Höfner make electric guitars and basses, as well as acoustic guitars and string instruments such as violins and double basses. The company began life as the Höfner family business in Germany in 1864 making violins, and by the 1930s was making guitars with steel strings and archtop fronts and backs. The 1950s saw the birth of classic models such as The President, The Committee and the Violin Bass, which became extra popular as Rock n Roll took off. Paul McCartney bought a violin bass in Hamburg in 1961 and used it throughout The Beatles years and beyond.