made from light and easy to work with abachi, the black lacquered neck is made from three pieces of maple, glued lengthwise. It consists of one part including the headstock and has a truss rod. The rosewood fingerboard has pearloid dot inlays in eight frets. Open single tuners with beautiful pearloid grips in tulip shape.
Electrics: It is based on two Schaller single coils, switchable via a four-way rotary switch with zero position, plus a four-way tone selector switch and a master volume control. The jack socket is the current standard. This is simple and intuitive and completely sufficient for a wide range of setting options.
Instruments history: Unknown. The guitar had been in our stock for several years, now we have finally finished it. We no longer know where it came from.
Restoration work: We re-glued some loose vinyl edges, especially on the body horns, cleaned all vinyl surfaces and treated them with vinyl conditioner. The fingerboard and frets were sanded and oiled respectively polished. We lightly retouched and polished the black lacquered neck surfaces. All the hardware was disassembled, cleaned, polished, the tuners oiled and the bushings polished. For the electrics, we cleaned and de-resinated the controls. The black pickguard was also cleaned and polished. We replaced all the screws with matching slotted originals. Finally, the Klira received a new set of 010" Pyramid pure nickel strings and a complete setup.
Current condition: Our Ohio is a collector's item with a classy black and white look, the vinyl is not at all yellowed. Everything is spotlessly clean and completely odourless. The pickguard has a few old plectrum marks, the headstock has a few very fine, barely visible superficial paint cracks - there are no other defects. Nothing for a 61 year old guitar! The original vinyl in particular, including the keder strap, is in excellent condition for its age. Everything is perfectly intact and works as it should, and the hardware shines like new. The neck is child's play, and you'll feel right at home on the Klira. Of course, it sounds just like it looks: Pure sixties beat! But it also delivers warm, Shadows sounds with endless sustain just as well as the hard rock style. An uncomplicated and very versatile fun guitar! This beautiful collector's item is a show instrument that cuts a fine figure on any stage, but also an uncomplicated and insensitive player for every day.
Measures: Overall length 38,6”/98 cm; body length 17.7”/45 cm; lower bout width 13.4”/34 cm; waist width 8.3”/21 cm; upper bout width 11”/28 cm; body depth 1.2”/3 cm; scale length 24.4”/62 cm (zero fret to saddle); fingerboard width 1.7”/4,3 cm at zero fret, 2”/5,1 cm at 12th fret; overall weight 2.550 g; string action on 12th fret 0.08”/2 mm (adjustable).
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.
