Baldwin Marvin 'prototypes' used on 67 Australian tour

[AlanMcKillop]

I'm sure I posted this info some time ago, but from a conversation with Bruce Welch a number of years ago, it was indeed a prototype which was used in the Far East for a couple of tours. Although the TV shows were mimed, they did play them live but they didn't like them and he couldn't recollect why after the passage of time. He did say that when they returned to the UK, the guitars went back to Burns where the necks were removed and retained, and the bodies destroyed. That's as much as he could remember.

[cockroach]

Ah!

Thank you Alan!

Solves the mystery!

cheers
JOhn

[Billyboygretsch]

SIGH !!!! Urban legends are hard to kill!!

The notation in that beloved early Burns book from 37 years ago is known to be a misstake.....
Sadly enough it's just copied by every publisher who doesn't do there homework properly!
Funny enough those wrong "facts" are defended by those same publishers.....
Hard to defend when you clearly can see that the shads use two whites on the telly and there are pictures of two green ones, which are different from each other, in condition and pick guard engraving.
The white ones were send back to the factory, because of faulty neck alignement and stability...

So to say in sesame street language there where 4 guitars made !!!!!!!!!!!!

I think I've missed something here. This is the first I've heard that the Burns book was incorrect with the number of S models produced. I understood from the book there were 2 Green ones the only difference being the name on the lower horn plate. There was 1 White one which was returned because the neck was warped.
You are now stating there were 4 "S" 2 Green 2 White - never heard this before ! Do you have any pictures
What happened to the "S" bass

[Billyboygretsch]

I know there were 2 white guitars with no top horn plate but understood these were prototypes but not "S" prototypes. Would be interested to know the actual facts. The serial numbers of the "S" would indicate they are extremely early versions.

[Moderne]

(Even bigger sigh...)

Are we not talking about two different basic guitars: the Marvin 'S types (2x green - photographed in The Burns Book...no, I'd never heard that there was a mistake in the Burns Book either...and 1x white one...never been photographed to my knowledge) and the the one-piece-scratchplate four knob white Baldwin prototypes, made a couple of years later.

Incidentally, Gaz Coombes of Supergrass played one of the modern Burns replicas of a clear green Marvin 'S' (I say 'modern' - but that must be 20 years ago now!)

[Billyboygretsch]

That's what I believe . There seems to be some cross over/ confusion between the 3 Marvin S guitars and the 2 later prototypes on the Shadows later tours. Never seen any contradiction of PDs book regarding the S model. Still not heard what happened to the Shadows "S" Bass ?

[Iain Purdon]

A tiny bit of moderating if I may. The aim of this site is partly to share information and we have new members joining every week.

Let's not 'sigh' at each other. We don't all know the same things. If we did, there wouldn't be much point being here!

Thanks, I'll butt out now

Iain

[Billyboygretsch]

Well said Ian - the sharing of information is the important thing. We cannot all be experts on the subject and these type of comments may deter some from posting.
There is obviously quite an lot of confusion misunderstanding on this topic.
The Australian Tour I guess refers to the Baldwin ones with missing top horn plate and not the "S" models. Sorry if I added to any confusion

[cockroach]

Oooh, 'eck!

I started this thread, didn't I ?!!

Sorry all!

p.s. It's been interesting reading all the same- even if some folk got a little exasperated!- thanks everyone!

[Iain Purdon]

I have done a bit of minor editing to keep the thread peacefully on topic ...