1946: The foundation ofFränkische Musikinstrumentenerzeugung ("Franconian Musical Instruments Fabrication") by Fred A. Wilfer KG inErlangen, Germany, to help resettleluthiers displaced fromLuby in theSudetenland).
1954: A larger factory was built inBubenreuth, Germany, to house the 300-strong workforce.
1967: Further expansion saw the building of a second facility inPretzfeld, Germany.
1975: The rapidly changing market forced the company to close.
1995: Framus musical instruments resumed production under Warwick GmbH & Co Music Equipment KG.
Framus originated in the town ofLuby (now in theCzech Republic), until 1946 known as Schönbach, which was the world centre of making ofviolins and otherstring instruments. The founder of Framus, Fred Wilfer, was born in theBohemian area in 1917. AfterWorld War II, when he heard about plans to expelSudeten Germans from post-War IICzechoslovakia, he decided to build up a new basis for his countryman and the music industry in the west.
Even before the first train transported violin makers from Schönbach to other areas, Wilfer contacted different government authorities inBavaria and told them about his plans. The Bavarian government welcomed his approach and asked him to create all the conditions needed for the industry in Bavaria. In 1946, he founded theFRAMUS works, the name being aportmanteau ofFRAnconianMUSical instruments, and designed to draw attention to the fact that the celebrated violin makers of Schönbach had madeFranconia their new home.
When the first train transporting violin makers from Schönbach arrived in Erlangen, Wilfer was the man in charge of finding housing for them. He also made arrangements for the establishment of the first workshops.
In March 1946, the first group of Schönbach violin makers arrived in Erlangen, with Fred Wilfer and the refugee commission arranging accommodation. A factory was set up in autumn 1946, in a former wheel warehouse inMöhrendorf. At the end of 1948, the factory was moved to a former brewery in the nearby town ofBaiersdorf. Soon, even that large space proved inadequate.
In late 1949, Bubenreuth became the centre of settlement for the Schönbach violin makers. There, Wilfer began building one of the most modern factories of the time and, in the summer of 1954, about 170 employees went to work at the new facility. With 2200 square metres of space at their disposal, they were soon producing more than 2000 instruments in a month.
Vintage Framus guitars
Framus archtop(1959)
Framus archtop
5/168-54Strato de Luxe(1960s)
5/296 Texan 12string(mid1960s–1970s)
Theguitar—particularly theelectric guitar—became the new best seller. Sales increased enormously due to the popularity ofrock and roll music at the end of the 1950s. Because of that development, several technologic advances were introduced, such as puttingtruss rods in guitar necks. In 1966, a second factory was built in Pretzfeld, 25 km north of Bubenreuth, inFranconian Switzerland. Framus became the largest guitar producer in Europe, employing around 300 workers by that time.
In the 1950s,Paul McCartney owned a model of a FramusIvor Mairants "Zenith" guitar. He had originally been given atrumpet for his 14th birthday in 1956 but realised he could not sing and play a trumpet, so he swapped it for a Framus "Zenith" model 17. He used the guitar to compose some of his first songs, including "When I'm Sixty-Four". It still hangs in his studio.
Although their guitars were more popular by far, Framus made other stringed instruments. In particular, their four-string tenor banjos were very popular among Irish traditional musicians.[citation needed]
The company included a musical kindergarten in the Bubenreuth factory. It employed a young teacher, Gertrud Fischer, who used with small, colored "note men" that helped children start learning musical notation at the age of three.
Visitors to the factory in Bubenreuth included theVienna Saengerknaben (Boys Choir), who performed a special concert in the workshop, and German ChancellorKonrad Adenauer, who toured the factory and its musical kindergarten during a visit to the violin-making village.
In an interview, Wilfer summarized his all-embracing concept: "It's not only important to produce instruments, over a long period it is important to 'produce customers' ". That motto also related to other Framus projects. Eventually,dumping by companies fromJapan, along with other factors, both external and internal, forced Framus into bankruptcy in the mid-1970s.
Many aspects of the history of Framus are still unclear, due to the company archives being lost as a result of the bankruptcy.
In 1995, Hans-Peter Wilfer (son of founder Fred Wilfer) revived the Framus name to produce musical instruments as part of Warwick GmbH & Co Music Equipment KG in Markneukirchen, Germany. Along with a range of electric guitars, the company produces replacement parts, such as knobs, tuners, bridges, and tailpieces, for their vintage models, as well as a small range of high-endtubeamplifiers.
In the early 1960s, Framus Star Bass guitars were among the first bass guitars imported into Britain. Many of the early British rock and roll bass guitarists—includingJet Harris,Brian Locking, Brian Gregg,Heinz Burt, andBill Wyman—played Framus basses. In 1964, Wyman signed a three-year sponsorship deal endorsing the Star bass.[1][2] Guitarists in theUnited States who endorsed Framus guitars at that time includedCharlie Mingus andJim Hall.
Peter Kraus played various signature models oftenor guitar, including a small-bodied flat-top acoustic and the two-pickup 5/141 semihollow electric.[6]
Lamb of God guitarist Willie Adler uses Framus speaker cabinets with four 12 inch speakers. In their DVD entitledKilladelphia, Adler praises Framus for giving him "A backdrop to fuckin' die for."
John Lennon bought a Framus Hootenanny in 1965, whichGeorge Harrison occasionally also played. It was used by Lennon to perform the songYou've Got To Hide Your Love Away in the 1965 filmHelp! (He also used it onIt's Only Love, as well as on title-track for the 1965 Parlophone record).[8] George used the instrument during the recording ofI've Just Seen a Face.[9] In 2024, the guitar was sold for $2.9 million by Julien's Auctions of Gardena, California.[10]
Paul McCartney's first guitar was a Zenith (built by Framus on commission from Boosey & Hawkes), which he still owns.[11]
Devin Townsend, uses a number of Framus guitars including several custom made guitars of the model AK-1974, Mayfield and a signature model.[18][19][20] He also collaborated with the company to develop The Blank model.[21][22]
Stevie Salas, uses the Framus Idolmaker model, which was developed in a collaboration with him.[23][24]
Simple Plan guitaristSébastien Lefebvre's electric guitars include the Framus Mayfield and Tennessee models. He used to play Framus Panthera and Renegade models. He currently uses a Framus Dragon head and cabinet amplifier with his Framus custom model.[25]
Hoyer, Christian:Framus – built in the heart of Bavaria: the history of a German musical instrument manufacturer 1946–1977. Edition Framus, Markneukirchen 2007,ISBN978-3-940448-01-9.
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