Hopf-Ukulele Bj. 1972 - zu Gast auf dem Sofa

[Tuke]

Glückwunsch TOFR&R!
Könnte mir vorstellen, dass die Uke bei Dir nicht  nur zu Gast auf dem Sofa ist,
sondern eine feste Bleibe hat.

[Helga]

Hallo  fellow ukulele friends,
I hope someone still visits this topic every now and then?
This is a message from The Netherlands: I recently acquired a Dieter Hopf soprano that was built in februari 1972.  Second hand it is, well taken care of.
I looks like it has made many many hours, but still in good condition.
Tuned A D F# B.

It needs new strings, I'm not sure which ones I'll use.
Tips are more than wel come.
Does anybody know, how many of these ukes were built in those days?

I got another one offered some weeks ago, in The Netherlands as well, but is was in very very bad condition. Nut missing, two strings lacking but most of all: upper side at one side worn out. Needs replacing.

If someone is interested nevertheless: https://www.marktplaats.nl/v/muziek-en-instrumenten/snaarinstrumenten-overige/m2245575568-vintage-ukelele-dieter-hopf-meisterwerkstatt?

It seems no longer for sale, but I'm willing to make a connection, if possible, for another Hopf Aficionado

[hinnerk]

Hallo Helga,

in meiner Sammlung deutscher Ukulelen befindet sich inzwischen die Hopf-Ukulele (www.ukes-in.de). Technische Details ergeben sich schon aus dem Faden zu diesem Instrument, Wiederholungen erspare ich mir. Das Instrument ist quasi das Ergebnis einer Versuchsbaureihe.
Nach den Erfolgen eines Gitarrenmodells bei Hopf (mit einer bestimmten Hals-Korpus-Verbindung)
sollte kalkuliert werden, was eine Ukulele in dieser Bauart kosten würde.
Eine kleine Anzahl (12-15) wurden gebaut, der genaue Verbrauch und Ablauf protokolliert um eine Kalkulationsbasis zu bekommen. Der kalkulierte Verkaufspreis von ca. DM 120.- erwies sich als zu teuer für die damalige Zeit. Das Interesse an Ukulelen nahm gerade stark ab und eine lohnenswerte Auflage nicht erreichbar trotz der Qualität. Somit erschien die Ukulele nie in einem Katalog, wurde nie publiziert und beworben. Auf welchem Weg die gebauten Instrumente in die Welt kamen ist nicht nachvollziehbar.
Zu Saiten kann ich keine Empfehlung geben, nicht mein Gebiet. Stephan empfiehlt ,,Martin M600", ansonsten hat vielleicht ,,TooOldForRockNRoll" noch Tipps für Saiten.

Soviel erstmal, LG hinnerk

My collection of German ukuleles now includes the Hopf ukulele (www.ukes-in.de). Technical details can be found in the thread about this instrument, so I won't repeat them. The instrument is more or less the result of a series of experiments.
After the success of a guitar model at Hopf (with a certain neck-body connection)
, the aim was to calculate what a ukulele of this design would cost.
A small number (12-15) were built and the exact consumption and process recorded in order to obtain a basis for calculation. The calculated sales price of around DM 120 proved to be too expensive for the time. The interest in ukuleles was declining sharply and a worthwhile edition was not achievable despite the quality. As a result, the ukulele never appeared in a catalog and was never published or advertised. It is not clear how the built instruments came into the world.
I can't give a recommendation for strings, not my area. Stephan recommends "Martin M600", otherwise "TooOldForRockNRoll" might have some tips for strings.

So much for now, LG hinnerk

[Helga]

Hallo Hinnerk,
Thank you very much for your information.  Now I know a bit more about my Hopf soprano.
 
She used to belong to an elderly lady who passed away only recently. I bought it from her niece. This lady used to play the ukule every sunday, in church, together with her sister on guitar. She herself played ukulele because she had reumatism . The guitar was too big to handle. So it's well played and well taken care of.
I cleaned the ukulele, oiled the tuners and put Martin 600 strings on her. She sounds like an angel now. And apart from some scratches - that only add to her fine aged appearance - she is in mint condition.

My German is not good enough to write all this, but I can read it. Thanks anyway for replying in English. That's very considerate.

I love a good ukulele and a story adds to that love.

Herzlichen Gruesse
Helga