Master violin maker Karl Höfner founded his own stringed and fretted
instrument company in Schönbach, Germany in 1887. With a reputation for
quality, craftsmanship and innovation, Hofner soon became the largest
manufacturer of stringed and fretted instruments in Germany.
When his two sons joined the company, acoustic guitars already represented a
significant part of Hofner's instrument production. In a market
dominated by inexpensive student guitars during the 1920s and 1930s, Hofner guitars were already establishing new standards and the company
capitalized on that leadership during the decades that followed.
