Framus acoustics?
Jeff Edwards
Can anyone provide any information on Framus acoustic guitars?
I just found a used Framus acoustic for sale for $195 in a Philadelphia
music store, and it's got some odd features (to one to is used to US
guitars). The top is a solid wood flattop, although there is virtually
no resonance. The back and sides are maple, and the back is curved like
an archtop. The neck is a sandwich of 16ths of an inch thick strips of
wood (so looking at the neck from behind you see 50 or so parallel lines
running the length of the neck), and it's bolted onto the body like a
Fender. It has a zero fret, and a handlebar mustache bridge with a
chrome piece to hold the balls of the strings (no bridge pins). Lastly,
the label says it was made in Bavaria, *West* Germany, so it's at least
a few years old.
Who is Framus, and do they make any really fine acoustics?
Jeff Edwards
Scott
'72, and still have it. It sounds similar to yours - multi piece
laminated neck, a fret right at the nut, moustache bridge, etc. Mine
has a strange forward angle to the peg head, which requires the strings
to go through an arrangement of holes in a chrome piece screwed to the
head - or they would be above and off the nut. It's hard to describe
and I've never seen another guitar like it. Good tone, no volume (is
that resonance?), and the best action I'd ever seen on a twelve until a
month ago when a friend bought an Ovation Custom Balladeer. The
original tuning peg set was replaced with Grover tuners a year or so
ago, and it is now very head-heavy. Still fun to play because of the
good action and the fact that it holds a tune better than any guitar
I've had. The tag inside says made in the heart of Bavaria -West
Germany. That's all I can offer. Scott Smith
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>Who is Framus, and do they make any really fine acoustics?
Framus started up in Germany shortly after WWII and is similar in many ways to
Hofner, except they never had a Beatle Bass to really put them on the map.
Their first efforts, electric or acoustic, were weird and low budget. Think of
them as the "Harmony" of Germany. Build quality got a little better into the
50s and 60s, but the designs tended to stay resolutely as weird as ever until
they started building Fenderish and Gibsonish electrics. They made a few jazz
archtops -- the Billy Lorento and the Attila Zoller -- that have a decent
reputation, but their flattops have never been considered very good. Many had
the multi-laminate neck you mention. Bill Wyman played a Framus bass in the
early days of the Stones -- it's one of the few Framus "collectibles." Framus
did have a very wide range of instruments, including banjos and mandolins. By
the 70s, Framus actually had several very good quality electric models - the
Akkerman and the Nashville -- but they went out of business shortly thereafter.
Out of the wreckage was formed Warwick Bass, which has gone on to become a
very respected leader in modern bass designs. About a year or so ago, Warwick
resurrected the Framus name, and they are now producing a new range of acoutics
and electrics. They're not available in the U.S. right now (no distributor),
but they're not cheap. Based on the quality of Warwick, my guess is they're
pretty decent instruments -- finally.
blee
On Tue, 17 Feb 1998, Jeff Edwards wrote:
> Can anyone provide any information on Framus acoustic guitars?
To the best of my knowledge, Framus never made anything that could even
remotely be called a fine guitar. I personally wouldn't pay $195 for it
even if it were new.
Charles
Penitente2
I own this same model Framus ( at least from the description). It was a gift
from a friend who was tired of it cluttering up his apartment. While it hardly
qualifies as my favorite instrument, I do play it fairly often. It holds pride
of place in the "Hey, wanna see something weird?" wing of my collection.
According to the little research I've invested in it, it dates from around
1967.
I actually think mine has a pretty good sound. I keep it in DADGAD tuning, and
haven't noticed any especially noteworthy lack of resonance.
Although I think the one you describe is way overpriced at $195 (remember, mine
was free!), I will point out that at a recent show I saw someone attempting to
sell the same instrument in a 12 string version for around $400. I suspect he
was an ill informed optimist, but you can never tell -- maybe there's a cult
market for the things out there.
Regards,
Tony B.