Arnold Hoyer

[felixstoweradio]

We have a lovely Arnold Hoyer violin/guitar shape 8-string mandolin, in what may be birds eye maple with a split back, possibly a pine (or slightly darker, less grained top, with light wood binding with mother of pearl fret and pieces.

One of our listeners brought it in, and all we know is that it has stood behind a sofa for past 40 years.

Anyone able to help?

[Jill McAuley]

Post some photos if you can, or contact Trevor over at The Acoustic Music Company in Brighton - I know he's had a few Hoyer mandolins in his shop in the past.

Cheers,
Jill

[Martin Jonas]

I'm not so sure what you want to know about it, but doing a search on the cafe for "Hoyer" might be a start. In brief, guitar-shaped mandolins are also called "mandolinetto" (no particular reason, that's just the name for them). In the early part of the last century, there were a lot of mandolinettos around, the most prominent of which were "Howe-Orme" in the US. For some reason, in the period immediately after WWII, German makers latched onto building guitar-shaped mandolins with f-holes at a time when virtually nobody else in the world did so. All of the mass-market German makers of the time did so, such as Framus, Hofner, Otwin and indeed Hoyer. So, a Hoyer with guitar-shape body, arched top and f-shaped shoundholes is very likely to be from between, say, 1946 and, say 1965. They are basically scaled-down versions of their archtop jazz guitars from the same period and as the guitars are moderately collectible (not in the league of, say, Gibson or Martin), so are their mandolins. In a good condition, a Hoyer archtop mandolinetto may fetch around 300 to 400 Pounds. With a split back and potentially poor condition from having been unplayed behind a sofa for the past 40 years, more like 100 to 150 Pounds. Photos may help to say more.

You may also want to check out an online copy of the 1948 Hoyer catalogue here (http://www.hoyer-guitars.com/Hoyer_Katalog_1948.pdf).

Martin

[felixstoweradio]

Jill & Martin

Thank you for your replies, the information you provide is extremely interesting. I'll post a photo as soon as I can. BTW: a split back doesn't mean damaged - this instrument appears to be in excellent condition, and the back of a sofa may have kept it well preserved.

I forgot to mention it has an electric pickup - and ancient model, and I presume an original fitting.

[Martin Jonas]

Sorry, I thought you were referring to a split (or a crack) in the back, but from your latest e-mail I presume you mean a two-piece back. Photos would be helpful.

In the meantime, I have notice that the link I posted is dead -- I got it from an old post I made on the Cafe a few years ago. I can't find it on the Hoyer site now, although copies may still float in cyberspace.

In the meantime, you want to have a look at this (http://jazzgitarren.k-server.org/hoyer.html) site, which has some fairly spectacular photos of Hoyer's archtop acoustic and semi-acoustic guitars. Their mandolinettos were scaled-down versions with similar (if not quite as outre) designs.

As yours has a pickup, it may well be quite similar to this (http://www.emando.com/builders_inactive/Hoyer.htm) acoustic/electric Hoyer mandolinetto at emando.com.

Martin

[Amandalyn]

[QUOTE=You may also want to check out an online copy of the 1948 Hoyer catalogue here (http://www.hoyer-guitars.com/Hoyer_Katalog_1948.pdf).Martin[/QUOTE]

This link does not seem to be working- would like to view it-
I have a Hoyer Mando and it's in excellent condition- plays well.

[Martin Jonas]

Teri--

I had reposted the link from an old post of mine. In the meantime, the link to the PDF of the 1948 catalogue has disappeared from the Hoyer homepage. Bits of the catalogue are still here (http://www.stromgitarren.net/dokument.htm), but unfortunately not the mandolin pages.

Martin

[DerTiefster]

perhaps some of the readers of your old post might have downloaded and archived the catalog? A pointer to the old post might enable interested parties to plead more productively for such copies. Just trying to help. I've posted questions (and resurrected old threads) for such purposes, occasionally successfully. (Apologies if you included a pointer to the old post...I didn't dig through all of it for possible links)

[Amandalyn]

Here's my Hoyer. Original TP was a trapeze style- I changed it out to a Randy Wood TP. The original bridge is ebony or rosewood adjustable with a metal saddle. I now have a maple one pc. bridge on it.

[tonydxn]

There are some (fuzzy) shots of the catalogue in this video (https://www.youtube.com/user/hoyerguitars). No mandolin pages though.

[Jim Garber]

There was one similar to Teri's above but with a pickup that was on Reverb (https://reverb.com/item/2002847-arnold-hoyer-vintage-c-1960-sunburst-guitar-bodied-electro-mandolin-mandolinetto) 9 months ago.

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[Ivan Kelsall]

Trevor (TAMCO) has one of those in stock at the moment. I remember back in 1963 (ish) when i was just starting to play Uke & eventually banjo,a guy at work bought one of those. He brought it into work & played it for us one lunch time & i remember being distictly underwhelmed. Of course,it was meant to be amplified,but at the time i didn't know an amp. from a washing machine. It was only 3 years or so later that i saw 'the' mandolin,the one played By Bill Monroe himself when he played in Manchester in 1966 - i was far more impressed with that one !!,:disbelief:
Ivan:grin:

[Ray(T)]

I don't think there was much difference in sound between those with pickups and those without, Ivan, and Trevor has had that one in for quite some time. (£499 in case anyone is wondering.)

Unfortunately, the sound of the old Hoyer mandolins doesn't match the sound most people want nowadays as they simply don't have the volume to compete adequately with other instruments. That said, the late Larry Kearns of the Oldham Tinkers played one for many years. I distinctly remember the night he turned up with a set of new strings on it. They improved the sound no end.

[Ivan Kelsall]

Ray - Those mandolins weren't built to be played un-amplified,& un-amplified they sounded thin,stringy & the best part of dead as far as sustain went. You might remember Jack Lee of the ''Mavis & Jack'' C & W duo,it was Jack who taught me how to play Uke at work during our lunch break. When the guy brought his Hoyer mandolin into work,he joined us one lunch time & my Uke buried it - as you rightly said,no volume.
One point,i suppose that it is possible that the un-amplified Hoyers might have been more finely crafted for acoustic use ?,
Ivan;)
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[Ray(T)]

I've only heard the un-pickuped ones Ivan and been somewhat underwhealmed.

Jack Lee wasn't only into C&W, didn't he write that famous poem "The Phantom of Balderstone Mill"?

[Ivan Kelsall]

Hi Ray - Jack wrote a lot of 'recitations' in that style. That particular one has become his best known mainly because of it's subject matter ,which we won't go into here !. Many years ago,at Jack's C & W club in Rochdale,we had 2 young Bluegrass musicians from California guesting - Peter & Gail. Jack recited 'The Phantom' & at the end,we almost had to mop the 2 guest artists up off the floor - of course they'd never heard anything like it.
A friend of mine,David Howard,now the mandolin player with The Oldham Tinkers,who was a BBC sound recorder at that time, recorded the whole thing & i'm sure that i have a copy of it somewhere,:grin:
Ivan;)

[Ray(T)]

Wouldn't mind a copy of it Ivan - as to Dave Howard, I'll email you about him - nothing nasty but irrelevant to an open forum!

[jimmy powells]

They look different with their bound F-holes and sometimes nice looking sunburst but I wouldn't have one in a lucky bag. In my early days I bought a couple but it was the novelty of them which attracted. My experience has been that they sound thin and cheap and there are much better mandolins out there for less money than the Arnold Hoyer ones go for.

There was one in an auction in Newcatle upon Tyne a few weeks ago. It was bought for £330 and two days later it was on Ebay for £375. I reckon the buyer must have got it home and realised it sounded no good and if he sold it on Ebay, allowing for Ebay and Pay pal fees, he probably lost money

Jimmy
Uk

[tonydxn]

Just finished resurrecting a 12-string Hoyer mandolinetto.
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I am quite pleased with how it sounds, though I'm not really a player. It has a much (about 35mm) wider body than the basic 8-string version. The bigger body and the extra 4 strings probably help it a lot. I have strung it up in the German style with one string in each course an octave below the other two.



There was one in an auction in Newcatle upon Tyne a few weeks ago. It was bought for £330 and two days later it was on Ebay for £375. I reckon the buyer must have got it home and realised it sounded no good and if he sold it on Ebay, allowing for Ebay and Pay pal fees, he probably lost money

Jimmy
Uk

I think the one you mention was bought and resold by a dealer. It went fairly quickly, so someone must have wanted it!

[s11141827]

Just finished resurrecting a 12-string Hoyer mandolinetto.
152423

I am quite pleased with how it sounds, though I'm not really a player. It has a much (about 35mm) wider body than the basic 8-string version. The bigger body and the extra 4 strings probably help it a lot. I have strung it up in the German style with one string in each course an octave below the other two.



I think the one you mention was bought and resold by a dealer. It went fairly quickly, so someone must have wanted it!

It looks really Jazzy & you can play Jazz on it too. I like using Optima Mandriola Strings which (IIRC) I think they're Copper w/ a Silver platting so they're not quite as bright as bronze strings.205494

[s11141827]

A Jazz Mandolinetto-Mandriola or Jazz Mandrioletto.