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Höfner Shorty R

92

Electric Guitar

  • Classic from the 80s
  • Instrument length: 86 cm
  • Basswood body
  • Bolt-on maple neck
  • Jatoba fretboard
  • 24 Frets
  • Scale: 628 mm
  • Nut width: 42 mm
  • Pickup: 1 Höfner humbucker
  • One-piece "fixed" tailpiece and bridge
  • Factory strings: .010 - .046
  • Colour: Red
  • Includes a bag
Available since November 2004
Item number 168548
Sales Unit 1 piece(s)
Colour Red
Soundboard Basswood
Neck Maple
Fretboard Jatoba
Frets 24
Scale 625 mm
Pickup System H
Tremolo No
Incl. Case No
Incl. Gigbag No
Electric Guitar 1
Design Miscellaneous
Acoustic Guitar 1
Body Limewood
Top None
Saddle Width 42 mm
Pickup Configuration H
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$135
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Good things come in small packages

The Höfner Shorty is a classic travel guitar that was launched back in the 1980s and has been available again since the early 2000s. What makes this instrument special is that it combines an extremely compact body with a full-size guitar scale length. The basswood body is finished in red, and the bolt-on neck, which is made from a single piece of maple for enhanced sustain, features a rosewood fingerboard with dot inlays and a bone nut. The guitar features the typical "Shorty" headstock design and a full-sounding open-coil Höfner humbucking pickup in the bridge position, and the scope of delivery also includes a matching gig bag.

Small guitar, big fun

You can't play full-on guitar solos on a travel guitar, right? Wrong. The Höfner Shorty R features a full 24-fret register, and its scale length, at 628mm, is the same as that of classic single-cut electric guitars, so lead guitarists can get their mojo working here in complete comfort. The neck is 42mm wide at the nut, meaning that it also has a comfortably slim "vintage medium" profile, and as players have long come to expect from guitars played with a pick, the standard version has a screw-mounted scratchplate that covers and protects the guitar's circuitry.

For frequent travellers

The space-saving (one might even say "pocket-sized") Höfner Shorty R is the perfect budget-friendly guitar for players who love to travel but don't want to be without a high-quality instrument with a "real" guitar scale length when they are on the road. The Shorty features a fixed, one-piece wraparound bridge/tailpiece unit, which needs to be completely removed when changing the strings, as these are anchored on the underside of the bridge. Players who opt for this guitar should therefore allow themselves plenty of time when re-stringing. Allergy sufferers should also note that the machine heads on the Höfner Shorty are made from nickel.

About Höfner

The Höfner company has a long tradition and was founded by Karl Höfner in Schönbach at the end of the 19th century. Initially, the product range consisted mainly of bowed string instruments, and the first guitars were added around 1930. After the Second World War, the company was relocated to Möhrendorf in Bavaria. In the 1950s, the company flourished thanks to new musical trends, and basses were now introduced in addition to guitars. Legendary models were created during this time, such as the President, the Committee, and the 500/1 short-scale bass, which made music history a short time later with the Beatles. The subsequent boom in Beat music quickly brought Höfner enormous demand and enduring world fame. Today, Höfner is one of the best-known and largest manufacturers of bowed string instruments and of archtop, semi-acoustic, and solid-body guitars, as well as a wide range of basses.

From practice session to party performance

The Höfner Shorty R measures just 86cm in total, which makes it easy to transport and thus the ideal travel companion for everyone who can't NOT play guitar while on vacation. It will fit diagonally into a standard XL hardshell suitcase, and the included gig bag mentioned above will keep it safe on shorter journeys as well. The Shorty's scale length also makes it ideal for practising scales and exercises while watching TV at home or while colleagues are out of the office. Combined with a small battery-powered amp, it can also provide the perfect musical accompaniment for garden parties, barbecues, and even around the campfire - time to ditch those hiking songs in favour of some good old Rock classics.

92 Customer ratings

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63 Reviews

AM
Excellent!
Antonis M. 12.11.2013
A very nice guitar!
It's difficult in the first minutes due to small body size.
You have to hold it either with an acoustic guitar strap, or between your legs or using your right hand.
First thing I did was to replace the strings (with Ernie Ball 2223) and setup the intonation. It was terrible, but it's a new guitar, so this is a basic setup for everybody I guess.
I had to move the bridge back a couple of millimeters and then fine-tune the intonation.
The action and the neck relief were OK for me.
The finishing in the body is great, in the fretboard not-perfect, but not bad. The frets are great, just the wood it had some scratches in the first fret, but no minor that's not a problem.
I liked the gig bag.
It also had an allen-wrench and a cable.
All you need is a mini battery powered amp like MS2 and you are ready to travel the world :) :) :)

The humbucker is great! It's powerful. The volume/tone knobs are working as expected.

If I had to find problems for that guitar, the first one is that the headstock is in black and the body in red (I would prefer it to be color-matched) and that the strap in the bridge is useless. You should use a strap for acoustic guitar.
The tuning keys was too soft, so I had to tighten using a screw.

Anyway, this guitar is great, especially for it's price!
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R
It grows on you
Roelof 15.05.2019
The build quality of this guitar was terrible. There were gaps behind the nut where someone had started cutting the fretboard to short but reconsidered. The neck is at an extreme break angle which causes the bridge to ride at maximum elevation where the strings pull it crooked. The electronics are the usual cheap chinese junk. The only saving grace is that the fretwork is reasonable.

But. There is sustain like there is no tomorrow. And I keep reaching for it to work out fretting of a new song while sitting in my totally guitar unfriendly easy chair where my strat simply will not fit.

At some point I will re-route the neck pocket, do a fret job, replace the bridge and the pickups and make it stellar. But not just now, I am too busy using it.
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a
good value for money
alniko 12.01.2022
I got the shorty for travel purposes but I started using it more and more. it is very easy to play and the setup was great as sent. The tuners could be better as they are not smooth, however when tuned the guitar stays in tune very well. Decent sound and very good value for money.
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H
Nice low cost travel guitar
Hans7359 05.02.2014
This guitar is surprisingly well performing given it's price. It has a full size neck with 24 frets and a thick or fat profile. It is quite decent to play and it has a nice blues rock sound of the only pickup. The volume and tone knobs are placed a bit close together and needs getting used to.

Given the small body the balance is bad. It's heavy in the neck, so you need to compensate with your hand on the bridge both standing up using a strap and sitting down.

The small size makes it very good for traveling and it's great fun with a small portable or headphone amp and it looks good too.

If your in the market for full scale guitar small enough to bring with you at a low price, this guitar will be great fun even tough it has some quirks.
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