Framus 5/108E Studio 'Sunburst' Preowned 1967

The Framus 5/108E Studio is a genuinely rare piece of mid-1960s German guitar making, a thinline hollowbody archtop produced at the Framus factory in Bubenreuth, Bavaria, during a period when German guitar craftsmanship was at its creative and commercial peak. Built in 1967 to the softline thinline archtop specification, it features a laminated maple arched top and back with the soft, rounded body contours and elegant silhouette that distinguish Framus instruments of this era from their American and British contemporaries. The single Framus oval pickup delivers a warm, clear and characterful vintage single-coil voice suited to blues, jazz and the raw, expressive rock and roll that defined the era in which this guitar was built.

This 1967-built example carries honest playwear consistent with its age and is missing its original pickguard, but is otherwise all-original with a tone full of vintage charm that a modern guitar simply can't replicate. The action sits a little on the high side, though the guitar remains fantastically playable and represents excellent value for a 1960s European hollowbody, ideal for collectors of vintage European guitars and players after an affordable, characterful alternative to mainstream vintage American instruments.

Features

• Laminated maple arched top and back deliver the soft, rounded body contours and warm archtop resonance characteristic of 1960s Framus construction.
• Single Framus oval pickup produces a warm, clear and characterful vintage single-coil voice suited to blues, jazz and vintage rock and roll tones.
• Softline thinline archtop body shape offers a comfortable, lightweight silhouette distinct from bulkier American and British archtops of the same era.
• Detachable laminate neck with rosewood fingerboard provides smooth, era-correct playability true to the original 1967 specification.
• Built at the Framus factory in Bubenreuth, Bavaria, this 1967 example is a genuinely rare survivor of the golden age of German guitar making.

Specs

• Model: Framus 5/108E Studio Electric
• Year: 1967
• Body: Thinline softline archtop
• Top: Arched laminated maple
• Back: Arched laminated maple
• Binding: Softline
• Neck: Detachable laminate
• Fingerboard: Rosewood
• Pickup: Single Framus oval
• Controls: Volume, tone
• Finish: Sunburst
• Made in: Germany (Bubenreuth, Bavaria)