NAMM 2014: Framus unveils Stevie Salas and Wolf Hoffmann signature guitars

NAMM 2014: Framus has lined up two new signature guitar models for the year in the shape of the Idolmaker Stevie Salas Signature and the Wolf Hoffmann Artist Series.

Stevie Salas is a session ace who's played with everyone from Mick Jagger to Justin Timberlake, but is still probably most-renowned as the composer/player of George Carlin character Rufus' memorable solo in Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure. His bells-and-whistles Idolmaker model combines a mahogany body with a AAA quilted maple cap, an ebony fingerboard and Seymour Duncan Phat Cat and '78 humbuckers.

Meanwhile, Wolf Hoffmann is the guitarist behind German metal legends Accept and his new signature model incorporates a maple body and neck, ebony fingerboard and EMG 81/SA pickups, not to mention a Floyd Rose vibrato.

Take a look at Framus' press releases below to learn more about the new models.

Framus Idolmaker Stevie Salas Signature model press release

In 2014 Framus teams up with guitar legend Stevie Salas who already worked with outstanding artists, such as Rod Stewart, Mick Jagger, George Clinton, Bootsy Collins, TM Stevens, Ronald Shannon Jackson and Justin Timberlake. Together with Stevie, Framus created the "Idolmaker" model range.

The Framus Idolmaker Stevie Salas Signature model is an outstanding guitar with a Maple neck, Tigerstripe Ebony fingerboard with Indian Feathers inlays and a Mahogany body with a 1" AAA Quilted Maple top. The guitar is equipped with Original Seymour Duncan pickups (neck: Phatcat / bridge: '78), passive MEC electronics, a 5 way lever switch, a toggle "killswitch" and a TonePros Tune-o-matic bridge.

Framus will offer the Idolmaker guitar in two other versions besides the one described above. The Framus Idolmaker comes with a Mahogany neck, Tigerstripe Ebony Fingerboard, Mahogany body with Flamed Maple top, original Seymour Duncan pickups (neck: Pearly Gates SH PG-1n / bridge: Custom Custom SH-11) and a TonePros Tune-o-matic bridge.

The Framus Idolmaker Five'R comes with a Maple neck, Rosewood fingerboard, Red Alder body with Flamed Maple Top, Nordstrand pickups (neck: Shush Puppy / Middle: Shush Puppy / bridge: NDC) and a GraphTech Wraparound Resomax bridge system.

The Framus Stevie Salas guitars will be available starting from April 2014.

Framus Wolf Hoffmann Artist Series press release

Framus is presenting an absolute world-wide innovation: the Framus Wolf Hoffmann Artist Series.

For the first time the common production process of music instruments is turned upside down. Usually the woods are coming from The Far East and the final assembling is done in Germany. But we're doing it exaclty vice versa.

The tone wood is the soul of every single guitar. That's why Framus is attaching importance to the quality of the wood. As a consequence all woods are hand-selected, dried professionally and processed with the best machines available in our manufactory in Markneukirchen, Germany. Of course this includes the pioneering Invisible Fret Technology as well as the illuminating side dots.

After our excellent educated master guitar makers have set the foundation in Markneukirchen, the workpiece is shipped over to our partners in China, where the guitar is assembled with parts of the highest quality. EMG SA and 81 pickups, a Floyd Rose License tremolo, MEC electronics and potentiometers round off the looks of this extraordinary guitar - a mouth-watering instrument for every guitarist.

The new Framus Wolf Hoffmann Artist Series offers a unique symbiosis of the benefits of both, the German as well as the Chinese production. With this kind of work-sharing Framus once again reinforces its pioneering role in the industry and sets new standards.

Wolf Hoffmann himself will again be at our booth at the NAMM show to present this new model personally.

The Framus Wolf Hoffmann Artist Series guitar will be available starting from July 2014.

Matt Parker

Matt is a freelance journalist who has spent the last decade interviewing musicians for the likes of Total Guitar, Guitarist, Guitar World, MusicRadar, NME.com, DJ Mag and Electronic Sound. In 2020, he launched CreativeMoney.co.uk, which aims to share the ideas that make creative lifestyles more sustainable. He plays guitar, but should not be allowed near your delay pedals.