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Charlie Hoffman Guitars I had a used guitar in from Charlie Hoffman a few years ago. That's when I discovered the potential of Koa. Up to then I had thought Koa was only good for great clarity and separation, Charlie showed otherwise (as have many others since). Charlie says; When I first started making guitars I was often asked why I built instruments in the old fashioned way--each guitar built by one craftsman. These days when we are in the middle of a renaissance in handcrafted guitar making, that question is not asked so often. The answer to the question then, as now, is actually quite simple-- I love to work with wood and tools. I also love guitars and guitar music. There is also a more complete, and more complex, answer to the question. The initial impulse to build my guitars grew out of a dissatisfaction with the quality and feeling of assembly line instruments. I believe that the essential element missing is the intimate interaction of a single craftsman with both the customer and the materials throughout the entire process of creating a fine acoustic instrument. This does not mean that I think "factory" instruments (whether from large or small factories) are inferior. Rather, instruments made by a single craftsperson are unique, and that uniqueness is valuable to many guitar players and is a choice which should be available to anyone looking for a fine instrument. Another essential feature of the handcrafted instrument is that it can be carefully tailored to the individual buyer -- customized, if you will. From the first I have worked to maintain the connection between myself, my customer and the guitars I build, and to continually improve the quality and appearance of my instruments. I feel that there are no arcane secrets to this craft -- just the refinement of well-known ideas and loving care. I hope, and believe, that my instruments speak for themselves as to the quality of my work. Lest one get too enamored of the handcrafted mystique, I will freely admit that I use power tools whenever I can to improve the quality of the instrument. Most of the instrument builders I know are tool nuts, and so am I. (If all of the above seems a bit pretentious, we can retreat to my first explanation--I love this work, it brings me relaxation and satisfaction, and I love wood, guitars and guitar players.) I make only one quality of guitar -- the best that I can. I use only the finest solid woods available and painstakingly assemble them into fine guitars. |
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Hoffman Dreadnought
Another stunning guitar from Charlie. A picker's dream, with remarkable depth and clarity.
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• Adirondack top
• Rosewood back and sides
• 14 frets to the body
• 25.4” scale
• 1 11/16” nut width
• 2 1/4” string spacing at saddle
• 15.6” lower bout
• Mahogany neck
• No cutaway
• Koa top border
• Koa bindings
• Ebony headstock veneer
• No position markers
• Abalone rosette
• MoP logo
• Ebony fretboard
• Ebony bridge
• Waverly gold tuners
• Ebony tuner buttons
• Bone nut and saddle
• Ebony bridge pins
• Tortoise pickguard (not fitted).
• Cedar Creek custom case
£ 4,495.00
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Hoffman Concert 12 Koa
See the Acoustic Magazine review, this website, central menu, reviews.
This is one of the easiest guitars to play that I've had. Its light with a 24.75" scale, twelve frets to the body and a cutaway, unbelievably responsive and a demonstration of what a great luthier can do with Koa. In mass-produced guitars Koa is usually considered to be bright but lacking in depth and warmth. Not so in the hands of Charlie Hoffman.
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• Italian spruce top
• Koa back and sides
• Five piece mahogany/maple/rosewood neck
• Sharp cutaway
• Slotted headstock
• 12 frets to the body
• 24.75” scale
• 1 3/4" nut width
• 2 5/16" string spacing at saddle
• 15 3/8" lower bout
• Koa top border
• Ebony headstock veneer
• Abalone dot position markers
• Koa and abalone inlaid rosette
• MoP logo
• Ebony fretboard
• Ebony bridge
• Waverly tuners
• Bone nut and saddle
• Ebony tuner buttons
• Ebony bridge pins with MoP dots
• Tortoise pickguard included but not attached
• Custom Cedar Creek case
£ 5,395.00
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