Framus is a German guitar, bass, and banjo manufacturing company, that existed from 1946 until going bankrupt in 1975. Framus has been revived in 1995 and today is part of Warwick GmbH & Co Music Equipment KG in Markneukirchen (Germany). This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... There are a range of musical instruments that can be collectively be regarded as bass instruments since they are in the bass range. ... For other uses, see Banjo (disambiguation) A modern 5-string banjo The banjo is a stringed instrument of African American origin adapted from several African instruments. ... Year 1946 (MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full 1946 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full 1995 Gregorian calendar). ...

Timeline

• 1946: The foundation of 'Franconian Musical Instruments by Fred A. Wilfer KG' in Erlangen, Germany to help resettle luthiers displaced from Schönbach/Sudetenland.
• 1954: A larger factory is built in Bubenreuth, Germany to house the 300-strong workforce
• 1967: Further expansion then saw the building of a second facility in Pretzfeld, Germany
• 1975: The rapidly changing market forced the company into bankruptcy
• 1995: Framus musical instruments are being produced again

Year 1946 (MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full 1946 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Erlangen around 1915 Erlangen is a German city in Middle Franconia. ... Year 1954 (MCMLIV) was a common year (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar (the link is to a full 1967 calendar). ... Year 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full 1995 Gregorian calendar). ...

History

Early years

Framus originated in the town of Schönbach, today called Luby u Chebu in the area of Eger. The city at the foot of the Erzgebirge was shaped by the music. Violins and other string instruments have been manufactured and exported from Schönbach worldwide. There, in the Bohemian area, the founder of Framus, Fred Wilfer was born in 1917. When he heard about the expulsion plans of the allied forces, that were going to affect his homeland in south Germany, he decided to build up a new basis for his countryman and the music industry in the west. View from an airplane. ... Cheb (German: ( )) is a city in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic, with 33,256 inhabitants. ... 1917 (MCMXVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 13-day slower Julian calendar (see: 1917 Julian calendar). ...

Even before the first train was going to transport violin makers from Schönbach to other areas, Fred Wilfer contacted different government authorities in Bavaria and told them about his plans. The Bavarian government welcomed his plans and asked him to create all conditions needed for the settlement to Bavaria. For this reason he founded the "Franconian music production Fred Wilfer investment trust" (of which Framus is an acronym) in Erlangen on January 1, 1946. This factory became the central aim of the Schönbach violin makers. For other uses, see Bavaria (disambiguation). ... Erlangen around 1915 Erlangen is a German city in Middle Franconia. ... is the 1st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1946 (MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full 1946 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

When the first train transporting violin makers from Schönbach arrived in Erlangen he was the man in charge to find housing for them. He also made arrangements for the establishment of the first workshops.

Progress

In march 1946 the first transport with Schönbach violin makers arrived in Erlangen. Fred Wilfer and the refugee commissioner troubled for the accommodation. A factory was set up in a former wheel warehouse in Möhrendorf in autumn 1946. At the end of 1948 the factory was moved to the near town Baiersdorf. However, even in the rooms of a former brewery was soon not enough space anymore.

Since the end of 1949 Bubenreuth became the centre of settlement of Schoenbach violin makers. Fred Wilfer built up one of the most modern factories of this time. In summer 1954 Framus moved into the new factory. About 170 employees started to work, having 2200 square meters at their disposal to produce more than 2000 instruments in a month.

The guitar, particularly the electric guitar, became the new bestsellers. The sales increased enormously due to the popularity of rock and roll music at the end of the 1950s. Because of this development a second factory had to be built in Pretzfeld, 25 km north of Bubenreuth in the Franconian Switzerland, in 1966. It was at that time that Framus became the biggest guitar producer in Europe employing about 300 workers in the late 1960's. Rock and roll (also spelled Rock n Roll, especially in its first decade), also called rock, is a form of popular music, usually featuring vocals (often with vocal harmony), electric guitars and a strong back beat; other instruments, such as the saxophone, are common in some styles. ... Pretzfeld is a town in the district of Forchheim in Bavaria in Germany. ... Bubenreuth is a town in the district of Erlangen-Höchstadt in Bavaria in Germany. ...

Famous musicians were guests welcomed at Framus in Bubenreuth, e.g. the Vienna Saengerknaben (Boys Choir) who delivered a special concert in the Framus workshops. There were also many politicians who visited Bubenreuth and Framus.

Since the factory in Bubenreuth was built, a musical kinder garden was planned. Supported by a young teacher, Frau Gertrud Fischer, a note book was written which enabled children to start learning the musical note system at the age of three. This was possible due to the development of the little coloured "note mans" which made it very easy to play.

Chancellor Konrad Adenauer came into the violin-making-village. And of course a tour through the Framus factory and the musical kinder garden could not be missing. For other uses, see Konrad Adenauer (disambiguation). ...

Bankruptcy

In an interview Fred Wilfer summarized his all-embracing concept with the following words: It's not only important to produce instruments, over a long period it is important to "produce customers". This motto is found in other Framus projects, as well. Eventually the price dumping by companies from Japan along with other factors, both external and internal forced Framus into bankruptcy at the end of the 1970's.

Many aspects of the history of Framus are still in the dark. This is due to the bankruptcy of the company when almost the whole archives were lost. For this reason contemporary information about Framus would be welcomed in this article.

Framus later evolved into renowned bass guitar manufacturers Warwick, as well as resuming production of their own brand-name instruments. Warwick Streamer 5-string bass Warwick is a bass guitar company founded in Germany in 1982. ...

Notable users

One of the most interesting chapters of the firm history is the relationship between Framus to its stars. The oldest and longest relation between Framus and an outstanding guitar artist is the one with Billy Lorento (alias Bill Lawrence) which was established in 1953. A very fruitful cooperation emerged soon afterwards with Attila Zoller, perhaps the most famous Jazz guitar player in those days. For the idol of German Rock´n´Roll music, Peter Kraus, a new 4-string-guitar, especially for pop songs, was constructed by Framus in 1957 - the "Peter-Kraus-pop-song-guitar" Bill Lawrence Bill Lawrence (born Willi Lorenz Stich) is a recording musician and an electric guitar pickup designer/maker and guitar designer/maker in the musical instrument industry, designing pickups and guitars for Fender, Gibson, Peavey and other guitar companies from the late 1960s to the present, with many patents. ... Attila Cornelius Zoller (born June 13, 1927 in Visegrád, Ungarn; died January 25, 1998 in Townshent, Vermont) was the first guitarist to discover the free jazz and is considered as one of the innovators of modern jazz guitar. ... Jazz guitar refers to the use of guitar in jazz music. ... Peter Kraus is a famous Austrian-German singer. ...

Even with The Beatles there are links to Framus. John Lennon bought a Framus Hootenanny in 1965 which occasionally was played by George Harrison, too. Paul McCartney's first guitar was a Zenith (built by Framus on commission from Boosey & Hawkes), which he still owns.^[1] The White Album, see The Beatles (album). ... John Winston Ono Lennon, MBE (October 9, 1940 – December 8, 1980), (born John Winston Lennon, known as John Ono Lennon) was an iconic English 20th century rock and roll songwriter and singer, best known as the founding member of The Beatles. ... George Harrison, MBE (25 February 1943[1][2] – 29 November 2001[3]) was an Academy Award and Grammy Award-winning English rock guitarist, singer, songwriter, author and sitarist best known as the lead guitarist of The Beatles. ... Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE (born 18 June 1942) is an Academy Award– and Grammy Award–winning English singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who first gained worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles. ...

At a time when bass guitars were very rare, Framus Star bass guitars were among the first to be imported into Britain. Many of the early rock and roll British bass guitarists, including Jet Harris, Brian Locking, Heinz Burt, as well as Bill Wyman, played Framus basses. Jet Harris (real name Terence Harris) was the bass guitarist and leader of The Shadows until April 1962. ... Brian Locking b. ... Heinz Burt, singer, publicized by his first name, was born on July 24, 1942 in Germany, raised in Southampton. ... Bill Wyman (born William George Perks on 24 October 1936) was the bassist for the English rock and roll band The Rolling Stones from its founding in 1962 until 1991. ...

The Bill Wyman connection was established in 1964 when the famous bass player of the Rolling Stones signed a three-year sponsorship deal endorsing the "Framus Star Bass". Endorsers in the United States at this time were Charlie Mingus and Jim Hall. Finally, the Dutch guitarist with the group Focus, Jan Akkerman, needs to be mentioned in this respect. The Framus signature model for him was issued in 1974. Rik Emmett, of the Canadian Hard rock band Triumph, used an Akkerman signature model for several years prior to his Yamaha endorsement deal. Bill Wyman (born William George Perks on 24 October 1936) was the bassist for the English rock and roll band The Rolling Stones from its founding in 1962 until 1991. ... This article is about the rock band. ... Charles Mingus Stamp issued by the USPS on September 16, 1995. ... Jim Hall is a programmer for the FreeDOS project and the original developer of the GNU Robots program. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Jan Akkerman Jan Akkerman (born 24 December 1946) is a Dutch guitarist. ... Rik Emmett (born 1953 in Toronto, Ontario) is a founding member of the Canadian rock band Triumph. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Triumph is a Canadian rock band that was popular in the late 1970s through the 1980s. ...

James Murphy is a known user of Framus, as well as his longtime friend, Deron Miller. Although Miller is better known as a Marshall & Peavey endorsee, he can be seen using a Framus rig in the CKY Happy Birthday Phil clips upon the arrival of new bassist, Matt Deis. James Murphy may refer to: Jimmy Murphy (1891–1965), cartoonist of Toots and Casper comic strip James Murphy (football player) (born 1959), receiver in the Canadian Football League James Murphy (footballer) (1910–1989), Association Football player and manager James Murphy (Electronic musician & DJ) (born 1970), principal member of LCD Soundsystem... Deron Miller in the CKY documentary Deron John Miller (born May 21, 1976 in Chester, Pennsylvania, USA) is the lead singer, guitarist and songwriter for CKY (also known as Camp Kill Yourself) which has been through various incarnations since he co-founded it with Jess Margera in 1994. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Peavey may refer to: peavey tool, A logging tool used to move timber Hartley Peavey, the founder of the Peavey Electronics Corportation. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Matthew Christopher Deis (born December 13th, 1983 in Peterborough, New Hampshire) is a professional musician and currently the bassist for the band CKY. He has an associates degree in music performance. ...

The character of Katie (played by Rebecca Julia Brown) in the 2003 film School of Rock plays a Framus Star bass. Rebecca Julia Brown (born 18 August 1992, in Chicago, Illinois) is an American actress and musician. ... School of Rock is a 2003 comedy film starring Jack Black. ...

Dave Hill of the British glam band, Slade, used a Framus made copy of his original John Birch Super Yob. The Framus guitar was featured in Tony Bacon's The Ultimate Guitar book. Dave Hill (born David John Hill, 4 April 1946, in Fleet Castle, Devon, England) is the lead guitarist and backing vocalist in the English glam rock group, Slade. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... // John Birch was an English luthier mainly known for his electric guitars. ...

Framus today

Since 1995, musical instruments are being produced again under the name Framus. Today's Framus brand has been revived by Hans Peter Wilfer (son of founder Fred Wilfer) as part of Warwick GmbH & Co Music Equipment KG in Markneukirchen (Germany). They produce some interesting instruments that are not only the usual Gibson and Fender copies. They also pruduce a small range of high-end tube amplifiers (Used by Simple Plan, Unearth, Dead To Fall, Stanza, Profane and many others) Year 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full 1995 Gregorian calendar). ... Simple Plan is a pop-punk band from Montreal, Quebec, Canada—all five members are French-Canadians who were born in the province of Quebec. ... Unearth (formed 1998) is a metalcore band with melodic death, groove, and thrash metal influences from Winthrop, Massachusetts. ... Dead to Fall is a Chicago, USA based metalcore band, formed in 1999. ... Profanity is a word choice or usage which many consider to be offensive. ...

References

1. ^ Miles, Barry, Many Years From Now, Vintage-Random House 1998, ISBN 0-7493-8658-4.

External links

• Framus International homepage
• [1] Official Endorsers