FUTURAMA 3 Guitar 1959/60 ?

[boritz]

...De Luxe models had that a sort of silver "cheese grater" covering on the pickguard...

I've also heard it called "the swimming pool"

Here are some pix of my Futurama II Deluxe

[cockroach]

Those later models branded Futurama (more Strat shape with lots of switches) were actually Swedish Hagstrom guitars- the earlier Futuramas were made in Czechoslovakia. There is a website all about 'em that I have seen somewhere out there on the interweb...

Nice to see your old photos again Keith- I still the original prints of those pics which you sent to me in Australia in about 1964! I was envious of the red Futuramas, as I didn't have an electric guitar at that time!

As for buying a Futurama today----ooooh, nostalgia ain't what it used to be!

[fenderist]

Hi All, i have just become the proud owner of one of these iconic guitars (George Harrison), anyone know what year it is Serial No is1574 also i would like a trem cover for it, all help would be gratefully recieved, Keith, photos available if you send a email address

Hello,
This guitar s.n. 1574 was made in 1961.
Vlada Schovanek from Czech Republic

[dave robinson]

Hi All, i have just become the proud owner of one of these iconic guitars (George Harrison), anyone know what year it is Serial No is1574 also i would like a trem cover for it, all help would be gratefully recieved, Keith, photos available if you send a email address

Hello,
This guitar s.n. 1574 was made in 1961.
Vlada Schovanek from Czech Republic

Thanks for that Vlada - were these guitars made in the Czech republic by any chance ?

[keithmantle]

Mine was the transitional one slightly different trem, and minus the where built/foreign name top horn scratch plate, the model produced just after th GH one. Thanks Vlada

[JimN]

It's important to remember that "Futurama" was not a guitar maker. It was simply a brand applied by distributor Selmer to various guitars they imported from around 1960 onward.

The guitars themselves hailed from at least three separate locations: Japan, Czechoslovakia and Sweden.

The cheapest (but not necessarily the earliest) model was the Futurama Freshman (one pickup), which was vaguely similar to some of the guitars otherwise sold as Guyatones and was commissioned from a Japanese factory. It sold at about £15. There was also a slightly better-equipped model called the "Sophomore" which was very similar to guitars sold under a variety of other brands.

http://www.vintagehofner.co.uk/hofnerfs/futurama/fres.html

The more famous "George Harrison" model (Gerry Marsden also had one) with the side-to-side rocker switches and the three-a-side headstock and maple fretboard was supplied by the Czech factory and was also variously stamped with the names "Grazioso" and "Resonet". Resonet made the electronics and it seems that Grazioso (a deliberately Italian-sounding name) was the Czech brand.

There was another Czech-made Futurama commissioned by Selmer: the II (later "Duo", which actually looked more conventional and playable. Smaller and cheaper than the larger Grazioso models, it sold at about £25-£30 compared to the £40-£45 or so charged for the GH model(s).

The Czech/Japanese guitar range didn't actually last long in the Selmer catalogue, though their sojourn in that document could not have been more crucial to the history of British pop music.

In about 1962/63, they were dropped in favour of a small range of re-badged Hagstrom solid guitars (from Sweden). They were much more obviously Fender-styled. The first batches had black-sprayed necks and the separate (very "space-aged") plastic fronts to the body, with pickups, controls and output socket moulded into that fitment. They were also distinguished by that peculiar "grille" between the pickups. They were replaced by a better-looking updated design with the plastic front replaced by a more conventional scratchplate, a slightly bevelled body edge design (shades of the Gibson SG) and a natural finish neck which approached the quality of a Fender. Priced at around the same level as a Watkins Rapier and about (I'd say) the same performance level).

Later still, with the continual advancement in quality of the Swedish manufacturer (and with the falling out of favour of Strat-styled guitars), that range was replaced by more updated solids including a six-string bass.

The Futurama contract with Selmer only covered Hagstrom's solids. Their acoustic and semi-acoustic guitars were imported by Selmer and sold under the maker's own brand-name.

There's more about the above (and a lot of detail I've skipped over) at Steve Russell's site:

http://www.vintagehofner.co.uk/hofnerfs/futurama/fut.html

JN

[dave robinson]

I have just noticed the word 'Hagstrom' on the rear of the headstock - were they Swedish ?

[keithmantle]

1963 saw production move from Czechoslovakia to Sweden (Hagstrom) imported by Selmer (Strat shape body covered in what looked like clear plastic)

[JimN]

Incidentally, the Hagstrom tremolo tailpiece fitted to their solids was also supplied as an OEM part to Guild Guitars in the USA and was used on a number of their solid guitars.

JN

[Mike Honey]

mmm...memories!!! first electric guitar was a Futurama, then moved up (?) to a Watkins rapier. traded them both in for a Hofner Clubman.From '64 onwards it has been strats all the way (why didnt i keep those early ones!!! )

mike