In my experience, I have yet to see a Hofner of any kind that wasn't a piece of junk. This also goes for the reissue violin/Beatles basses that they have been putting out in the past couple years. The bass player in my band bought one and its terrible. Lousy electronics that overdrive without any effort, machine heads that refuse to stay at pitch, wax is slowly dripping from within the body and we have no clue why its there in the first place, the pick guard holder won't stay on, the neck is already bent so much that you can drive a truck under the strings.......just all around pathetic.