A fine German cello bow of Pernambuco mounted in silver.

Luthier Karl Höfner (1864-1955) completed his training under Anton Schaller before establishing his own Schönbach workshop in 1887. Höfner’s violins developed a strong reputation in Eastern Europe, and he began training his sons, Josef and Walter, to join the workshop. After World War I, Höfner’s business expanded to serve the international market with a full range of string instruments.

However, Höfner’s success was disrupted by World War II. When Schönbach was incorporated into the new state of Czechoslovakia and the government assumed control of private businesses, Höfner made the difficult decision to move. He successfully applied for admittance to West Germany in 1948.

Now based in Bavaria, Höfner struggled to obtain the quality materials he needed in the post-war economy, and he realized that if German lutherie was ever going to recover, he would have to lead the charge. Höfner, Josef, and Walter came up with an ambitious plan to create a new factory that could employ the luthiers who had been displaced by the war. They selected the small village of Bubenreuth as the location, and the new Höfner factory opened in 1950.

Höfner’s influence made Bubenreuth into one of the twentieth century’s most important German instrument-making centers, and the workshop was able to re-establish its international reputation. The Höfner firm continues to thrive as a major producer of stringed instruments, most famously supplying Paul McCartney’s iconic violin bass guitar.

• Octagonal stick of orange brown Pernambuco
• Ebony frog with Silver mounts
• Three part button 
• 82.48 grams