Remember when..

[Bill Bowley]

The scratchplates may have been removed for tv because they were considered 'advertising' and the BBC (and presumably other publicly funded broadcasters) did not want that.

George

That's interesting George -I suppose it must have depended on who you were, given that The Shadows never removed theirs in any clips I've seen and as we know, BURNS made 'branded' scratchplates for them with the BURNS branding enlarged........

[Dance with Shadows]

Yes Bill, The Flies were a Melbourne-based group regularly appearing on Go.

It's interesting to see on one of the YouTube clips that Ronnie Burns proudly announces that he still has his Burns from the 60's.

Michael

[Bill Bowley]

Ray,

Speaking for the 'Sydney scene', I'm not sure of when BURNS first started arriving (as imports) to Australia, but I dare say that it would not have been until The Shadows started using them, the Fender Strat had the market sewn up at least until the Mersey groups arrived, which started the rush for Gretsch, Gibson, Epiphone, Guild and other semi-acoustics. The semi acoustics were BURNS main opposition I think, it wasn't really until Hendrix that the Strat crept back into the scene as a 'credible' guitar with the younger bands. As you can see from the clips, the Bison made early inroads with some of the leading groups, but ones like The Easybeats for instance used Maton semi acoustics at first and then as 'the readies' flowed in changed to Gibson etc.

[Bill Bowley]

But,

Back to BURNS, here's The Searchers back then with a full set of BURNS guitars - which I am told they really didn't like all that much and went to other makes ASAP.

[Bill Bowley]

And of course, ye olde 'TROGGS' using a BURNS Bass ...

[Bill Bowley]

'the Four Pennies' 1965 -BURNS Bass.

[Dance with Shadows]

Bill,

In Melbourne the first time I saw a Burns in the flesh, new for sale, was late 1964. I seem to recall that it was selling for 216 pounds, which was quite a lot of money---new LP's sold for 2 pounds 12 shillings and sixpence. I had to save for weeks and weeks to afford an LP so a new Burns was out of the question.

Until then all I can remember seeing were Fenders and Maton Firebirds, at least as far as solid bodies.

Michael

[cockroach]

Not many Burns in Adelaide in the '60's either, only remember seeing one black Bison, and the two Vibra Artistes I found secondhand in a pawnshop, of which I bought one in 1967...plus an early Hofner V3 for my backup on gigs. Unusual, considering the large number of us pommie migrant lads in SA who played in groups..

Mainly Fenders, Matons and some European models (Hofner, EKO, Hagstrom etc) until the beat boom, then there were a lot of Guilds and Gretsches, and a few Rickenbackers, but hardly any Gibsons, or Telecasters (the rhythm players in Shadows style groups used Jazzmasters!)

Didn't Chris Britton of the Troggs also use a Burns (12 string) on the original version of 'Love is all around'?

[Bill Bowley]

Michael, Roach,

I bought my first electric which was a '62 Fender Strat in late '63, and bought my first BURNS Marvin I think early '65 (may have been earlier..) 245 Pounds back then. The rythym guitarist in the band we took over from in the local pub (Peakhurst Inn)then was using a BURNS short scale Jazz Guitar, but apart from the new BURNS in the guitar shops in George St Sydney, they (BURNS) weren't too common around the pub bands (Miller's circuit) as far as I remember. Saw quite a few Maton Firebirds, even a Mosrite Ventures model (lead guitarist in the Whispers had that). I think a lot of the players were still 'Surf minded', hence the Strats, Jaguars. Jazzmasters etc -not too many Telecasters though. And of course, a few Jansens and other Fender copies or look alikes of various brands.

And then the change to semi-acoustics started...............

[George Geddes]

There was at least one Shads appearance where the nameplates had black tape over them...

George