The Secret Lives of World-Class Guitars and Basses – Tucked away in the center of an Olde Worlde musical hub is a Modern Day Marvel

Deep in Markneukirchen, Germany …

It doesn’t quite roll off the tongue the same way “Fullerton” or “Kalamazoo” does, but perhaps that’s not by accident. For this humble little burg in the east of Germany, right on the border of the Czech Republic, has been a hub for quality musical instrument production for centuries.

The reputation persists to this day, but the hub of Markneukirchen’s musical instrument industry has moved from the quaint workshops to a decidedly modern structure housing one of Saxony’s most storied brands.

By now, you may have guessed that we’re speaking of Framus, a brand closely associated with the German musical instrument trade and a friend to our humble enterprise, TheToneKing.com.

While factories and workshops of old have a certain bustle and noise to them, this particular…facility…has a different aura. “Factory” seems a bit too primitive a word. Anyways, this facility is sleek, quiet and runs on some mysterious energy. Well, it runs on a combination of solar, wind and other renewables. What we here at TheToneKing.com really mean is that it goes beyond those sources. There’s something else in the air, here.

Well, that’s probably the moisture from the system that tightly regulates the humidity levels within the facility. Actually, “facility” is not the appropriate word here, either. Let’s call this “the institute.” An institute for the study, refinement and applied technology that results in the production of some of the finest stringed instruments in the world.

The Framus factory is a high-tech hub of instrument building. Precision fretwork and fretboard radiusing are executed with machinery to ensure the tightest tolerances and cleanest assembly. Paint and finish are quick-dried and cured through special UV processes. Premium wood-stock, some of it quite rare, is thoroughly dried in it’s own environmentally controlled space prior to production. After conditioning, each plank is precisely milled. Nearly every working step is monitored through Framus’ unique computer-based platform.

And much like the elite, governing institutions in our world..the people that really pull the strings…the actual number of people it requires to keep this facility productive is relatively small. Naturally, a massive amount of personal care goes into ensuring each instrument that emerges from the institute is tweaked to a level of perfection unattainable from many other producers. Is it coincidence that Markneukirchen is really not all that far from the German state of Bavaria, which is where the original Illuminati was founded. Has “the institute” taken its cues from someplace other than the rich heritage of superior musical instrument production that is the signature of it’s home region?

We here at TheToneKing.com will neither deny or affirm such questions. All we know is there are seemingly supernatural forces at play in every Framus instrument we’ve ever held. Once you pick one up, you’ll know what we’re talking about. No secret oaths or esoteric ceremonies required; just hit up your any retailer that carries Framus and Warwick instruments.

Watch this build series of my custom Framus guitars:

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