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#1
02-25-2018, 08:07 PM
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1988 Franklin OMC Brazilian/European
This 1988 Franklin OM cutaway sounds incredible with perfectly quartered straight grained Brazilian rosewood and a European spruce top. The guitar is in very good condition with two nicks on the top (lower bout area) and a small nick on the back of the headstock. After I purchased the guitar I felt the top was too tight so I sent it to Nick to have him scallop the braces. He did and the difference is stunning. From Nick I learned that when the Franklin’s were made in his first tenure as a luthier almost all of the guitars did not have scalloped braces. He was concerned about warranty claims so they didn’t scallop the braces. While he had the guitar he did a deep clean of the instrument so it looks stunning. He checked his records to confirm that the top wood is European spruce. Almost all of the franklin guitars from that era actually had Sitka tops even though most for sale are advertised with European. This guitar was custom made so it has the European spruce top, select Brazilian rosewood, and a cutaway. Nick told me that he bought the last sets of Brazilian that a wood dealer had purchased from Martin after Martin stopped using Brazilian in the early 1970’s. The guitar has all of the basic measurements with the width at the nut being 1 13/16”. The neck has a very slim profile very much like an electric guitar. The top has herringbone. The headstock has a Brazilian overlay. Chrome Schaller tuners. Actual shipping costs.
See pictures on Reverb for now. https://reverb.com/item/10580466-198...ean-spruce-top Asking $7,725 OBO. 
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#2
02-25-2018, 11:52 PM
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I used to be here buying and selling all the time. A few years back, I picked up an ‘89 Franklin OM in Euro/Brazilian and my whole way of thinking changed. You can’t get wood like this anywhere, you can’t get talent of this builder for under $10K which is his starting fee for a Sitka/Mahogany OM, and this one has 30 years on it. His Brazilian OMs are around $16,000 new and you’d have to wait 30 years to have it like this. My ‘89 neck is a bit thin - like a Taylor or Goodall (I’m a chunky neck vintage guy) which is why I bought a second which was advertised with a big neck. Yes, I have 2! I convinced myself that if I bought a big necked one, I’d sell the other. I cannot. Both tones are great, the newer one a bit more modern. But you just can’t buy age. With a crazy nice collection, the 29 year old Franklin is my best Rosewood guitar. Best of luck.
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#3
02-26-2018, 06:34 PM
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Jim thanks for the input on these 1980’s Franklins. They are definitely “under the radar” Brazilian guitars. Mine sounds great. I am only selling to buy a more expensive guitar. Need the cash. If that doesn’t work out....
Rick
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