Okay, a few weeks ago I made myself the owner of a late seventies Hoyer 5069 Arrow, a German made copy of a Flying V.
The moment I aquired it.
It took me some work to get it playable again, because the person I bought it from had screwed up the allignment of the bridge he put on there and the bridge itself was too high. I also noticed that it had plugged holes at the back of the body, signalling that at one time it had a Fender style bridge and I also noticed that the heel at the back of the guitar didn't seem to be part of the guitar at all.
So I decided to look up pictures of other Hoyer Arrows and this is what I found.
Okay mine has exactly that same trussrod cover.
Fender Style bridge and a larger than normal pickguard.
Neck through body construction, and that made me wonder, was mine a neck through as well?
So I took it to the workshop and stripped it and this is what was revealed when I did.
I don't know what on earth the guy who had finished it black was thinking because that's some very pretty woods. Note also the red in the electrics cavity, silent witness of a very sloppy executed refit of the cavity (Making it smaller so the pickguard would fit) from wood putty.
Wood putty also was used to make the heel of the guitar quite a bit higher, of which I think was done to make it look more like a Gibson, but it could also be to hide any extensive breaks. But when I removed all of it I found nothing, so it was pure for estesthics. The putty heel came to above that orange handle underneath the neck, showing just how large it had been.
So far the only structual issues I found with my V is that fact that it had a headstock break one time and while it isn't the best looking repair job, it's still solid.
Here's the headstock with Rosewood Veneer.
And here's a sheet of clear plastic that I intend to use to make a template for the new pickguard.
So now that I know what I have here, what shall I do with it?
First of all, plug the holes from those bridges it had over the years and then rout it for a Kahler (which was the reason why I bought the guitar in the first place, it already came with a top-lock)
And then I'll let my buddy who finished my explorer for me finish it, probably in cherry red, like my explorer.
And after that, I probably sell it on again and make a profit on it.
Thats just frightening to think about
