Höfner was established in 1887 by Karl Höfner who was followed by two of his sons and his grandaughter in developing the company into a world leading instrument manufacturer. Today they are the largest manufacturer of stringed instruments, guitars and basses in Western Europe.

Höfner are located at Hagenau, Bavaria, Germany and also at Beijing, China. Their workshops employ many highly skilled craftsmen who hand build many of their product lines. Höfner employ traditional methods together with cutting edge technology in order to produce world class instruments and set ourselves extremely high quality standards. They may be one of the largest in Europe but we are still small enough to be individual and we think that matters. Höfner have no production lines and no robots, but they do have workshops. Yes they have machinery, but they design and build most of that themselves. They are proud that everyone at Höfner knows one another, that they all work together, they all solve problems together and they develop our products together. Höfner are proud that their staff stay with them for years, often for a lifetime. Hofner has always been a family affair and remains so today.

Höfner electric guitars are used by some of the most discerning professional players who demand quality, tone and playability. Höfner’s Violin Bass has become one of the world’s iconic guitars and remains, after 60 years, as the preferred bass guitar for many, from those starting out to seasoned professionals.