Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

If you have a few pounds or dollars or euro's to spare

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Burns-London-Hank-Marvin-64-Shadows-Guitar-Low-Numbers_W0QQitemZ250157686202QQihZ015QQcategoryZ101558QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Thanks, Roy. Very tempting for those Hank Marvin gear enthusiasts.

I wonder to what "low numbers" is the seller referring? If memory serves, the Burns Marvin Signature was a run of 2,000 guitars.

Mine is #1960.

Today I had the opportunity to play one of these guitars at a shop in Cologne. Actually I had gone there to try and compare a few Stratocasters ... but I ended up being more impressed with the Burns.

Markus: I have seen others make the same comment on some of the Shadows' Forums.

This one, listed above, recently sold for 590 GBP or $1250 Canadian.

Yes, this was the model I played. It is available from Peter Cook´s in London for 599,- pounds for example. Over here in Germany it is a little more expensive ... but at least it is still available. If I had the money right now, I would probably buy one of these guitars, but at the moment this is not possible for me.

I think the appearance of this guitar is terrible and I am also not sure about the finish. The guitar is made in China, so it is probably some cheap polyester lacquer. But the guitar plays very well, it has a full vintage sound, very similar to a Stratocaster actually, but with a slightly warmer, smoother tone. What is more the shape of the body is very ergonomic and the vibrato is great fun to play with.

I would agree that the look its grotesque compared to other models to which I am accustomed.

The sound is so very nice, however, and as you say "warmer."

Sir Andrew, your impressions?

Did The Shadows ever play Burns amps?

Karl: This is a great question and one would assume that Burns would have offered their amplifier line to The Shadows along with their guitars.

Let's hope that someone reading your post has the answer. In all the reviews that I have seen with regard to their equipment, however, I have never seen Burns' amplifiers mentioned.

Peter: concerning the "warmer" sound of the Burns I must say that Hank Marvin´s own statement that he prefers the Stratocaster nowadays irritates me. When I listen to old Shadows records I would also say that the Burns sounds even better than the Strat, but the man himself seems to like the Strat better.

Wait a minute, can somebody of the Shadows experts tell me, which guitar Hank used for the "Dance With The Shadows" record? I think this is the record with my favorite Hank Marvin sound.

Markus: Originally released in 1964, this would have Dance With The Shadows recorded shortly after the Shadows' endorsement of the Burns' instruments which I believe took place sometime in 1963.

Entering the building

I've only tested a Burns guitar briefly while attending a fan-meeting in London shortly after the release of the Marvin signature model. I cant say that I found the instrument to my liking in tone or in quality of build.
However, the sound Hank got on the album mentioned above is MY favorite Shads sound and that was with a Burns guitar. As I think I have mentioned in another thread, this sound is even more difficult to reproduce faithfully than the earlier "That Sound" with the strat. I'm convinced that the fiery elusive compressed quality of this sound is a product of the mixerboard and could be achieved with more or less any guitar (at least if in the hands of Hank).

Goran: Before you leave the building, are you making any headway with regard to the "battle of the patches" recordings that you planning to post.

From what I can see, the Burns' guitars in general, are produced in China or Korea with assembly in England. Do you know if this is so at the time that you test drove the Marvin Signature model?