Höfner has reportedly been saved from bankruptcy by Thomann and GEWA music
Following the news in December that Höfner, the maker of Paul McCartney’s iconic Violin Bass, had filed for bankruptcy, it appears the company has been rescued, according to a press release obtained by YouTuber and guitar industry journalist KDH.
While few details about Höfner’s financial woes were made public when it was revealed it had filed for bankruptcy at the Fürth District Court in Bavaria in December, it was revealed that an insolvency administrator had been appointed, tasked with rectifying debts over a three-month period.
Beatles legend Paul McCartney – with whom the Höfner brand became most commonly associated – called the news of the company’s bankruptcy “very sad”
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Now, YouTuber KDH has apparently uncovered big news regarding the company’s future.
Upon discovering that the contact information on the Höfner website had recently been updated to Thomann’s contact details, KDH reached out to the German retail giant for further information. He says the company sent him back a statement apparently confirming it had acquired the storied musical instrument brand.
If the press release obtained by KDH is legitimate, it confirms a “successful investor solution”, which will ensure the “continuation” of Höfner’s headquarters in Baiersdorf, Germany.
“The transaction not only secures the long-term preservation of the globally renowned brands Höfner and Paesold, but also the preservation of the Baiersdorf site and 24 jobs,” the statement continues.
The document reveals Höfner “most recently employed a staff of 52 producing stringed instruments, bows, guitars and basses and marketing them internationally”, so if the details are legitimate, that could mean the layoff of 28 employees.
It is revealed that GEWA music GmbH took over the operational business operations of Höfner’s Baiersdorf headquarters on 1 April, 2026. Meanwhile, Streetlife GmbH, a subsidiary joint investment company of Thomann’s and GEWA’s has taken over and acquired the trademark rights for Höfner and Paesold.
“This ensures that both brands will survive and be further strategically developed in the long term,” the document reads, adding that distribution rights for the Höfner brand in Europe will be “held exclusively” by Thomann GmbH, and outside of Europe by GEWA music. GEWA holds distribution rights for the Paesold brand.
“Höfner instruments, including the legendary Beatle basses, string instruments and bows, will continue to be manufactured in Baiersdorf,” the statement goes on.
“As part of the transaction, 24 jobs were also preserved at the Baiersdorf site. In addition, it has been possible to place some of the remaining employees in new positions. All in all, this represents a very pleasing result – especially against the backdrop of the challenging market situation in the musical instrument industry.”
“In a complex and demanding process, we have succeeded in reaching a solution that ensures both the continued existence of the Baiersdorf site and the future viability of the Höfner and Paesold brands in the long term,” says insolvency administrator Dr. Hubert Ampferl.
“The [fact] that operations can be continued seamlessly and jobs are preserved at the same time are an important signal for the location and the region.”
Founded by Karl Höfner in 1887 in the then-Austrian-Hungarian town of Schönbach – now Luby in the Czech Republic, Höfner grew to one of the largest suppliers of stringed instruments in the region in the following decades. Operations were scaled back during World War II, when its facilities were repurposed for making supplies for the German army.
Germany’s postwar reconstitution meant Germans were expelled from Czechoslovakia, and Höfner relocated to West Germany, opening a new factory in Bubenreuth in 1950.
While the brand has manufactured countless different instruments throughout its nearly-150-year history, it’s undoubtedly most known for the 500/1 bass guitar – the Violin Bass – long championed by Paul McCartney.
Guitar.com has reached out to Thomann to verify the legitimacy of the press release provided to KDH.
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Source: www.guitar-bass.net
