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I am told that the new Bison range will arrive in UK early Feb. Supposedly named the Ultrasound. It features new updated UltraSonic pick ups

This certainly looks better than the previous Asian-made Bisons with the non-canonical Tri-Sonic pickups.

OK, there's an issue about the bridge, but one thing I note is that the controls look as though they're modelled after the 1964 (Marvin-type) version, with the almost-unfathomable pair of five-position switches.

But.... those pickups look really interesting.

The last thing I need is a new guitar, but I'll be checking one of these new Bisons out...

PS: On close inspection (saving the picture and blowing it up in a good image editor), those pickups are actually adjusted properly for string balance with a wound third, and they look as though might even have adjustable polepieces (like the original Bisons had).

Those pickups look a bit like P90s to me! Hope they are.

Wonder what the two switches do?

Regarding the two pickup switches, I have a theory about this...but it would be good if Paul Day could possibly advise!

The current Bison 62 reissue has two pickup switches, but they are rotary types- one is a 4 position and the other is a 2 position- which gives 8 different pickup settings. The 64 reissue has the 2 blade switches however...

These are explained by a chart/diagramme on the Burns website..

I wonder if the 2 separate Fender blade type switches may actually similarly be a 4 position and a 2 position switch which give the same pickup settings/combinations?

If they are 3 position switches, there would be 9 combinations, but if they a 5 position switches, there could be 25 setting possibilities!

I found a good review of the 62 Bison on youtube, where the guy plays some Shads stuff to demonstrate the sounds- which are lovely!

The PRS 513 has 5 pickups and two Fender blade type switches offering a useful selection of 13 pickup combinations.

cockroach wrote:Regarding the two pickup switches, I have a theory about this...but it would be good if Paul Day could possibly advise!
The current Bison 62 reissue has two pickup switches, but they are rotary types- one is a 4 position and the other is a 2 position- which gives 8 different pickup settings. The 64 reissue has the 2 blade switches however...
These are explained by a chart/diagramme on the Burns website..
I wonder if the 2 separate Fender blade type switches may actually similarly be a 4 position and a 2 position switch which give the same pickup settings/combinations?
If they are 3 position switches, there would be 9 combinations, but if they a 5 position switches, there could be 25 setting possibilities!
I found a good review of the 62 Bison on youtube, where the guy plays some Shads stuff to demonstrate the sounds- which are lovely!

On an original 1964-1970 Bison, both switches were three-way (with the "in-between" positions available, just as with the switch on an original Marvin).

I assume that these new guitars must feature industry-standard generic Stratocaster-type switches which will perform just the same as those on a 1964 Bison.

Alan Entwistle states the pick ups are very similar to P90

JimN

OK, thanks...so what combinations etc do the two 3 position switches give?

I couldn't find any info on the Burns website about the 64 circuit, although there is a chart of the settings with diagrammes describing the 62 version with the two rotary selectors...

cockroach wrote:JimN

OK, thanks...so what combinations etc do the two 3 position switches give?

I couldn't find any info on the Burns website about the 64 circuit, although there is a chart of the settings with diagrammes describing the 62 version with the two rotary selectors...

The short answer is that I don't really know.

What I have learned is that one of the switches operated like the switch on a Strat or Marvin, and the other switch had no effect when in a certain position (allowing the "Marvin" selections on the other switch) but added pickups in to the Marvin selection when in the other two positions. This may have meant that B/N and B/M/N were available (though two switches can easily achieve that if wired in parallel).

Alan Entwistle has sent me the following re controls
No problem, the first switch (the one nearest the bridge) is a standard 5 way, the second switch however is a three way and is a tone switch: pos 1) is a bypass, pos 2) is the signal routed through a capacitance/inductance network, this gives the guitar a very smooth warm "Burns" sound (with still plenty of highs), and the pos 3) is "Wild Dog".
The pickups are standard Rezomatiks, although on a small number of Bison 64's that we produced about 18 months ago had Rezomatik noiseless.
The tone controls are also tweaked, the first tone control which operates on the neck and middle pickups, rolls back to a warm jazzy sound that is not as muddy as normal tone controls, the second tone control which operates on the bridge pickup rolls back to a high midrange, here again there still plenty of highs available, it tends to make the bridge or bridge and middle combined sound a bit like a humbucker, it is an excellent distortion smoother. The bridge tone also pulls up to engage the neck pickup as is standard with most Burns models these days.
The new Bison Ultrasound has the same circuitry.