One of The Earliest.

1969 HOFNER 457/S.

This late 1960's/early 70s tobacco sunburst Hofner 457/S. Single-cutaway sixteen inch-wide, three and a quarter inch deep archtop, weighs just 4.80 lbs. and has a nut width of just over 1 11/16 inches and a scale length of 25 1/2 inches. Two-piece laminated close-grain spruce top with nitrocellulose finish, two-piece flamed maple back, and flamed maple sides. One-piece maple neck with a very comfortable medium profile. Bell-shaped, four-layer, black on white plastic truss-rod cover with three screws. Rosewood fretboard with original nut, 'zero' fret and 20 original medium-jumbo nickel-silver frets and pearl dot fretboard markers. The top of the body has five-ply binding and the bottom is single-bound. The f-holes are also single-bound. Headstock with walnut face veneer with "Hofner" decal in gold with black trim and a three-piece mother-of-pearl "dagger" design. Three-in-a row Hofner open-back strip tuners with 'chiklet' shaped white plastic buttons. On the back of the headstock is a decal with "Genuine / Hofner / Original / Made in Germany" in gold with black trim. Shaped two-layer, black on white plastic pickguard secured by three screws with "Hofner" etched in gold. Hofner pre-compensated rosewood bridge on height adjustable rosewood base. Original nickel-plated 'Harp/Jazz/Art-Deco' tailpiece secured to the bottom edge by two screws and two pins (stamped "Made in Germany". This wonderful guitar is in exceptionally fine (9.00) condition with just a few tiny surface marks on the spruce top. It has never had (nor required) a neck re-set.

"The 457 was Hofner's mid-range archtop. Similar in appearance to the 456 model, but with spruce top (solid carved spruce into the 60's). Nicely flamed maple back and sides. Available with or without cutaway, and electric (one, two, and even three pickups with or without active circuits) or acoustic. Produced from 1952 onwards."
(www.vintagehofner.co.uk).