Framus Panthera Custom

I had this guitar custom built for me by Framus so it's got exactly the features I want. It's got a mahogany body with a flamed maple top, natural wood binding, ovangkol neck, ebony fretboard, jumbo frets, locking Framus machine heads and one volume and one tone pot. It's loaded with an EMG 81 in the bridge and an EMG 60A in the neck.

The finish on the guitar is amazing. It's a high polish finish called "Nivarna Black" and is kind of like a see-through black burst which looks purple in some lights. There is not a single flaw in the finish, it's spot on.

The construction is a framus designed bolt-in. It's got 2 bolts and really gives good access to the upper frets. Again finished and put together really well.

This might not have a huge range of features but it's got what I need and is finished superbly.

My main style of playing is Metal (www.myspace.com/eighthnerveuk) and I had this guitar made to be my no.1 guitar in my band. It suits the job perfectly. The bolt-in neck, ebony fretboard, ovangkol neck and active EMG's really provided for a fast attack and real punch and the mahogany body adds depth and low end.
I use it with an ENGL Powerball, Genz-Benz GFlex 4x12 and an MXR noise gate. I get a really great tone from this set-up. Plenty of aggression and punch but every note in every chord can be herd clearly. I've never had a guitar with some much clarity.
On clean settings the guitar really shines too. The neck pickup (EMG 60A) is really warm and has an almost acoustic feel. Give it a little bit of gain and it really starts to sing.
This guitar is best for metal but it also does sparkling cleans really well and can handle some heavy blues.

This guitar was made in Germany so the finish is perfect. The set up was good but I did make a few adjustment to suit my style. The only problem I found was with the machine heads. I use a guage 60 string and this wouldn't fit through the eye on the machine head so I've had to file it out slightly.

This guitar looks built to last. Everything is rock solid. I wouldn't gig without a backup because I might break a string.

I work in a guitar shop so I deal with Warwick a lot. They're always very helpful and offer great customer service. And they gave me a very good deal on the guitar.

I've been playing for a while now and have used many different guitars live. I sold an ESP Eclipse to buy this one and I'm glad I did. this is by far the best guitar I've ever played.
I got this on a deal because of my job but even at full retail price Framus guitars offer far more for the player than the big US brands. I think this would have been ??1899 retail and for what is essentially a custom guitar thats good value considering the cost of an equivalent PRS on the UK market.

As far as I know its a 2004 which I got direct from Framus in Germany.
Its a 2 piece swamp ash body and has a 2 piece maple top which is finished with the most amazing binding.
The control are pretty standard, with a 3 way toggle switch above the neck pickup and a volume and tone to control both the humbuckers.
Its fitted with Seymour Duncan Pickups, a SSHR on the neck and a good old JB on the bridge.
Framus stoptail and Framus tuners which are similar to the ones on PRS's, very stable and firm feeling.
Only thing is the pickup selector does feel like is gonna break off at some point, they all do tho, on Les Pauls, Wolfgangs etc....

I play mainly Heavy Rock/Metal which i use loads of neck pickup, loads of high gain and glassy cleans. My rig includes a Peavey Triplexxx, Triple xxx cab and A couple of Peavey Wolfgangs. The Wolfgang has been my main guitar for 2 years and suffers a little on the clean and can also be a little thin on record. My rig has had something missing so I tried some other heads including Mesas and Marshall, no luck till I tried the Framus guitar. It sounds 10 times better than my Wolfgang and is just dynamically better. I did a test with a Les Paul and a Framus through the same amp and the Framus was tigher and clearer, they even had the same pickups!!!

I had to take this guitar to be setup, I like it must of got knocked about a bit on the way over. I have had it setup and now its amazing.

The finish is stunnung. my model is tobacco sunbursh with the binding. The fret is finished to a high standard too. I would compare the finish and fit of the guitar to my friends PRS. Them germans know there shit

Been using it live and it seems to love it. The one thing I have done is put Schaller strap buttons on this guitar. The Warwick/Framus ones are turd. They break real easy.
Apart from that, its top class

Haven't called them up yet!!!

Been playing for 10 years. I've owned Jacksons, Schecters, Peavey Wolfgangs, Les Pauls. This guitar is the best sounding guitar I have ever used. Full Stop.

You just have to pick one up and you will know what I'm saying!!!!

I believe mine is a 1998 model and was, so I'm reliably informed, made to order for it's original owner. It has a Gold Sparkle top with gold hardware and a Framus "Bigsby-Style" trem. One tone, one volume, a three-way toggle-switch and twin humbuckers. This instrument is made to an incredibly high standard, the construction, finish and set up is, as far as I can see, absolutely flawless. Having set out that day on a mission to buy myself a very special guitar, I tried just about everything in the shop including Gibsons, Fenders and Gretschs, and this particular shop (Peach Guitars Essex UK) is just about the best stocked guitar shop in this part of the UK! On this particular day, this was the last guitar I tried and it was almost hidden behind a curtain at the end of a row of Gretschs. The gold sparkle top caught my eye (yes I do have a sense of the rediculous), the feel of the kneck was wonderful, the finish of the instrument was perfect and the sound, well .... Les Paul players, eat your hearts out! I gotta admit though, gold sparkle is hardly the order of the day when playing Blues, but there again, neither is a polka-dot Strat, Buddy Guy! The decision made, all I had to do was take her home, dust her down, change the strings, adjust the action a little higher (purely for my preference), and away we went; I gigged with her (now known affectionately as "Goldy") that very first night. Not only does this instrument sound extremely good, not only does it feel extremely good and effortless to play, but it also attracts a lot of attention and, from my own point of view, it outranks in every direction both of the Les Pauls I also own! Features wise? Well, what more could you want?

I play mainly Blues and 70's Rock. This guitar is incredibly versatile, and the Seymour Duncan Pickups: 1 SSHR (neck)& 1 SSH4 (bridge) are ideal for just about anything you wanna turn 'em to! I use valve amps, an old Marshall (1970's) 4145 combo, a Sunn (Fender) T50C combo, and a couple of Class A Dennis Cornells (a Voyager and a Hank Marvin Custom). I always use a Keeley compressor and a Keeley Katana-Boost, and just lately I've taken to a "G2D" Cream-Tone pedal.

Perfect and faultless, absolutely flawless!

Had it for two years now, it is very robust, it has never let me down but of course I take a backup - if I can't play, I don't get paid!

Yes, I have dealt with Framus UK. They're easy to get hold of, willing to help, full of advice, they care about their customers, and they're enthusiastic about their product.
I'd give 'em an eleven if I could!

If I ever lose this guitar for what ever reason, I'd be distraught!
I would definately replace it with another Framus Panthera!
This guitar is just so playable, and so cool! A work of art, in more ways and meanings than one!
Sadly most guitarists are still in the mind-set of the TWO big manufacturers, but if they were to try a Framus, they'd be hooked!
I was, and I am!

this guitar from 2004, made in germany.

tried all the bunch of framus guitars and that guitar is the best for my needs.
my amps is jcm slash signature marshall, hughes&kettner zentera, line6 ax2 and the flextone 2 plus.
that baby sounds great with all of them.
she sounds very close to the les paul family and maybe even better.

she came with very low action, still with no buzz but i like the high action so i played around with her till i find the right action and sound for me.
its from germany and those people know how to build and all of the hardware is from the top of the line.
i'v ordered the burgandy sunburst finish, i think its the most beutiful colour framus have, anyway its my style and when my girlfriend not here with me i sleep with that baby.

my first gig with her will be on the next month but i know she wont disapoint me.
they even send in the case a locking buttons like the jim dunlop, a little bit different but they are fine, i know that they made in korea etc...

they are cool and very friendly in the warwick family.
i have no worries about anything.

i have been playing for 8 years.
hvae a lots of gear like gibson les paul classic premium plus from 1993, washburn nuno 4, randy rhoads rr ltd, brian moore c-90, peavey evh, gibson sg, musicman albert lee, fender stratocaster sparkle ltd, guild f-65ce, tacoma dr-20 and more...
i cant complain for the weight cause its mahagony, and i wish there was an option to get it with seymour duncun aph-1 in the bridge and in the neck position.

Thsi is one of the new Framus guitars I had made for me through a friend in Germany. This guitar company uses great materials and the finish is first rate. This Guitar is a Stop Tail with a Three way Selector Switch. Contained in the Bridge Position is the Seymore Duncan JB, witch is an absolute Rocker and a SD 57' in the neck position. There is also a Tone Control to Sweet'n the sound. The Neck is Black Ebony With Mother of Pearl Trapizoids. The Back of the neck Is Ovenkol witch is not the true name of the wood, but it is Dark in color and nearly matches the Fretboard for overall depth. The Tuners are Fantastic, and I beleieve they are Grovers or Warrick, and the Guitar came with Warrick Strap on Locks Std. The top is finished in High Gloss and the Matched top is French Violet in color. It isn't 5 A Topped, but is not a Veneer either. Overall For a Bolt on neck and a Thick Body for a deep rich sustain (Mahagony Body) It nears the Les Paul for sound quality, but has a much Brighter and Hotter sound. Excellent for Rock or Blues.

The Seymore Duncan Pickups and Thick Body Make this guitar sing and scream with sustain and tone. From the get go, this guitar has a real bite, and the brighter neck pickup really made this guitar sing. A slight adjustment to the tone and it magically becomes a Blues Monster. THe front Pickup makes soloing crystal clear without losing the tonal depth that you get from laying down Rythms with the JB.

The Action is very easily adjustable to nearly any type of plater as the stop tail and the tiune adjusters are easy to use. The saddle is directly bolted into the wood and it is firmly entrenched so that it won't lose it's sustain. The Top is perfectly alighned, and despite being a machine made Guitar, the overall asthetic quality make this guitar a looker. The machines might have been doing the work, but someone there in the German Plant was keeping tabs on the progress. I understand Framus doesn't just send a lot of guitars into the wild, they actually do a little Quality check to each one before they let it go. Custom Building one will take about 2 months. The only flaw to the guitar is some bench scrapes that could easily be rubbed out of the finish, likely due to the saddle or perhaps an unsterile polishing cloth. From the getgo, this guitar came ready to do damage. It played like a dream.

This guitar is my main Gig/set guitar. It literally takes the beatings better tha the Studio Les I have (Paint job isn't as touchy). Stays in tune with whatever Tuners these things are, they are monsters and they are AWSOME. The straps are well locked into place and there is no slippage after two months of clubbing. This guitar is a stage ready axr. It sounds great, and can get the job done right.

THe Framus Company has contact numbers and pointed me into the right type of setup for what I needed it to do. Short of waiting for the guitar to get off the line (they only make so many per month) THere was nothing about the help line I could complain about. The Gig bag is all leather and is a good high performance bag. No troubles there.

I have been playing for 23 years. Predominately Ibanez and Gibsons. I worked with many different types of Musicians (I worked in a Studio, as well as a club guitarist) and needed a versitile backup to my Soloing guitars. It needed to handle the gigs well enogh to allow me to rely on it time and again. So Far this guitar has everything I could have hoped for. SO reliable I put the Les paul Down to play this each night. It is a monster to play, and I use little to no effects, so it really has set me apart from Jonny come lately Gibson Les paul man. it's own tone and image.