Hofner 455 model (1950-51)
  In 1949 Hofner continued production after the war, and this was one of the first models. The old way of construction was still used for the body, with the rings glued on the binding. A very expensive artisan process that disappeared in 1952, there are many differences with the following instruments.
  They were only built with these features for two years and the production was very small. It is extremely rare to find a guitar like this in such good condition.
  The maple and mahogany laminate only has two layers, one less than in the following years, this makes it more sonorous and sensitive to vibration.
  The fingerboard is made of pear wood, in those years in Germany rosewood was very expensive to use in these models and it was changed to pear wood. The spacing between the strings is greater and is easier to play. The headstock is not original.
  The original varnish has been fixed with a new coat of varnish, and retains the shine of the original three-tone sunburst.
 Has numerous taps  and scratches, but no cracks or major repairs.
  The bronze frets are original reconditioned, and allow you to play comfortably with a very low string height and without fretting or hum.
  It has been completely revised, is in very good condition and fully operational!
 
 This guitar has been authenticated and dated by the official Hofner vintage website.

 "When Hofner re-commenced production in Moehrendorf, Bavaria after WW2 in 1949, the 456 was one of the archtop models offered. A very similar archtop had been produced with that model designation before the onset of the war when Hofner were based at Schoenbach in Bohemia.The 456 was intended to be Hofner's mid-range archtop, utilizing nicely flamed maple for the body back & amp; sides, with a maple top. A good standard of ornamentation was used on the guitar, with binding / multi-purfling around body top & amp; back edges and soundholes, with the rosewood neck also bound. Pearloid strips were used for the fretmarkers, and on all but the very earliest guitars, a pearloid / tortoishell / pearloid celluloid fascia covered the front of the headstock. problems differentiating between the 455, 456, and 457 models, particularly as Hofner seems to have continually revised the detail cosmetics of these models over the years. The main basic difference between the 456 and the slightly later 4 57 is that the 456 had a maple body top and the 457 had a spruce top. Both the 455 and the 456 had maple tops, but the ornamentation on the 456 was of a higher standard than the 455. For example, the 455 was not provided with binding to the neck initially, though later examples (after the demise of the 456 ) did gain this feature. Initially the 456 was only supplied in brown sunburst finish. Later, a natural blonde finish was available, and some examples even have a red-burst finish. As with the rest of the Hofner range, the 456 was available from c1954 with the option of factory fitted electrics. 1962, by which stage the 457 model would seem to have taken over as Hofner's principle mid-range archtop. "