1960s Framus 6/47G Graciella 4-String Electric Mandolin Conversion

My friend Rick dropped-off this when he dropped-off his German windmill mandolin. It arrived in its normal acoustic format and with a badly-damaged neck joint. Otherwise it was in good shape, though it was missing an original bridge.

He wanted me to electrify it, though because of the wonky neck joint and narrow nut width, I also 4-stringed it for him (it's a good excuse to do so). He'd also been interested in the 4-string e-mando I have hanging in my workshop, so I thought it might be fun.

These jazzy-looking mandolinettos (guitar-shaped mandolins) were made in Germany starting in the '50s, though the logo on the lower bout and the finish style say, "hey, I'm from the '60s!"

Fixed-up, it plays spot-on and sounds great -- a clean, retro-sounding voice that's somewhere between the P-90 sound of a Gibson EM-150 and the bright tone of a Fender Mandocaster. The pickup is a cheapy Korean-made Strat-style pickup with P-90-style architecture inside. This includes adjustable poles -- a must for e-mandos to sound nice and balanced.

Repairs included: a neck reset (with 2-bolt reinforcement), fretboard extension realignment (ohhh my was this warped-up -- I have 4 tiny screws holding it level with the rest of the board and dug into the body), pickup install/body cutout, wiring harness install, replacement bridge (banjo!), fret level/dress, new tuners for the headstock, and setup.

Setup notes: action is bang-on at a hair-under 1/16" at the 12th fret. The neck is straight and strings are 36w, 26w, 14, 10 in gauges, with nickel-wound basses.

Scale length: 13 7/8"

Nut width: 1 1/8"

String spacing at nut: 7/8"

String spacing at bridge: 1 3/8"

Body length: 12 3/4"

Lower bout width: 9 7/8"

Waist width: 6 1/8"

Upper bout width: 7 3/8"
Side depth at endpin: 2 1/4" +arch

Top wood: ply maple

Back wood: ply maple
Sides wood: ply maple

Bracing type: two tonebars + soundposts

Fretboard: ebonized maple/pearwood, plastic nut

Bridge: rosewood, adjustable + rubber saddle

Neck feel: medium C-shape, 10" board radius

Condition notes: clearly, it's well-traveled and has wear and tear throughout. It's also been converted and has replacement bits all over.