Karl Hofner Nicolaus Amatus Model Viola - 15.5"

Nicolaus Amatus Model viola made in the Karl Hofner workshop in Schoenbach, Czechoslovakia c. 1930. Beautiful one-piece maple back and even-grained spruce top with a tastefully antiqued finish. An easy to play instrument with a rich sound. 15.5"

Karl Höfner was apprenticed to master violin maker Anton Schaller and then set himself up to make violins. He sold the first of these on September 8th, 1887, and so began the Höfner company. We know this because we still have Karl Höfner's diary from that year.

His business became very successful due to the high quality of the instruments he produced. Karl had his workshop in Schönbach, then in Bohemia, now in the Czech Republic, a centre for string instrument making. The town had many small companies and hundreds of "homeworkers" all involved in making parts or completed instruments. The business remained in Schönbach until 1948. Karl married Rosalia, the daughter of a master violin maker and they had five children; Marie, Josef, Rose, Rudolph and Walter.

Just after the First World War, Karl Höfner brought two of his sons into the business. Josef and Walter were the perfect team as Josef was a brilliant administrator while Walter was a gifted craftsman. Together, they transformed Höfner from a successful but small business into one of the largest string instrument manufacturers in Europe. The business grew as exports were sent worldwide and demand for the quality produced by Höfner was everywhere.

Höfner has continued to develop over the years and today still produces high-quality stringed instruments and bows supplied throughout the world. Whether it is a student or a master instrument, they are recognised as offering excellent value for money and superb quality.