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Hofner Colorama £199

Are you looking for a hard rocking, P90 toting Höfner for under 200 quid? Read on…

Don't hassle the Höf!

Don't hassle the Höf!

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Höfner, the elder statesman of pop guitars, has actually been around since 1887, and though the best-known design is Paul McCartney's 500/1 bass, its Chinese electrics kick ass, too.

"It's the tool for every blues guitarist!" reckons Höfner, and considering the Colorama features twin P90s and a solid body made of real mahogany, this is an interesting spec indeed.

It's actually based on an old Höfner model... "However!" the website reminds us, "this is no yesterday's collector's model, but designed for the tough live performance of today's guitarist." Bring it on, baby!

This electric guitar is a meisterwerk that combines a tidy build with supreme playability, and gave TG a break from the usual humbucker theme with the grinding output and jagged bite of the P90s.

Between the bend-friendly profile, the luxurious fretboard and the surprising level of sustain you get from that slim body, we'd agree that this model would cheer up the bluesmen, but it would also deliver the goods in a hard rock context or even excel if you worship the raggedy-arsed riffs of The Libertines.

Verdict

A highly playable, versatile guitar.

MusicRadar rating:

4 of 5 stars

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MusicRadar rating

4 of 5

Pros

Classy materials and tone.

Cons

Faces stiff competition.

Verdict

A highly playable, versatile guitar.

Review Policy

All MusicRadar's reviews are by independent product specialists, who are not aligned to any gear manufacturer or retailer. Our experts also write for renowned magazines such as Guitarist, Total Guitar, Computer Music, Future Music and Rhythm. All are part of Future PLC, the biggest publisher of music making magazines in the world.

Specification

Colorama

Price:
£199
Available Controls:
2 x Tone, 2 x Volume, 3-way Pickup Selector
Bolt-on Neck:
false
Bridge:
Tune-o-matic
Case Included:
false
Cutaway:
false
Fingerboard Material:
Rosewood
Fretless:
false
Guitar Body Material:
Mahogany
Hardware:
Nickel
Includes Bag:
false
Left Handed Model Available:
false
Neck Material:
Mahogany
Neck Profile:
Set Neck
Pickguard:
false
Tailpiece:
Stop-Tail
Phantom power:
false
Pickup Type:
2 x P90 Pickups
Tremolo:
false

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