The lightning fast right hand guitar rhythms and trademark treble tonality of The Searchers' early recordings was achieved by John McNally on his Hofner Club 60 model. In spite of the significant role of this instrument in the early music of The Searchers, it would appear that precious little has been written about this guitar. Why did McNally choose the Hofner Club 60? How did it contribute to the Searchers' sound? Why was it refinished and modified and by whom? How did the rapid rhythms made famous by McNally find their way into the Searchers' music? When was the instrument last used? Where is the Club 60 today? This article attempts to answer these questions by focusing on John McNally's electric six string Hofner Club 60 Model guitar, an instrument that he used 40 years ago!
1959 Hofner Club 60 Model
Those interested in learning about the discriminating features of Hofner guitars should not pass up the opportunity to visit Steve Russell's outstanding Vintage Hofner Guitar Site. A lightweight instrument that had a reputation in the 1960s, the Club 60 Model was a highly playable instrument that resembled the highly sought after Gibson, Les Paul guitar. For this reason, this Hofner model was very popular. A two pickup guitar, the Club 60 was nicely appointed with a beautifully inlayed ebony fretboard.
That McNally's Hofner has been the focus of discussion of many Searchers' fans is acknowledged in the feature article entitled "THE SEARCHERS' GUITARS 1963 - 1998" on the Official Searchers' Website. Surprisingly, even this article, dedicated exclusively to the Searchers' Guitars, has limited information pertaining to this instrument. Nonetheless, it does tease the reader with a few intriguing points of interest that raised more questions than it answered. From the article -
"Probably the most talked-about guitar is John McNally's old late-50s Hofner Club 60, originally in a blond finish but then resprayed black. It was used on all of the recordings in 1963 and 1964."
Fortunately, John McNally and Wendy Burton, Coordinator of the Official Searchers' Website, have stepped forward and kindly responded to a series of questions about the Hofner Club 60 model that in turn has made this article possible. Their patience and willingness to provide this information is much appreciated and a heart-felt thanks goes out to them on behalf of all Searchers' fans.
Before purchasing the Hofner, John McNally owned a Futurama, an affordable instrument played by a number of Merseybeat musicians including George Harrison of The Beatles and the Shadows' Bruce Welch. The "futuristic" appeal of this guitar was evident in the name and also apparent in the design as seen below. Nonethless, the young McNally moved away from the Futurama. In discussing some of his reasons for selecting the Hofner, McNally explained "The volume was not very good. I tried the Hofner Club 60 and liked it - Paul McCartney had one too."
1958 Futurama - Resonet Grazioso Courtesy of Larry Wassgren
As John McNally became more critical of his Futurama he sought out an instrument that was more in keeping with the sound and look that he had long dreamed about. Speaking of the Hofner, John maintained "The volume was much better than the Futurama, it was light, and it stayed in tune very well." Based on his financial resources and his brief exposure to the Hofner he was to eventually settle on the Club 60.
July 23, 2001 - Revised August 15, 2001
