Charlotte Gallagher

It was actually stolen from a van in West London in the 70s and found decades later in

in an attic in the south of England and reunited with the rock star.

But now the manufacturer, which was founded in 1887, is going out of business.

Hoffner's filing for insolvency comes at a time when many instrument makers are struggling.

Here's Julie Robbins, the CEO of Earthquaker Devices, which makes guitar pedals in the US.

When I think of Hofner guitars, I think of the Beatles, you know, an iconic European brand.

They've been around for more than 100 years.

Many, many models.

A month or so ago, G&L went out of business.

That was a big brand.

that had been around for a long time in the U.S.

And I've had about 10 customers in North America.

So retail stores go out of business in the last year.

There's definitely some really challenging headwinds for our industry.

Supply chain issues and tariffs.

So for us in the U.S., it's components and things coming in.

And for a brand, a European brand like Hofner, I'm sure they're having difficulty reaching the market, having additional tariffs on everything coming in.

On top of that, consumer spending is shifting, especially those spending on non-essentials.

There's also been a correction in the market since the pandemic.

During the pandemic, people were buying a lot of instruments and accessories because they were at home.