Instrument: Once upon a time, these travelling guitars were made and sold by the thousands, and many guitarists made their first experiences on them. Today, good specimens are harder and harder to come by, as countless examples have been worn out in children's rooms and around campfires and then ended up at flea markets or in the bulky waste. Especially when the blues scene discovered a few years ago that a German travelling guitar sounds just like a US pre-war parlor, these models are in great demand. This model has the remarkable date stamp 75 F, i.e. June 1975, the month in which Framus' bankruptcy proceedings were opened. The guitar was designed for steel strings, as the bridge is screwed bombproof through the body with three threaded screws against a metal rail.
Material: The laminated spruce top is bookmatched in two parts, sides and arched back are made of maple. The two-piece longitudinally glued maple neck, including the headstock, is made in one piece, the headstock has perhaps the most beautiful, narrow shape. The beautifully grained rosewood fingerboard has pearloid dot inlays in four frets. Comes with a rosewood bridge, open tuners with pearloid grips and a black pickguard.
Instruments history: Unknown. Due to its excellent condition, however, the guitar has probably spent its entire life well protected and cared for in the living room.
Restoration work: There was almost nothing to do here. We cleaned the guitar and blew out the body. All the varnish surfaces were polished, the fretboard and frets straightened and then polished and oiled. The tuners were refurbished, polished and re-oiled. Finally, new strings were mounted and a setup was done.
Current condition: Apart from very few tiny scratches and dimples and plectrum marks on the pickguard, the Framus shows surprisingly few wear for a guitar that is almost 50 years old. Obviously, it has always been treated with care and has not seen many campfires. It doesn't seem like a German touring guitar at all, but rather like one of those legendary pre-war US Parlors. And that's how it sounds - you can hear the blues of Robert Johnson and Mississippi John Hurt! The condition is almost perfect, everything is stable, all glue joints are bombproof. Fingerboard and fretsticks are flawless and show no wear. The back of the neck is immaculate, which is important for a pleasant playing experience. Playability is child's play, thanks to the slim neck and low string action - the guitar screams fingerstyle, picking and slide. The massive maple neck provides a fat sound with lots of volume. The Amateur is perfectly played in and unfolds maximum sound: loud, immediately responsive, accentuated, with full basses and mids - no comparison with some poor, thin and tinny parlor guitars. This guitar needs and wants to be played. Easy enough to play to be a fantastic beginner's guitar, but also a sound statement for the advanced guitarist. And of course, the very first choice as what it was always meant to be: a fantastic travel guitar.
Measures: Overall length 38.6”/98 cm; body length 18.9”/48 cm; lower bout width 13.8”/35 cm; waist width 8.3”/21 cm; upper bout width 10.2”/26 cm; body depth 3.1”/8 cm; scale length 24.8”/63 cm (zero fret to saddle); fingerboard width 1.7”/4,3 cm at nut, 2.1”/5,3 cm at 12th fret; overall weight 1.610 g; string action on 12th fret 0.08”/2 mm.
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.
