NGD: '74 Framus Nashville

Discussion of vintage Jazzmasters, Jaguars, Bass VIs, Electric XIIs and any other offset-waist instruments.
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Kinx
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NGD: '74 Framus Nashville

Post by Kinx » Mon Apr 30, 2018 5:14 am

Image

After years of lusting for one, I finally got this poor thing on a bargain. The wire you can see on the picture is improvised ground wire fix - I wanted to try it in a gig situation ASAP, so it ended up like this :D

It must have spent last 20 + years in a damp basement, because it's original case is moldy as hell - finish has some bad checking caused by water damage on some places (mainly front of the headstock) and some parts are rusty as hell - it is playable as it is, but it still needs some TLC :) luckily, all the chromed parts are in great condition.

the biggest issue is the 6way rotary selector - it is super rusty on the inside, we're talking about 3mm layer of rust on some moving parts of the switch. Right now I am in the process of taking the switch apart and cleaning the individual parts. Since the switch doesn't move anymore, it is stuck on "both humbuckers on" mode right now.

I really love the neck on this thing - it's very wide with large fretboard radius and big frets, great stuff for intricate lead work. The profile feels kinda modern, closest thing to it is neck on my 2010 Gibson Flying V, but Framus is few milimeters wider.

Soundwise - it is clear, articulate and doesn't have such dominant top end like my Mustang or Jazzmaster, but it has nice defined midrange and it works well both with clean and distorted sounds. The sustain is great !

overall, it is very comfortable, well made instrument - I love the quirkness of it, it is quite reminiscent of some of the norlin-era lower tier gibsons (S-180 for example), however the build quality is much higher.
Check out my band, The Atavists ! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eG-HZtrljMg

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surfin_bird
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Re: NGD: '74 Framus Nashville

Post by surfin_bird » Tue May 01, 2018 7:29 am

Nice!

I own one too, but it's in a much worse state. I got it horribly cheap but it's without pickups.
So I just managed to wedge a lipstick in it and rock it like that for now. But it's a lovely lovely neck.
I got all the wiring left over (I think it has been tempered with), if you need anything.

Is there a chance you could make me a template for the pickguard?

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Kinx
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Re: NGD: '74 Framus Nashville

Post by Kinx » Tue May 01, 2018 1:38 pm

surfin_bird wrote:
Tue May 01, 2018 7:29 am

I got all the wiring left over (I think it has been tempered with), if you need anything.

Is there a chance you could make me a template for the pickguard?
hey, definitely ! I'll try my best.

I would love to get my hands on the original pickup switch, if it's in working order :) I'll send you a PM. I've given up on repairing the switch on mine, I think it's insides are rusted out beyond repair :(
Check out my band, The Atavists ! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eG-HZtrljMg

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Pacafeliz
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Re: NGD: '74 Framus Nashville

Post by Pacafeliz » Fri May 04, 2018 2:17 am

:fp: Dammit this has tickled my GAS now...
i love delay SO much ...that i procrastinate all the time.

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Kinx
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Re: NGD: '74 Framus Nashville

Post by Kinx » Sun Jul 08, 2018 11:09 am

Finally, the restoration is done ! Beside the pickup switch and wiring, it also needed new truss rod as the old one was rusty as hell - unfortunately it made wood near the truss rod rot away, so my local luthier had to route it a bit and fill it with new maple - however it turned out awesome ! Soundwise it is a beast of it's own, neck pickup is something to drool about. I really dig all the tonal possibilities of 6 way switch as well as excelent playability.

some pics from the restoration are here

https://www.facebook.com/THEWOLFGUITARS ... 0889130291
Check out my band, The Atavists ! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eG-HZtrljMg

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solfege
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Re: NGD: '74 Framus Nashville

Post by solfege » Sun Jul 08, 2018 12:43 pm

That's an amazing save of the neck. Really impressed.

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