The Electric Side of the Acoustic Guitar

The Framus Legacy Acoustic Line Puts a Range of Acoustic Tones at Your Fingertips 

There’s little doubt that in The Tone Lounge, electric guitars rule. But we certainly dig a fine acoustic and our pals at Framus recently shipped over one of the great guit-boxes from their acoustic Legacy line; the FF-14 Folk Cutaway EQ model [video]. But there seems to be a Legacy model to suit the needs of every plucker and strummer out there, and you may be wondering what the differences between each of the models are.

There’s a decent rule of thumb that this writer stumbled on to a year or so back: an acoustic guitar can almost be thought of along the same lines as an electric guitar and amplifier rig. Think about; the body of an acoustic is also an amplifier! OK, so the parallels aren’t perfect; after all, we’re not talking about EQ stacks, gain, how well it takes pedals, or djent-ability here. But the analogy can provide a good set of aiming stakes to determine which Framus Legacy acoustic may serve your needs the best. Read a bit further to see what I mean, agree or disagree in the comments, but most importantly learn about the great acoustic of Framus’ Legacy line.

Framus Legacy Folk Cutaway EQ

You saw and heard TTK’s slick, gloss black Framus FF-14 CE Folk model already [link to video again], so you pretty much know what it’s about. The Framus Legacy Folk model is a great, well-balanced model that’s perfect for more than just folk music, as the name suggests. Clear and balanced, the Folk is a great mid-sized model that can cover everything from ballads to blues, picked or strummed. The 24.75-inch scale and max body with just a shade over 15 inches put it in line with size of many electric hollowbodies, making it an easy instrument for folks (no pun intended) that primarily rock an electric to transition into.

Electric Rig Equivalent: Versatile humbucker/single coil-equipped axe into a modern 1×12 combo amp.

Framus Legacy Dreadnought

When one thinks of the classic acoustic guitar design, chances are pretty good an image of a dreadnought pops into his mind’s eye.

If you were a gigging guitar slinger in the heady, wild days of the early 20th, you were probably playing in an ensemble with several other instruments and a singer. The need for a guitar with volume and plain old “oomph” gave birth to the “dreadnought” style, named for a type of British battleship used in World War I. The Framus Legacy Dreadnought reflects the classic dreadnought recipe; a sitka top with mahogany back and sides, 25.5-inch scale length, and 15.5 inch maximum body width is built to deliver the big, powerful lows and clear, sparking trebles the breed is known for. You’ll get maximum power and explosiveness when you use a pick, but they’re no slouch played finger-style, either.

Electric Rig Equivalent: Single coils through a loud, clean, high-wattage 2×12 combo.

Framus Legacy Jumbo 

If you think the Dreadnought is a big hunka-hunka guitar, wait until you wrap (or try to wrap) your arms around a Jumbo! A classic design that really seemed to take off around the mid-20th century, thanks to a certain lad from Memphis now known as the “King of Rock ‘n Roll,”  jumbo-style guitars are not quite as assertive and attacking as their dreadnought brethren, but will still fill a room with rich, deep, responsive tone. The Framus Legacy Jumbo sports the largest dimensions (16.7″ at maximum width, 12″ shoulder, and 25.5″ scale length) of the line. Strum it, pick it, pluck it; the eye-catching Framus Legacy Jumbo is a great choice for players that want a big sound and great flexibility.

Electric Rig Equivalent: Humbucker/single coil guitar through a versatile 4×12 half stack.

Framus Legacy Grand Auditorium

As satisfying as it can be to unleash the auditory power of a dreadnought, the generally scooped nature of their tone may not be the best fit for your style, particularly if you record quite a bit. Not to worry, Framus has you covered.

The Framus Legacy Grand Auditorium’s body is actually slightly bigger than the Dreadnought at it’s widest point (approximately 15.9 inches) and it still sports the same 25.5-inch scale length as well as a Sitka top and Mahogany back and sides. But it’s slightly more compact shoulder and a slimmer waist help soften the bass and treble a bit for a more balanced sound that is great for strumming and finger picking alike, records beautifully, and can cover a wide range of styles.

Electric Rig Equivalent: Vintage humbuckers through a classic British combo.

Framus Legacy Concert

If you want to break from tradition a bit and arm yourself with something that loves the spotlight, the Framus Legacy Concert is definitely your jam. The Concert’s design is best described as a hot-rodded dreadnought. It’s actually just a pinch wider and is equipped with the same 25.5″ scale, but rocks a cool Florentine-style cutaway, deeper body, and maple back and sides. Maple provides a flatter response than the typical woods used for acoustic backs and sides (like mahogany and rosewood), making it more resistance to feedback issues in live settings.

Electric Rig Equivalent: Radical shaped axe through a versatile combo.

Framus Legacy Parlor

Maybe you call yours a living room or a den, or maybe even the Tone Lounge, but back in the day when people who fought in the Civil War were still running around, some homes had a room for entertaining called…wait for it…a parlor. And musical jam sessions were one of the more popular pastimes.

Being in an enclosed space meant you didn’t need a whole lot of volume, and the small body of the parlor guitar translated into warm, pleasant-yet-punchy tones. There’s some evidence that the small body design was also a nod to female musicians. Either way, the style seems to be in the midst of a revival. Sophisticated sound reinforcement systems mean that parlor-style guitar sounds are easily reproduced in live settings, their compact size makes them easily to transport and handle, and old-school design aesthetics are totally en vogue right now. The Framus Legacy Parlor is a stand-out in a crowded field, echoing classic elements like a slotted headstock and 12 frets to the body while offering options for body woods and electronics.

Electric Rig Equivalent: P-90s through a small tube combo.

 

 

Framus offers a wide range of options for all of its Legacy acoustic models. Many of their models can be acquired with or without cutaways, solid mahogany tops (in lieu of Sitka spruce) for sweeter midrange response, Sonicore pickups powered with Fishman Isys+preamps, and a number of attractive finish options. Some models can even be had in a 12-string version. The Framus Legacy acoustic line offers everything you need to outfit your acoustic guitar locker in style and functionality. Closet acoustic nerd like this author believe that having at least two great acoustics (but we all know “two” of something is just a starting point when it comes to gear, right?), and the Framus Legacy[http://www.warwick.de/en/Framus—Products–Guitars-and-Amps–Acoustic-Guitars.html] acoustic line gives you a ton of to expand your tonal palette.

Tiny URL for this post:
 

SubscribeTTKsYTChannel

Filed Under: FeaturedGuitars

Tags:

About the Author:

RSSComments (0)

Trackback URL

Comments are closed.