the finishing touch. Instead, the headstock
graphics are the most significant deviation
from the original design.
The first thing I noticed when I picked
up the Hollywood was its light weight. The
solid rim and plywood top and back make
the mostly hollow body a little Danelectro-
like in construction (though Danos use
masonite tops and backs). The mahogany
neck has a substantial heel, but upper-fret
access is still quite easy. In many ways, the
Hollywood felt something like a Les Paul
to a clean, blackface-style sound, the neck
pickup rendered these same acoustic quali-
ties quite convincingly. There was a springy
definition from the wound strings and a
sparkling response from the higher unwound
strings, that and it added up to satisfying
tonal complexity. On both the neck and
bridge pickups, the low-end response was
tight and crisp—perfect for jangly, early-’60s
rock rhythms. The Hollywood’s bridge
pickup was bright and vocal, with a fair
mount of twang that could cover a lot of
this guitar. This is an instrument that can
be pushed to the edge, but remain balanced
enough to stay within the player’s control.
“ ... the Hollywood’s real bread and butter
is churning out vintage rock bark, textured
punk thrash, and cutting alt-rock tones.”
Jr./Danelectro hybrid—comfortable and
impressively balanced. The neck profile is
somewhere between a medium-to-shallow
C and, combined with the relatively flat
14” fretboard radius, is fast playing and
bend friendly. The fretwork was especially
impressive—the nickel-silver frets were
excellently leveled and crowned. All these
points combined with the aforementioned
features to add up to a quality, fun experience with very few rough edges to distract
from the music-making.
sturm und Drang
The Framus’s unplugged character is light
and bright, with a lively acoustic quality that
you can feel in the body. It’s energizing to get
this kind of volume from an unplugged elec-
tric, and it compelled me to play loudly right
away. The Hollywood has a playful aura, one
that inspires enthusiasm in a simple open
chord. Plugged into a Carr Sportsman set
surf- or blues-rock territory. But, as I was to
discover when using a little overdrive, the
Hollywood’s real bread and butter is churn-
ing out vintage rock bark, textured punk
thrash, and cutting alt-rock tones.
The Verdict
Whether you want a fresh showpiece for the
gig or an all-around rock performer with
bite, the Hollywood DC is worth serious
consideration. Although many players will
likely wish the bridge were something like
an intonatable Tune-o-matic, I found the
guitar hugely addictive, and loved the fact
that it nails almost all the features of its
popular precursor while achieving profes-sional-level build quality—all at around a
grand. Exotic but timeless, it’s a gimmick-free German design with lightweight simplicity and a bright voice and that begs to
be slung over the shoulder and played.
Rating:
Buy If...
you need a versatile, cutting
rock instrument with major
head-turning capacity.
Skip If...
you need warmer jazz sounds or can’t
get down with the European styling.
Framus International
MSRP $999
framus.de
or use a mobile device to download
audio clips of the guitar at
CLICKHere…
Vintage-style tuners
