At the museum, I was amazed to see the variety of instruments Framus made in just 30 years—pedal and lap steels, banjos, mandolins, drums, a huge variety of guitars, and seemingly endless variations on the electric bass. Bill Wyman’s signature Star Bass was just one of many cool short-scale axes on display. Many of the instruments had the striking but simple “Black Rose” finish, and that red-to-black color combination really stood out among all the beauties on display. It turns out that the “Black Rose” name actually originated with one of the company’s mainstay guitar models, but eventually the term was used to describe their signature finish as well.
My expert host Christian then took me down to the basement, where after seeing a trio of “futuristic” long-scale acoustic bass guitars from the early ’70s, I fell in love with a string bass just like the one you see here, which is owned by my friend Greg Hardin. The sound was just right—deep, sweet, and balanced, and it immediately felt great to play. The cutaway felt so natural that I couldn’t help but wonder why they are so uncommon. And to top it off, the “Black Rose” finish looked fantastic. The cream binding was the icing on the cake. I didn’t want to stop playing it, and when I played Greg’s recently, it was déjà vu all over again! His bass has a few more road miles on it, but the resonance and warmth I remembered was there in abundance.
The quality of the construction is impeccable. Along with its distinctive color, the 4/42’s immediate visual appeal centers on the cutaway, which sets it apart from most upright basses. It’s a nice feature for anyone who likes to play in the upper register, and could perhaps inspire new confidence for anyone with trepidation about playing way up there! Overall, this is one of my all-time favorite string basses, and it is a testament to Fred Wilfer’s determination to keep his region’s instrument building legacy alive.
Fred’s son Hans Peter Wilfer founded Warwick in 1982, and in 1995 he relocated the company and factory back to his father’s homeland, and now “Music Corner” is alive again. The museum is is located in a beautiful villa that has been restored to its former glory and is filled with hundreds of wonderful instruments. Just a few miles down the road is the high-tech Warwick factory, which is another story in itself. If you ever find yourself in this part of the world, I highly recommend a trip to the Framus Museum.