Has "Franz" been a misspelling all this time?

[kakerlak]

Check these out:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1957-Frans...m=163432182199&_trksid=p2047675.c100008.m2219

So the base plates are different and they're riveted through the covers, but man the covers and polepieces look right to me, the company is phonetically identical and sports a NYC address.... What's going on here and what did these come out of?

 

[Default]

Fransch is correct, but <shrugs>

 

[Walter Broes]

yeah, I've thought the same thing. Who knows, maybe they were Franz before WWII and Fransch after? I don't know. Are those off a Premier guitar?

 

[kakerlak]

yeah, I've thought the same thing. Who knows, maybe they were Franz before WWII and Fransch after? I don't know. Are those off a Premier guitar?

No idea -- listing is dating them as 1957 and seller has a Kluson tailpiece off the same guitar, but no other parts.

 

[chazmo]

That may very well be... i.e., a post WW-II name change.

 

[chazmo]

There's some evidence that these are one and the same. I did a google search on franz fransch and there are hits on Reverb https://reverb.com/item/4941853-fransch-franz-single-coil-guitar-pickup and Seymour Duncan web sites https://www.seymourduncan.com/forum/showthread.php?247201-Duncan-Franz-(Fransch)-P-90-s that pretty much prove the point. That said, it's unclear why the name change... I like the WW-II theory.

 

[adorshki]

There's some evidence that these are one and the same. I did a google search on franz fransch and there are hits on Reverb https://reverb.com/item/4941853-fransch-franz-single-coil-guitar-pickup and Seymour Duncan web sites https://www.seymourduncan.com/forum/showthread.php?247201-Duncan-Franz-(Fransch)-P-90-s that pretty much prove the point. That said, it's unclear why the name change... I like the WW-II theory.

Probably the same reason that tape guy, Duct, changed his name to Duck, after the war.
Or was it the other way 'round?

 

[parker_knoll]

Probably the same reason that tape guy, Duct, changed his name to Duck, after the war.
Or was it the other way 'round?

Or Donald Drumf Senior. Or the British royal family, but that was in the first world war. Rickenbacker is another one

 

[Walter Broes]

Just to add to the mystery some more, this appears to be the patent for the pickup with the flat baseplate above - Guild's pickups are not the same in construction : https://patents.google.com/patent/US2911871A/en?oq=US2911871A

 

[parker_knoll]

Is Schulz connected to Franz/sch?

 

[Walter Broes]

Charles F. Schultz. Just read the "theory" online that F. stood for Frank. FRANk SCHultz Sounds far fetched and plausible at the same time. Still, wihile that pickup is similar to our beloved early Guild pickups, it's not exactly the same.

 

[parker_knoll]

It's not a bad theory. And if our pickups are different, perhaps Franz is to Fransch as Rockinbetter is to Rickenbacker

 

[SFIV1967]

Fransch was located in Woodside and Franz in Astoria (according to Hans), which are directly neighboring areas in Queens. Could have been one and the same company maybe just moving between two locations at some point in time.

Interesting discussion here: http://www.letstalkguild.com/ltg/sh...ranz-pickups&p=1292907&viewfull=1#post1292907

Ralf

 

[Prince of Darkness]

Or Donald Drumf Senior. Or the British royal family, but that was in the first world war. Rickenbacker is another one

Also the German Shepherd dog was known as the Alsatian for a long time. I remember the name being common during my childhood, but never seem to see it being used now