1960s Framus Strato Star Bass Mandocello Conversion

Update 2022: this is back in the shop for resale and I've updated parts of the description, but really... all I had to do was pull it out of the shipping box and tune it up. This sucker is good to go!

This is one of the tamer "conversion" instruments I've done lately. It started-out as a one-pickup, German-made, early-'60s Framus Strato Star Bass. This variant of the model is pretty rare and they seem to have been made with this aluminum pickguard, "podded" electronics module, and rectangular-covered pickup configuration pretty-much only in '62 and '63.

Through conversion and repairs, the instrument went from a short scale bass (29 7/8" scale) with a broken headstock and truss rod end to a 2-pickup, hot-rodded, 4-string electric baritone guitar... or 4-string electric mandocello... or as Eastwood guitars put it... a "baritone tenor" guitar?

The owner wanted to shoot for mandocello CGDA tuning and the current set of strings happily gets to BbFCG... and with a capo on 2 it's around 26-27" actual-cello scale length and at CGDA. I'll call that a win! In the video it's in an open B tuning, though.

Neat things added to this: a modified Fender Mustang bridge, new wiring harness using some of the old mounting components, Seymour-Duncan Antiquity Firebird pickup at the bridge, new "aged" Gotoh tuners at the headstock with added cream buttons to replace mismatched replacements, a fresh board plane/refret, new bone nut (goodbye, zero fret), and... of course... a lot of style!

The resulting instrument sounds very good indeed and plays great. The original neck pickup is high-output and rather microphonic and transparent. It sounds like the strings... and has a springy, natural tone to it. The bridge pickup is more aggressive and snarly. Luckily, they feel like they were intended to be together and they balance really well.

Repairs included: board plane and refret, new wiring harness, new bridge, new nut, new relic'd tuners, headstock seam reglue, setup, etc.

Body wood: unsure

Bridge: newer Mustang-style (with custom saddle locations)

Fretboard: rosewood

Neck wood: super-multi-lam maple

Pickups: 1x Framus single coil (neck) 1x SD Antiquity Firebird (bridge)

Action height at 12th fret: 3/32” bass 1/16” treble (fast, spot-on)
String gauges: 56w-13 (I believe?)

Neck shape: medium-deeper C/U

Board radius: ~12"

Truss rod: adjustable

Neck relief: straight

Fret style: medium

Scale length: 30"

Nut width: 1 3/8"

Body width: 12 3/4"

Body depth: 1 1/4"

Weight: 6 lbs 12 oz

Condition notes: well -- what can I say? It's modified and made better than original, if more strange. The neck is planed and refretted (a plus!), it has much-nicer tuners than stock, a quality Firebird pickup has been installed, and the old (cruddy) wiring harness is gone and a fresh one installed. The bridge is not a bass bridge but it's a lot more adjustable. If one wanted to use this as a bass it would be fairly easy to convert it back with a restring and adjustments to the nut and saddle -- but I think that would destroy the fun of using it as it is here -- a wonderful, interesting instrument that does something different. Suffice to say, there's wear and tear throughout the body's finish (it's lookin' good) and it's been modified.