Framus Texan

6 string Texan, very cool old tuners 3 pegs on each, mustache looking bridge and pickgaurd resembles a Gibson C & W. Beautiful vintage orange spruce top, arched back (Maple? Birch?) is a deep purplish brown with cream binding. neck and headstock are some type of laminated maple with 1/8" dark and light stripes.

Bright sound, like early 60's British Invasion.

Action is the best I have on 17 different guitars. it is just perfect, I wish I could set up every one of my guitars just like it.
Iy came this way, didn't ahve to adjust a thing.

This thing is a tank, it was made in the late 60;'s/early 70's and had held up like no other vintage I have. I would think the neck was set if I couln't see the bolts.

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I've been playing 44 years and had never even heard of Framus until I read "Stone Alone" by Bill Wyman but thought they only made basses until I found this guy at the Dallas Vintage Guitar Show. I bought it on the spot for it's looks and action which more than make up for the sound, which is really not that bad. It doesn't have the volume or ring of a vintage Martin because of the way it was built like a tank. I love this guitar, the way it looks and the way it plays are just incredible.....I would buy another in a minute.

My Framus is a 6 string Texan made in October of 1968.Photo here. http://www.mts.net/~kalyta/guitar%20collection%202.jpg
It has a spruce top and birch sides and formed back. Bolt on laminated maple neck and adjustable bridge saddle.Very easy to do your own setup. I set mine up for very low action and use light gauge strings. Super easy to play.I purchased one for my daughter that needed repair and refinishing. Hers is mahogany back and sides and maple top. Same guitar but totally different woods. Her sound is deeper and mellower. Mine is brighter.On her guitar I replaced the zero fret with a nut I made from deer horn.I also added black binding and refinished it. I like what it did for the sound and I believe it is esthetically more pleasing. I replaced the original Japaneese made tuners on both guitars.

I now back up a choral group and it suits me just fine.As I mentioned before, the birch and spruce combination yields a very bright sound. My daughters mahogany and maple without the zero fret and horn nut installed yields a richer and fuller sound.I think the bright sound works better with a choral group and the fuller sound works good with solo or duet. But...to each their own.

Action is great and the finish is also great.It polishes up very nicely and there has been very little fading. No age checking at all. Binding still good.

The only dislike I had was the original tuners. I swapped these out for a cheap set of pings that fit the peghead very nicely with no mods. I kept the originals to return it to vintage if I should need to. The new tuners look good and sure make it nice to tune.

They went out of business.

Been playing for over forty years. I have a 12 string Fender,6 string Harmony and parlor guitar. Gibson, Hagstrom and Vibra electrics, violin,mandolin,domra and balalaika. Favorite features are of course the bolt on neck and adjustable saddle. I have never liked the zero fret and nut setup or the tuners. I changed both of these on my daughters guitar and like the way it looks.It wasn't planned. This guitar was bought on ebay for $27.00 and looks like it came from a flooded basement. It was in need of a fret job and when I removed the zero fret the fingerboard chipped.So I just trimmed off the end of the fret board and installed a nut. Have photos to share with Framus owners.

Hi all, I have a late 1950's 12 string contessa/texan....
it's wonderful sound, is directly due to the craftsmen mr. framus
help escape when italy was invaded by hitler. These craftsman were
maker's...maker's of the finest violin's in the world. My contessa
is identical to the Framus texan, Except on the truss rod cover there
is a lrg. K with a crown over it. She has a red pickgaurd, also with
the crown over K in white /on the red pickgaurd.She also comes with
this real old case,leather handles and orangy-yellow fur in side.
looks like a gem, case,ax,age x condition I love it...And did ya'll
know that steve Via's first guitar was a contessa 12 string

I'm relearning how to play after a head injury,no style yet.
no amp's it's acoustic
It does have that unmistakable (beatles)sound...classic

this guitar is 45+ years old action is still low,with an easypicker

45yrs.+ old it's lasted longer than many new guitars will.
this 12'er handles it.

45yrs.old i say,
Framus today,is not the framus Co. of yesteryear
no warrenty
over long ago,

after my head injury, just playing again would be a miracle.

This guitar is a Framus Texan model 12 string manufactured in 1971 in West Germany. I am not sure exactly what kind of wood it is... anything would be helpful. I know that the neck is a maple laminate, I have heard that it is a solid spruce top, but I am unsure if that is the case. It appears to me that it could possibly be maple sides. The fretboard appears to be teak or some other lighter wood, is not rosewood.It is a sunburst finish and, like the other descriptions has a convex back.

I only recently bought this guitar and the sound is one of the most unique I have ever heard. I also own a fender acoustic 12 and it has a much deeper, louder tone almost like a harpsichord. This has a very bright jangly tone which is very interesting. The reason I bought it was to try to get the tone from Help and Hide Your Love Away and this is it. In conclusion, very distinct tone, most likely a result of its somewhat odd characteristics. That is why i give it a ten.

This is a 1971, so I have no idea who or how it was set up. What I can tell you is that it is by far the easiest twelve string I have ever played. You can even almost do lead runs like it is a six string.
The action is low and there is no fret buzz whatsoever. The finish is nice, a little banged up, but that is to be expected. It is a pretty guitar to look at but it is a cheaper guitar and is no gibson. I give it a seven mainly because of the ease of playing.

This guitar has lasted thirty years thus far and, even though mine has seen some rough days, it is virtually indestructable because of the bolt on set-up. One breaks...replace it. The neck is so heavy and tough there is no possibility of that going anywhere. As for the finish, it seems to be holding up pretty well. I don't think I would gig with it because of the problems with pickups, but I would definitely record with it.

The original co. went out of business in 1975...good luck.

I paid what I consider a fairly high price for this guitar compared to other reviews, but unlike some others I knew I wanted a Framus to get that vintage Beatles tone. When you actually want something you have to pay a little extra. I looked for these casually for about 2 years and finally found one that wasn't really badly beaten up. Mine is in very good condition for its age. Like I said, I own a Fender 12, a Gibson Hummingbird, a Les Paul Standard, a strat, and a Larrivee six string. I have been playing guitar for five years and I play mainly classic rock but also write a lot of my own stuff. Although all my other guitars are theoretically nicer, the tone on this is so unique that if I lost it I would have to go and find another one. It is just a really cool classic vintage guitar that not many people even know exists. If you find one in good shape, I would recommend picking it up. There is little in vintage guitars that you can find with so much bang for the buck.

1961 Framus Texan 12 String

Laminate neck / bolt on

Golden aged finish, no chips or scratches

Booming, bright and crystal clean

Action is lowest I've seen in a 12 string, I owned a 1947 Gibson 12 string Jumbo and it was very difficult to play.

bridge is beautiful

I am very pleased with this guitar and due to the fact that it is 1961 I assume it will last

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Vintage rules and why would you play anything made today? Guitar companies now look to cheap knock-offs and really have no clue on how to build a guitar (not including Gibson)

This guitar was originally purchased from the Mollenhauer Musikhaus in Fulda, Germany -- according to the plate on the headstock. It is marked with the stamp '68D' and the inside label mentions 'Franconian Western Germany.' My sources tell me that guitars were produced for Poland under the 'JMS' badge, but that it would be impossible to export to the east in the spring of 1968.

My guitar is essentially a 'Texan' produced with a few slight design changes and sold with the 'JMS' brand name. The few differences are minor and cosmetic. The only obvious difference is the upside-down mounting of the 'moustache' bridge. Like a regular Framus, she is graced with a natural finish multi-laminate bolt-on neck, a subtle sunburst on the three wood body and a signature 'belly' in the back.

I know that Framus marketed their guitars under different names, including 'Contessa' and others. Does anyone have any information about 'JMS' instruments? I would love to hear from you.

I enjoy the warm and gentle tone this guitar produces. It will jangle with the pick-up or range from harpsichord to deep dreadnaught depending on mike placement and picking position in proximity to the soundhole. A capo makes a delightful mandolin. In lower tunings, it resonates bass tones very well. A versatile instrument with a sound that is hard to come by at twice the money.

You have to see one to know how nice these acoustics look and how good they feel in your hands. Once you are that close, you ought to play it too. A timeless design, very well crafted and finished with varnish as thick as an antique desk. For my money, there isn't a better made vintage 12-string acoustic out there.

One of the sturdiest guitars you could ever find. Like most instruments of her age, my Framus has been through quite a bit down the decades. From some of the marks in the finish, she obviously sustained things that would have ruined other instruments, but she wears it well.

The adjustable bridge is mounted through the instrument to a metal plate and everything is braced. The neck has a slight bow and fret wear, but is still fine. This acoustic plays beautifully with nice low action while many of her contemporary 12-string instruments cracked or caved in over years of tension. (Put my old '65 Epiphone FT-85 on that list.)

In practical terms, the beauty of their design is mating a great neck with a unique body in the tradition of electric guitars like the Telecaster. If you snap off a headstock, it warps or you crack it in a freak accident, you simply replace the neck. If your clumsy buddy steps through the soundhole, you simply replace the body. Fortunately, there are still enough around for parts and they are luthier friendly.

This is my main guitar. I use it for writing, recording and live performances. It has a vintage Schaller soundhole pick-up and sounds great. I'd love to get a back-up, but it stays in tune better than any previous 12-string and most 6-strings I've encountered. Maybe it's just that another one would look so nice sitting patiently next to my amplifier.

From the Warwick administration, I recieved a curt, efficient and very German form letter to my inquiry about vintage Framus guitars. They suggested I contact an expert who would gladly answer my questions for a fee. The new company has no interest in moving back into the folk guitar market. It's a shame because they are one of a only a handful of companies -- Hagstrom and EKO come to mind -- who made guitars that have aged gracefully and played wonderfully since the 50s.

I have been writing and performing since the late 80s. My current project, the Sauvie Island Moon Rocket Factory has releases on the Italian label, Best Kept Secret.

This is a great instrument. Over the years, I've owned a '56 Musicmaster, a Rickenbacker 620, an Epi 12 and several others and she is my favorite so far. (Though very close to the Fender -- I miss that ol' plank.)

I would buy another Framus 12-string acoustic in the amount of time it took to scrape up the money. If it had a pick-up built in -- I think some models did -- it would be perfect. The only other 12-string guitar I would consider at this point is a vintage electric Hagstrom. After years of companies making guitars to feed the rock-n-roll dream, the few real gems are surfacing. Framus guitars are timeless, well built and still a good value.

It's an original German Framus Texan 12 string of unknown age.
The top is spruce of 2 layers, and I have no idea what other woods are used. It has an laminated arch-back, an adjustable moustache like plastic bridge, an extremely massive and heavy one-piece neck with a headstock that bends away from the player which consequences in a special string leading at the head. Once it had uncapsulated tuners that were absolutely unusable.
Srewed-in neck, 21 jumbo frets plus zero-fret and metal string suspension. Bridge is screwed with counternut to the top. The pickguard is screwed to the top, too, and is arched. The trussrod is accessed from the headstock. The trims are extremely thin and creme colour bound. It has a second strap holder mounted by factory.

The guitar has a very warm sound and really sings when played with chords. Finger-style played it reminds me a bit of a doorbell.
It's superb for background music.

When I got the guitar it was in a bad condition, had fungus and a slight tore at one side. The only great constructional error were the tuners which I replaced with single encapsulated ones. Okay, and the neck is very very fat.

It must have withstood everything.
With the new tuners, it holds tuning very well.
The neck and the hardware are absolutely superb, the body trims are a bit problematic, and the frets are worn off.
But it withstands standard tuning with 12 strings and I have no idea how I should break it. The lacquer is still in good condition.

Well, it needs new frets, a new bridge inlay and a trussrod adjustment.
That's why it is a bit painful to play now, but when I've trained fingers, I can fill up the air with a wonderful sonic carpet.

1961 Framus Texan, 6 rather than 12 string. The finish is more prosaic than some of the nicer models I've seen around the net - plain wood, with a black archtop-shape scratchplate with the Framus name.

Bridge is nice and abjustable, and the tuners are astonishingly good for their age. Metal nut, with a zero fret. Short of a pickup, I can't think of anything I'd want added to this instrument.

This is my first steel strung acoustic - I'm used to my nylon strung classical, and to my two electrics. So at first I found the sound to lack bass. However as I get used to it, it sounds a lot rounder. Perhaps a little quiet, and not appreciably louder than my small bodied classical.

The action is as good as I've found on any acoustic. A few knocks and scrapes, but I expect this guitar has either been very well looked after, or hardly played since 1961. It's in better condition than one of my electrics which was made forty years later!

It was made in 1961, and it still looks no more than 5 years old. I think the bridge *may* and been replaced, as it looks a little new. But I'm probably wrong. The only noticable wear is that the Framus name on the scratchplate is partly rubbed away, and the screws which connect it are rusted!

I'm giving this 10, because I paid #80 for this guitar. It would have probably cost between #15-20 new in 1961, so this is a pretty good markup, forty one years later. Overall a superub instrument, with so much more character than the Fender DG-1 I was thinking of buying.

Framus Texan 5/296 "Built in the Heart of Bavaria" in 1969, serial # 58409. 12-string, 21 frets, spruce top, maple back and sides, multi-layered ?maple? neck. I'll guess, as someone else did, that it's a teak fretboard and bridge. Tobacco sunburst w/ tortoise shell pickguard (screwed on). Bolt-on neck. Bell-shaped back. Wide, flat frets w/ zero fret for scale length (25.5").

Oddly, this is not a very loud acoustic given the belled back but has a great, unique sound that I am very happy with. Right now I'm using 10-46 guage strings; I was using 12 w/ no problems.
The intonation had to be worked on for about a month. In the end, the only thing I changed was putting in a new zero fret. I intend to replace the nut as well.

The action is medium but can be lower with no major problems.
The metal has NO oxidation.
The guitar is old (32 years) so the laminate coating is VERY weak; I could scratch it all of with my fingernail but not on the neck. The neck is very solid and makes me wonder why more guitars aren't made with muti-layered wood (and why there aren't more bolt-on neck acoustics).

Now that the intonation is fixed I would play with it live (not w/o a back up though) and even record with it.
The plastic strap button needs to be re-glued.
Excellent guitar, not just for a 32 year old guitar, but the best acoustic out of 3 that I've owned.

They went out of business in the 70's I believe and are now back in production of higher end electrics and basses.

I'm 26, have been playing for about 10 years, I own a 70's Strat, Epi. Wildkat, a P-Bass, a couple amps, and a tonne of misc. shit.
The salesman gave me a !!!90 day return policy!!! on this old, used guitar, probably b/c I am buying a Traynor YCV80Q pretty soon (if I don't get audited :-).
Anyway, this guitar was a STEAL at 90 bucks. They just didn't know what they had I guess. It seems to have had only 1 previous owner given the guck I cleaned off the fretboard must date back to '69. I like the color of the fretboard and bridge wood but it's worn pretty deep in a couple of places so it's no wonder teak isn't more popular. It is obviously a well played and loved guitar...it's a shame it was sold but I will take care of it.
An absolute steal at $90.
I guess I'll end by saying I can't understand why the person or family would part with it (and why it was sold for $90 b/c it should have been $900)...maybe it was stolen and pawned off. It's a mystery but I am glad to own it.

My Framus is a 1957 Texan 12 string. It was made in Bavaria, as far as I know. It has a slightly "belled" area at the bottom half of the back. I think it may be all maple, but I'm not sure. The finish is sort of an orange color, with sunburst to deep brown at the edges. The neck is very thin and easier than most 12 strings to play. It has a removable neck, and the action is set up extremely well.

I love this guitar! The sound is very full and rich. I have had very good luck with Ernie Ball "Earthwood" strings in light gauge.

I got the guitar used about 8 years ago. When I got it , it was very dusty. I took all the furniture off, and cleaned everything. I had no problems , and alparts fit perfectly. I did adjust the neck angle slightly, and the action matches any 6 string I've played. There is very minor oxidation on some of the chrome hardware.

I would have no problem with this guitar on stage, but I use it for some specialty numbers only.

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I've been playing for about 30 years. Now I prefer acoustic music, but I also like vintage guitars. I guess I like this guitar most because it is very handsome to look at, and it plays and sounds great.
It would be very dificult to replace.