The Framus Hootenanny in tinted nitro lacquer is a nice recreation of John Lennon’s 12 string guitar, featured in the movie Help! during the song You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away. It is very lightweight and seems well built. It comes with two different pick guards, one black and one tortoise that have adhesive on the back if you decide to attach it. I have not attached a pickguard yet, but am leaning towards the tortoise color instead of the black one. I’ve spent a few days playing it now and I am pleased with sound and overall aesthetic.
The fingerboard is completely flat and wide like a classical guitar, which may be a challenge for some players not used to a completely flat fretboard without a radius. The action is nice and it was setup pretty well from the factory, however I plan on having it setup with some extra light strings in the near future as playing an acoustic 12 string requires a bit more pressure across the flat fretboard.
The case fits the guitar well and looks nice as well.
My only minor quibble are the tuners, which work well enough, but the white plastic buttons feel a bit cheap and flimsy. I’m think about adding some better tuning machines if I can find a suitable set of open backed tuners found on vintage Framus guitars.
The Hootenanny will not replace a high end Guild 12 string with an attached bridge, which I consider the best acoustic 12 out there, but it still sounds good and has that unmistakable Beatle vibe.
One caveat for buyers in the USA. Be prepared to pay several hundred dollar more for tariffs and customs fees! The shipping provider will send you a bill that can be paid directly to the carrier, but it adds a significant expense to this instrument since it is made in China. That was a bummer!
Overall, Framus did a great job recreating a long lost Lennon guitar that was discovered in an attic last year and sold for 2.8 million bucks! The new Framus Hootenanny is a nice recreation of an iconic Beatle guitar.
