Hofner Club 60 Sunburst 1959

This vintage electric guitar is in very good condition for its age.

1959 model, serial number 539

Some light dents in the body , some checkerboard aging of the finish and the neck heel has been professonally reset. Some issues with the ryhthm/lead switch, otherwise all working fine

Has a new Hofner bridge fitted , otherwise all looks original.

Origins of the Club Series

Hofner, founded in 1887 by Karl Hofner in Schönbach , initially focused on violins and orchestral stringed instruments. After WWII, the company relocated to Bubenreuth, West Germany, and began producing guitars to meet the growing demand for popular music instruments in the 1950s.

The Club Series emerged around 1956, designed specifically for the British market through the distributor Selmer London. These were small-bodied, hollow, archtop-derived guitars, but without the large cutaways typical of jazz guitars—making them lighter, more comfortable, and appealing to young rock ’n’ roll and skiffle players.

The Club 60 Model

The Club 60 was the top-tier model in the Club lineup, sitting above the Club 40 and Club 50. While the lower models had plainer finishes and simpler electronics, the Club 60 featured:

• Higher-grade flame maple back and sides

• Binding on the body, neck, and headstock

• Inlaid fret markers and a more ornate headstock logo

• Superior pickups and electronics compared to its siblings

Introduced in the late 1950s, the Club 60 shared its hollow, short-scale construction with the other Clubs but stood out for its upscale appointments and tonal versatility.

1959 Specifics

By 1959, the Club 60 had evolved into a refined instrument with:

• A fully hollow body made of maple back and sides with a spruce top

• A set maple neck with ebony fingerboard

• Two Type 511 “Toaster” single-coil pickups (earlier models sometimes had bar pickups)

• Individual volume controls, a master tone control, and a three-way selector switch (Selmer-marketed models often used rotary tone switches)

• A short 24.5" scale length for easy playability

• Selmer’s distinctive “Höfner” headstock logo for UK sales

The Club series became popular in the UK’s late-1950s–early-1960s music scene. Its smaller body was ideal for teenage guitarists influenced by American rock ’n’ roll but who couldn’t afford a Gibson or Gretsch.

Most famously, John Lennon used a Höfner Club 40 before switching to his Rickenbacker 325. George Harrison also owned a Club 40 early in The Quarrymen days. While the Club 60 wasn’t directly associated with the Beatles in the same way, it was part of the same wave of instruments shaping the Merseybeat sound.

Specifications

Construction & Body

• Body Type: Semi-hollow electric (hollow body without sound holes), featuring a lightly arched spruce top and flat, book-matched flamed maple back and sides. 

• Dimensions & Weight: Approximately 13 inches wide, 2 inches deep, with a full length near 38 inches. Very light construction

Neck & Fretboard

• Neck: Five-piece construction—maple/mahogany/beech/mahogany/maple—known for a “very fat, baseball-bat” profile. 

• Scale Length: Approximately 24¼″ (around 635 mm). 

• Nut Width: Just over 1 9/16″. 

• Fretboard: Ebony, bound, with three-piece mother-of-pearl block inlays. Also includes a “zero fret” and 22 jumbo nickel-silver frets. 

Headstock & Tuners

• Headstock: Ebony-capped with elaborate mother-of-pearl “vine leaf” inlays and the Hofner logo. Early 1959 examples retained the narrow-style headstock; later models in 1960 widened it slightly. 

• Tuners: Open-back individual tuners, often with ivory/ivoroid buttons. Later examples may feature closed-back replacements. 

Bridge & Tailpiece

• Bridge: Ebony adjustable bridge with fret-wire saddle inserts for intonation. 

• Tailpiece: Trapeze-style Hofner tailpiece, sometimes with medallion detailing. 

Electronics & Controls

• Pickups: Two Hofner single-coil “super response” pickups in black bakelite cases, 

• Controls: Dual volume knobs and a panel of three slider switches (selector options, rhythm/lead, etc.), mounted on a tortoiseshell plate edged in white. White “teacup” knobs with gold tops secure via grub screws

Binding & Aesthetic Details

• Binding: Elaborate multi-ply binding. Headstock and fretboard also bound. 

• Pickguard: Tortoiseshell pickguard with Hofner decal, secured by a side pin and metal bracket. 

History

• Manufacturing Period: Introduced in 1958, produced through early ’60s,

• Famous Users: Early artists like John McNally, David Gilmour, Justin Hayward, and Eric Clapton famously played Club models. The Club 60 was the deluxe version of the range.