The Hoyer guitar name dates to 1874, with Franz Hoyer opening a shop in Schonbach, a town in what is now the Czech Republic and produced all manner of popular instruments including lutes, zithers and guitars. With the end of the Second World War, the Hoyer family had to leave Schonbach and moved into Germany. They settled in Tennelohe, near Erlanger, which like Schonbach was a major center for musical instrument building.
The Arnold Hoyer archtop Herr im Frack, or ‘Gentleman in Tails’ was introduced in the late 1940s and was popular throughout the 1950s as a professional quality guitar. These instruments were very important as quality guitars were in short supply during the long recovery from the war.
This 1950s Arnold Hoyer Archtop Herr im Frack is in good playable condition, and aside from a repaired crack in the heel and a repaired crack in the top next to the bass side of the fingerboard tag, is in good physical condition. It plays well, and sounds remarkably good.
The Herr im Frack features a carved spruce top and probably laminate Maple back and sides, and a maple neck with a bound rosewood fingerboard and an ebony bridge base. The bound headstock has an inlay reading ‘Arnold Hoyer Herr im Frack’. The position marker inlays, typical of many German instruments, are the full width of the fingerboard.
The top features both a small round soundhole at the end of the fingerboard and traditional F-holes. The hardware seems original – a nickel plated trapeze tailpiece, a metal bridge with adjustable saddles, a large faux pearl pickguard, and open back strip tuners with creme plastic buttons.
The screened gold logo on the lower treble side reads “Original Arnold Hoyer nur echt mit diesem zeichen”, or “Only real with this sign”. A tech tip about this sort of decoration, which was also seen on many American guitars – cleaning the area presents a number of issues. The logo is painted directly onto the top, and there are not clear coats over top. Consequently, spraying the top with a wax or polish and rubbing the surface can easily remove all or parts of the logo!
Hoyer guitars is still producing instruments, and you can visit their website here.
Serial Number: N/A, but built during the 1950’s at the Hoyer shop in Erlangen, Germany.
Pricing: $1,199.00 with case. SOLD
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