Mk 8 Gold Tremolo

[Billyboygretsch]

Can anyone identify which guitars the Mk 8 gold plated tremolo were fitted to thanks

[JimN]

I think you must mean the Mk. 9 tremolo.

In gold, the only production guitars to which it might have been fitted would be some solid-body Gretsches (Corvettes, maybe).

That original Burns-Gretsch tie-up happened whilst Jim Burns was still in control and was nothing to do with Baldwin.

No Burns production model fitted with the Mk. 9 had gold-plating.

[Billyboygretsch]

Hi Jim
I am also confused as have never seen one before. I have a chrome and gold Mk 9. It has Burns markings on it looks like a Mk 9 but with a built in tension bar perhaps it is a different model number however I have never heard of yet alone seen a MK 8 so cant comment any further. Wish I knew how to post photos on here. Can email you the pic if you want to give me your address
Bill

[Billyboygretsch]

Sorry Jim but I thought the gold plated MK 9 was fitted to the Artiste de Luxe as it looks exactly the same as the one fitted to my late Vibra Artiste. But I do stand to be corrected

[JimN]

The unit you're describing sounds like one of those Asian-made items from a few years ago (maybe eight or nine years).

They were utter rubbish and came fitted to a variety of guitars including the Alden Corsair, which was a copy of a Gretsch Princess, which was a version of the Corvette.

The guitar was OK-ish for a £150 instrument (I bought one but didn't keep it for a variety of reasons), but the "Burns" tremolo was absolutely awful. It wouldn't stay in tune and I had to junk it and fit a cheap gold-finish copy of a Bigsby instead. The copy Bigsby was a mile better.

Steer clear of the Mk 9.

JN

[RayL]

Here's a Burns Mk8 trem in gold

Burns Mk8 trem gold.JPG

(49.3 KiB) Downloaded 9050 times

and here's one in chrome that works well with a Shergold 6-string bass

Shergold Bass 6 Burns trem2.JPG

(17.9 KiB) Downloaded 9050 times

Maybe it just likes the pull of those b-i-i-i-g strings!

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Click on Browse and find the picture on your hard disk.
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Ray

[Billyboygretsch]

Thanks Ray will try to post some things. Were the Mk 8s fitted to instruments or could they be purchased standalone. Would like to get hold of one for a project

[RayL]

As Jim says, several Alden models had the Mk.8 (I'm a bit of an Alden collector - they are well-made guitars). The Alden Corsair that Jim mentions is now in my collection. I have the Mk.8 from that guitar but without the arm, which Jim retained. Some Eastwoods were fitted with the Mk8 I believe.

The gold Mk.8 that you see in the picture above is one that I bought from eBay (so they are available on their own). It has been sitting around for 5 years waiting for me to have the time to build the guitar for which it is intended. Maybe I should sell it so that it actually gets some use.

Ray

[Billyboygretsch]

Hi Ray if you ever decide to sell let me know how much you would want for it
Bill

[kipper]

that trem was never approved by burns, i had one and it was terrible i contact burns and they told me was not approved by them. far eastern knock off. i had it on an eastwood guitar, peter