Guitar Story
Guitar Story
In 2026, Klaus Schöller and Ulrike Schrimpff (Höfner management buyout owners, 2004-2026; holding vehicle name unverified) controlled the Höfner name. Its 2 lines on record were built at Hofner Hagenau (Baiersdorf) and Hofner Beijing, Shunyi (Germany and China).[1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
A Höfner guitar from 2026 belongs to whichever era was running on its product line that year. An era is a stretch when the company that controlled the name and the plant that built the line both stayed the same. If you know the line, the table below tells you which version of Höfner you have. The name dates from 1887[1, S1024], 139 years before.
| Line | Controlled by | Parent | Built at | Era | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Höfner Contemporary (CT/HCT) and Icon/Ignition series (Far East-built, 2005 to present) | Klaus Schöller and Ulrike Schrimpff (Höfner management buyout owners, 2004-2026; holding vehicle name unverified) | — | Hofner Beijing, Shunyi | 2005–now | community[1, 2, 3, 4] |
| Höfner German-built guitars and basses (Schönbach, Bubenreuth, Hagenau; 1930s to present) | Klaus Schöller and Ulrike Schrimpff (Höfner management buyout owners, 2004-2026; holding vehicle name unverified) | — | Hofner Hagenau (Baiersdorf) | 2004–now | primary[1, 2, 3, 5] |
Nothing changed in 2026. Every era running that year carried on from an earlier year, so a Höfner from 2026 is the same version as one from 2025.
Hofner Beijing, Shunyi and Hofner Hagenau (Baiersdorf). See every brand each plant built for, and every plant in the same country:
Every numbered marker on this page points here: the document, its grade and the passages relied on. An era is computed, so it cites the facts it was derived from. A fact marked “no source” has no claim attached yet.
See something wrong, or know a better source?