Instrument: The Television and Atlantik models represent perhaps the most beautiful, independent Framus design, perfectly balanced and simply well done. Here as a beautiful bass guitar in three-tone sunburst, so shaded black-red-yellow. It is a true thinline without a center block. Medium 76 scale. The date stamp is 68 D, so the bass dates from April 1968.
Material: Body incl. top are built of laminated maple. Around the top and sound holes there are creamy white bindings. The neck is made of the super stable, complex to manufacture and indestructible laminated beech wood. It is made of one piece over the whole length including the headstock and of course has a truss rod. Beautiful fingerboard made of East Indian rosewood with dot inlays of pearloid in six frets. Nickel-plated Framus single tuners with transparent pearloid handles, nickel-plated hardware.
Electrics: Two of the legendary Framus P90 single-coil pickups, individually switchable on and off, each with separate volume and tone controls. So you can actually leave them on permanently and mix them together with the two volume controls as desired. This is easy and intuitive to use and that's all it takes for rich and versatile bass sounds.
Instruments history: Oh yes, the bass has history, but unfortunately we don't know it. It spent the last 30 years unplayed in a large Framus collection, but before that it had been through a lot... When we got it, unplayable, it had a damaged bridge as well as an improper tailpiece mounted from a Golden TV Star bass. Both were completely rusted. There were several old drill holes in the top, for what purpose we don't know. The bridge pickup was a dummy with no electrics inside and the rusty neck pickup did not work. The headstock and neck were chipped and scuffed, the original Framus metal logo had fallen off. The electrics were resinous and a control knob was missing. Overall a sad picture and a case for a total restoration.
Restoration work: The bass was disassembled, then completely cleaned and the body blown out. We closed the old drill holes with wooden dowels and retouched, then refurbished the body with polishing varnish and finally elaborately polished it. The headstock was lightly sanded and varnished, and a new logo was applied and lacquered in. The fingerboard and fretsticks were sanded and dressed, the fingerboard was oiled and the fretsticks were polished. The old electrics were completely replaced, including pickups and controls - we used the original parts from another wrecked Atlantik. This one also supplied a like-new bridge, four immaculate control knobs and a matching nickel-plated tailpiece. After reassembly, new strings were mounted and a basic setup was done.
Current condition: If you are looking for an eye-catching vintage rock bass with modern handling, this is the one for you. The neck fits perfectly in the hand and plays extremely comfortably thanks to the low string action. Fretsticks and fingerboard are in mint condition. No lacquer cracks, everything is stable and solid. Of course, the odd drill holes, now closed and retouched, have not completely disappeared, but other than that, the bass has little further patina. It's amazing what has become of this broken wreck! Of course, everything is solid and fully resilient, all glue joints intact and the bass is technically in perfect condition. Of course, it's also spotlessly clean and odor-free. It impresses with powerful, fat sounds from soft to crisp, not a bit dull, and surprisingly versatile. The neck pickup has infinite pressure in the low frequencies, the bridge pickup is loud and crisp and perfect for slapping, for example. Of course, the Atlantik is now back to 100% authentic original condition. It's a beautiful player that keeps on rocking - at only 2.6 kg, it's also very comfortable for long stand-up gigs! And of course it has much more spirit and charisma than all the new mass-produced products from other manufacturers.
Measures: Overall length 45.3”/115 cm; body length 18.5”/47 cm; lower bout width 15”/38 cm; waist width 9.4”/24 cm; upper bout width 12.6”/32 cm; body depth 1.6”/4 cm; scale length 29.9”/76 cm (zero fret to saddle); fingerboard width 1.4”/3,6 cm at nut, 1.7”/4,3 cm at 12th fret; overall weight 2.640 g, string action on 12th fret 0.04-0.08”/1-2 mm (adjustable).
Purchase and payment: Just send us an email to info@german-vintage-guitar.com and you will receive your invoice immediately. Or simply order here through the shop.
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