Description

The Framus Nashville is a significant instrument. Just about the last model made by Framus before they went out of business in 1975, Chet Atkins was involved in the design and was due to start endorsing the guitars in the States. The name spearheaded an assault on the US market, titled – Framus of Nashville.

Peter Green had one of these guitars which he liked enough to be photographed with and talked about as one of those he regretted losing (it was stolen) – this from the man who got rid of his ‘59 LP flame top (a guitar I’ve held, very carefully, it was priced at $1.5m!)

The thing you notice about it is the quality. For all the same reasons we like German cars, kitchens and appliances, this guitar oozes quality. The chrome plating has a real depth to it and the metal parts feel like they’ve been properly engineered. The six position rotary tone switch ‘clunks’ satisfyingly between positions.

But it’s the body which is most noticeably different – it’s made from pine! Actually pitch pine, which is a harder wood and has more interesting figuring. It was also used for kitchen cabinet doors in the 70s!

Tonewise, the Nashville is a real winner. It was designed as a studio musician’s guitar, the idea being that one instrument would be able to produce a wide variety of styles – don’t forget this was long before modelling amps. The tone switch settings are:
1 - both humbuckers
2 - neck humbucker
3 - inner coils
4 - bridge humbucker
5 - outer neck and inner bridge coil out of phase
6 - both humbuckers out of phase

The Nashville pickups are superb with a very bright sound, so you generally roll the tone off. The combination of 6 position switch and master volume and master tone really does make for a range of sounds include Strat twang to deep hollow.

Neck is wide with a fairly flat profile. Set with low a action makes this is a very fast guitar.

Features

• 2 piece pitch pine sandwich solidbody single cutaway
• Natural finish
• Rosewood fingerboard over solid maple neck
• Solid Maple neck, set neck
• 3 way adjustable chrome bridge
• 2 Nashville humbucker pick-ups
• 6-way switch, master tone and master volume
• 1 11/16” width at nut (approx)
• 24¾” scale length, zero fret
• No case

Keywords

Framus. framus electric, vintage framus, peter green, nashville, nashville pickup, humbucker, 6-way switch. rotary switch