Framus Electric 12-String

I have a Framus 12-string that looks like a Fender Jaguar. It had been in the local guitar store in Cleveland Heights, Ohio for years when a guy in my band bought it for $90 in 1968. I bought it from him a couple of years later for $70. It has a zero fret. It has bird's eye maple on the back, and had a plastic giant pickguard on top - Fender style. It had two single coil pickups, and a slide on/off switch for each of them, and a bass cut tone swith, also. It also had a volume "organ" swell pot, with a finger hook, and a spring to return it to off, and a switch to turn that on. It also had a vibrato bar - no way to keep it in tune and use that! - and a string damper at the bridge. Of course, the multi-laminated bolt-on neck was standard. The case was an ill-fitting piece of junk.

I had a guitar repairman friend completely re-do the thing foe me because the elctronics were worn out. The top was replaced by a flamed fireburst maple top from a Gibson RD Artist. Two gold plated PAF humbuckers were installed, and the better of the tw osingle coils was installed in the mid position, as there was a hidden slanted mid slot under the pickguard. Toggle switches were installed in a brass plate for all three pickups, and complete coil-tapping and series/phase capabilities were added. It has the v neck also, which I like, and can't get on a Gibson or Hamer.

It has an incredible variety of sounds - some of which are truly bizarre, like every other string bright, and every OTHER string dark. Easily 68 different pickup combinations. It can do Brit rock and Byrds stuff, and also, with distortion, sound like Pagey's octave'd solo on Zep's "Fool In The Rain". In high school, I used the string damper to sound like a steel drum. I play it through a Peavey TKO 60, turned way up, with the presence up, because it has a built in compressor/limiter that makes it sound like a 12-string should. It is a disaster to use the organ switch, so I just leave it off. The sound is rich and full, with a sharp attack from all that maple - very marimba like. But the cap in the little tone switch is very useful for getting the jangle sound. As I said, it has an incredible variety of sounds, and it is LOUD! I like the sounds, but there have always been set-up problems.

The action has always been bad. I have always had to fiddle with a shim in the neck. The neck screws are metric threads, and I can't get them replaced, as the screw slots (Phillips) are worn out. The guitar repairman shot the fireburst on a little too dark, but other than that, it looks REALLY COOL. I'd like to get the brass stuff gold plated, but never could find a place to do it. It also had a Leo Quan Badass bridge installed when it was re-done.

It can be played out, but it is a relic that I rarely use. It is prone to failure - cutting out, etc., but I could make it work if I needed to. It is durable enough, as far as that goes. I spent a great deal of money on the re-work, maybe close to a thousand bucks, but I had a Gretsch Tennessean worked on in there, too, so I'm not sure.

No idea.

I've been playing since '65. Lot's of gear & guitars. No questions on this bird. If it were stolen or lost I would probably get a Rickenbacker and some tight black jeans. I love what it looks like, and the history - it's got to go back to '64, probably. I can sound amazing, but I hate the neck and action problems, and the electronics can be difficult - one of the varitone type switches is way too tight - hard to turn. That's about it. I had another Framus like an Epiphone Dot that I wish I hadn't sold - that one was splendid. It came wired out of phase, and I put a switch on it to have the option of it being in phase, too. I give it a 7 for history and style, but a 4 for playability.

Made in the 60s in Germany. Semi-hollow, double cutaway, sunburst, wide bolt-on maple laminated neck, 2 pickups, 2 vol/1 tone knob, 3-way switch, tune-o-matic style bridge with six saddles, open gear tuners. Body has that sort of chunky Gretsch semi-hollow feel, top is very solid, probably maple or a laminate.

Kills Rickenbackers! There are so many tones possible between the 3 way switch and minute adjustments to the volume knobs, and they all sound great. The pickups are very strong single coils and have almost no hum at all. I have a Matchless Spitfire amp, and this really helps to bring the British Invasion jangle sound out of the guitar. Major 60s vibe happening here, and everything from thick to thin without being wimpy (unlike the new Dano 12's razor thin bridge pickup, which IS wimpy).

Low action, wide neck and close spacing of string pairs make this guitar way easier to play than a Rick. I did a side-by-side test with my friend and his Rick 12, and even he admitted this was a better guitar. Neck is dead straight, and the zillion laminates should keep it from ever warping. Beautifully executed sunburst finish. My only gripe is that the neck contour has a bit of a "V" to it, but some people like that, and it doesn't get in the way of its ease of playability. The overall feel is very Gretsch-like, and this guitar's German/precision quality is on par with any 60s Gibson, Gretsch or Rick.

Haven't taken it out live, probably never will - not much call for an electric 12 at a live gig nowadays. But it always keeps tune, and I wouldn't be afraid to play it live. A very stable, trustworthy instrument.

Out of business for about 20 years, but this thing was built to last. No worries. Apparently there is a connection between Framus and Warwick, as Warwick's president was the son of the Framus President and grew up around the Framus factory.

I cannot rave enough. Framus started as a conglomerate of skilled East German violin makers who were assembled together into a company in the late 50s in West Germany. This is manifested in the level of care and workmanship that went into making this guitar - absolutely superb craftsmanship.
I set out to replace my Hagstrom semi-hollow electric 12 (think Elvis '68 comeback guitar with a 12-string neck), which I sold 10 years ago, have always regretted, and never found another. Instead I found this, and while I loved the Hagstrom, this guitar is SO much better in so many respects that I've stopped looking for the Hagstrom.
There is something cool about German electrics from the 50s and 60s - they lokk kind of strange and very European. You see lots of Hofners and Framuses in early photos of all the Brit Invasion bands, and they really are part of a cool era in music history. The great thing is that most of them (with the exception of Hofners) can be had very cheaply.
If you want a superior quality electric 12 (or 6) at a reasonable price. search for "Framus" on Ebay. When one turns up, just buy it. I have an email friend who bought another Framus 12 on Ebay for $200, took it to Guitar Centre of Hollywood (land of overpriced vintage guitars), and they went crazy and told him it was the best electric 12 they had ever had in their shop.
If I had money to spare, I would collect Framus guitars.