Hohner 1977 Les Paul Copy Reviews 4

Back in the day I was in a cover band that worked several local bars and such. I'd played a few years and was decent enough so that when I played "Sweet Home Alabama" drunks could identify it. Played cheap guitars through a surprisingly nice Peavy Musician amp. I decided to part with the staggering sum of 320 1977 inflation dollars for something a little better. Saw the Hohner in our local music hang out and was struck by how good it looked. Ahhh...but how did it play?

Everyone knows what a Les Paul is set up like so I won't bore you. This one had a cherry sunburst finish(always been my favorite) but instead of cream trim, this one had black trim with gold hardware. Real MOP inlays and logo. The neck was very fast and though it was bolt-on, the sustain was there. The pickups weren't top of the line, but still sounded fat and had the "Les" sound. The controls were smooth and the only off-note were the knobs. Black radio-style. Yechhh! Fit and finish belied it's cheap price tag. I flipped the bill and took it home.

I still have this guitar and the only thing that it's needed were new pots and switch. The old ones eventually gave it up. Still, not bad for it's age. The radio knobs were replaced long ago. I hate radio knobs! The finish and binding have held up beautifully. You wouldn't know her age to look at her. The pickups have not aged well and could stand to be replaced. VERY HEAVY! Sucker wore a groove in my shoulder some nights. Other than that...a better value than I'd have expected.

Mahogany body with a one-piece maple cap. Weighs as much as my pickup truck. That certainly helps the tone, though. Cherry sunburst has not darkened at all over time. The clear coat was pretty heavy, hence this girl has very few dings. She's hit the ground a few times, too. These were part of the "Ibanez lawsuit years" when Gibson decided to do something about Japanese guitars that sound better than the real thing. This one's no exception. Built to last and it has. Gold finish shows wear due to sweaty hands, but not too bad.

The best $320.00 I ever spent. To bad the resale value nowadays is for sh*t. You could get one for $100-150 if you could find one. There don't seem to be many out there. EBay shows one every once in a while. These also came in black with gold hardware and white trim. Pretty good looking guitar,also. These would make an excellent student piece. A butt-load better than a...gasp...Squire. My main piece now is a Dean EVO but if I see another Hohner, I'll get it dirt cheap and hot rod it.

OldRocker rated this unit 4 on 2004-03-10.

Write a user review

© Gear Review Network / MusicGearReview.com - 2000