Product: Framus Missouri
Price Paid: 450 (euro) used
Submitted
03/17/2003
at
01:11pm
by
Jasper Kuper
Email: littlejay2002<at>hotmail dot com
Features
:
8
German-made archtop jazzguitar with f-holes. Built in 1975 (according to serial number: 16994 75E). Bolt-on (!) neck, two P/U's (Single coil, Framus P90-immitations?). Solid spruce top, mahogany back and sides. Maple neck with rosewood fingerboard. Natural finish. Framus roller-bridge. Much like a Gibson L5 or so, but with single-coils and bolt-on neck.
Sound
:
9
Mine is fitted with flatwounds, 0.011 I think. Very dry, accoustic jazz-tone, rather bright and sparkling (due to P90-like pick-ups?), becomes sweet and "brown" with tonecontrol turned back. Very suitable for playing jazz. Totaly different tone than a Gibson-jazzer, but with a unique character of its own. Strong basses, but very balanced when strumming or playing chords, powerful and rich when playing single notes, maybe with a tendency to sound a tiny bit sharp on the high strings. Easily controled by the high-quality and accurate tone-control though. You gotta love it!
Action, Fit, & Finish
:
8
It's almost 30 years old, but plays very well. Action is a bit high and bridge is already all the way down, this may be corrected by increasing the neck's angle, which is made possible because of the bolt on neck. It's not too bad though, and this baby actually invites for fast playing. Very flat D-shaped neck, which feels comfortable.
High building quality.
Finish shows some bumps and scratches after 30 year. Well, looks authentic I'd say.
Reliability/Durability
:
9
It lasted 30 years, don't know under what conditions, but it seems it can last another 30 years.
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
The original Framus factory stopped existing in 1975 because of financial problems. I was born in '73, so..... don't know!
Of course now Framus is refounded by the son, building great instruments once again!
Overall Rating
:
9
I use this guitar for playing jazz, solo or with a jazz-quintet. No effects, just plugged right in to my Fender Blues Deluxe. I couldn't affort expensive Gibsons, so had to settle for this guitar. No punnishment though! Now I just love sounding different with a distinctly, dry, sweet tone that has a character of it's own.
If it were stolen, I would break down to tears, 'cause these guitars are hard to come by.
