Christian Hoyer, Framus - Built in the Heart of Bavaria, Cantz, Edition Framus, 2007, p. 40:
"...An additional setback came for Framus, the largest company in the industry, in this period of malaise. Walter Höfner, since May 1, 1947 production supervisor for the plucked instrument division at Framus and his brother Josef, who had been working as export specialist at Framus since April 1948, understandably planned to found their tradition-rich family company anew after the conclusion of their denazification proceedings. In the summer of 1948, however, this resulted in 'certain differences of opinion about the future form of the mutual legal relationship'. The denazification according to the amnesty legislation of August 1948 cleared the way for a potential revival of the immemorial 'Karl Höfner' company. Originally, both a partnership with Framus and the naming of both family names in the Framus company name had been discussed for the time after their denazification. Since Walter Höfner was so important in the company, his wife had already been bestowed with a 50-percent share of Framus' profits as of July 1947. A further deepening of the partnership did not ensue after August 1948, however, and the interpersonal realtionship between the two families became so charged that a full dissociation followed in October 1948.
An avalanche of legal proceedings followed over such things as a radio, a shack of corrugated metal or a gluing method. The main case, which was to clarify to what extent Walter Höfner or his wife were already in a partnership with Framus, stretched over six years and finally ended with a settlement in 1956..."
Christian Hoyer, op. cit., p. 104:
"...The Star bass was put through practical tests long before it was introduced at the Frankfurt spring fair in 1956. The instrumental quartet 'Starlets' worked with the new bass and gave it its name. At the time, the quartet played for popular artists such as Vico Torriani or Gerhard Wendland..."
This means: Höfner bros. were having legal arguments with Fred Wilfer when the TWO first European bass guitars were designed...
Xosé