Franklin

Franklin Guitars are made by master luthier Nick Kukich, who has been making guitars since 1971. Kukich established the Franklin Guitar company in 1974, in Franklin Missouri. Kukich was joined by Laurence Ostrow who distributed instruments through his company - Guitar's Friend. By 2017 Kukich had made more that 600 Franklin acoustic guitars.

Source: Franklin Guitar Company website (25 May 2017)

Formanta

Formanta was a Soviet era electric guitar brand, made in the 1980s at Borisov factory in what is now Belarus - but was part of the USSR at the time.

Source: Cheesy Guitars Formanta (23 May 2017)

Forshage

Chris Forshage is a guitar maker from Pflugerville, Texas who has been making guitars since 1994. At first Forshage specialized in archtops, but over the years he has made electrics, basses, flat-tops and mandolins.

Source: Forshage Custom Instruments website (24 May 2017)

RICKENBACKER 320

The Rickenbacker 320 was introduced in 1958. It was one of the short-scale 300 series electrics (model numbers 310 to 325) with a 20.75" scale length, dot fretboard inlays, and small (12.75" wide) bodies. The body is unbound, semi-hollow (but without any sound holes). These short-scale 300 series models were designed as student models, but became popular when John Lennon played a Rickenbacker 325 during the early years of The Beatles. The 320 is the non-tremolo version of the 325 that Lennon played. The 320 was discontinued as a production model in 1994.

FISCHER

Fischer Fine Instruments was established by Ken Fischer Kraft in 2004. Fischer only produced around 28 of his electric guitars with figured maple tops and carbon fibre bodies and necks made by Moses.

Source: Fischer Fine Instruments website (archived 2005)

Fishbone (Canada)

Fishbone is a budget acoustic, electric and bass guitar brand distributed in Canada by Music Express Canada.

There is also a separate Fishbone Bass Guitars Company - which makes basses in the USA.

Source: Music Express Canada website (17 May 2017)

Firstman

Firstman was a Japanese guitar and amplifier company founded in 1967 by Kazuo Morioka, an ex Teisco employee. Firstman also had an licensing agreement with Semi Mosely to produce Japanese Mosrites. The Firstman branded guitars lasted until 1969 and the company eventually became Mosrite Japan in the early 1970s.

Source: 1968 Firstman and Mosrite Japanese catalog

Source: Drowing in guitars- Firstman Broadway guitar (12 May 2017)

Lindo

Lindo was founded in 2003 in Bristol, UK as a distributor of affordable electric, acoustic and bass guitars as well as ukuleles, amplifiers and accessories. They sell direct to the public from their website, rather than via a distribution network of music stores.

Source: Lindo website (10 May 2017)

Fenton Weill

Henry Weill founded the Fenton-Weill company in 1960 after Jim Burns left the short-lived Burns-Weill parnership. Fenton-Weill made electric guitars and basses as well as amplifers in London. Weill started small in his own house but by 1963 he had a factory at 96 Lots Road in Chelsea, with a number of employees and was making instruments for Hofner and Selmer. By 1965, however, Fenton-Weill was out of the guitar & amp business.

Source: The Burns Book. Paul Day. 1979. PP Publishing.

Source: Early 1960s Fenton-Weill catalog.

Francis Day and Hunter (FDH)

Francis, Day & Hunter was a British music publishing company founded in London in 1877 by brothers William and James Francis and David Day as W&J Francis and Day. Harry Hunter joined in 1880 and the company was renamed Francis, Day & Hunter. FDH also distributed guitars, amplifiers and banjos in the 1950s under the brand names Mohawk and John Grey amongst others. By 1972 Francis, Day and Hunter had been taken over EMI and the FDH brand name was no-longer.

Source: IMSLP Francis Day and Hunter (3 May 2017)

Fedden

Fedden clear acrylic guitars were hand made by George Fedden starting out in Commack, New York before moving to Port Washington. Bodies were acrylic strat, tele or Les Paul style with necks carved by Vinny Fodera and set up by Joe Lauricella. Fedden guitars were available with acrylic, wood, or graphite necks and any hardware combination. Fedden also produced transparent acrylic guitars with colored liquid inside giving a wave motion effect.

Source: Fedden catalog 1999

Source: Fedden wavecaster for sale on reverb.com

Aquila

The Aquila brandname was associated with Favilla Guitars, Inc. of Long Island, who imported Japanese made Aquila guitars in the 1960s and early 1970s. The Favila brand name is now associated with the Italian Aquila Corde Armoniche company who make gut and synthetic strings.

Source: Those fabulous Favillas

HERALD HL34 reviewed by Anonymous

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 2017-05-01 15:57

Average: 5 (1 vote)

Review:

Just bought my pink Herald HL34 for £3 at a church funds auction. Tuned it in the car park, played it in the car as my husband drove us home. A very nice learner and beyond guitar, very happy with the sound which is of a more expensive model.

Fastback

Mark Naron and Bob Kelley established Fastback Guitars in 2010 as a small company, based in Seattle, Washington. Fastback are builders of electric and bass guitars as well as overdrive effects and pickups. Fastback Guitars has an active dealer network with pickups available in Germany, Belgium and North America. Products are shipped world-wide.

Source: Fastback Guitars website (2 May 2017)

Feline Guitars

Jonathan Law established Feline Guitars in 1997 and continues to produce high quality guitars in small numbers. A regular at the UK guitar shows, Jonathan also specialises in guitar repairs, guitar upgrades and improvements. Look out for the Feline promotional artwork by artist Vince Ray. Feline also has an exclusive collaboration with Blackmachine to build their popular B6 model.

Source: Feline Guitars website (2 May 2017)

Marina

Marina is part of the Chinese group Grand Reward Education and Entertainment (GREE) which has been making guitars under OEM licence for other brand names since 1995. Their factory in Guang Dong produces around 13,000 guitars a month, most of which are destined for the United States. Marina is associated with the Farina brand- also owned by GREE.

Source: Dawsons (27 April 2017)

Fascinator

Fascinator was a brand name of Chicago musical instrument wholesalers the Tonk Brothers. In 1935 Gibson made some Fascinator brand acoustic guitars for the Tonk Brothers.

Source: Other Gibson brands - Charles Fox

Farida

Farida is part of the Chinese group Grand Reward Education and Entertainment (GREE) which has been making guitars under OEM licence for other brand names since 1995. Their factory in Guang Dong produces around 13,000 guitars a month, most of which are destined for the United States. The Farida brand was a chance for GREE to showcase their expertise with a slightly different product. UK musical instrument distributor Dawsons began working with Farida in 2004, becoming their sole UK distributor and helping to establish the brand in the western market. Dawsons approached a number of guitarists (like Frank Turner, James Morrison and Bombay Bicycle Club) and then issued limited edition signature models, with designs chosen by the artists themselves which all sold out soon after going on sale.

Source: Dawsons - who exactly are Farida? (27 April 2017)

CHARVEL MODEL 6

The Charvel Model 6 was introduced in 1986, following the company's move to Ontario California. The success of Charvel in the 1980s led to Grover Jackson's plan to establish Japanese production lines for the most popular Charvel designs. These Charvel Model Series guitars were made in Japan (until 1989 when Grover Jackson sold Charvel/Jackson to the Japanese manufacturer IMC).

Farrant

Farrant guitar amplifiers were made in the 1960s and distributed by Stroud Audio in Stroud, UK. There were three models: 15, 30 and 50 watts and they were supplied as separate main amplifiers and preamplifiers, with a tremolo circuit. The company was founded by Stewart Farrant but went into receivership in 1968.

Source: Farrant Amplifiers catalog 1960s.

Source: The London Gazette, 2nd February 1968

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