Burns GB66 guitar

[marcomadeira]

hi mgeek i did see that scratch plate on ebay .....but screw holes are in the wrong place .......i am soooo confused over this guitar .....as the surround around the pickup is for the acoustic burns i think ........and the it should be one at the top 2 but there is no screw holes for that either ....i have posted pictures allover the net of this guitar and i keep getting different replies ......had one last night that said that this guitar could have been made at burns and they used parts they had laying around ,....from different models like gibson did at one stage .... .......????? dont know ....... the screw holes for backplate on mine differ from the ones on the net and the book .................i am soooooooo Confused dot com .......i love this guitar but its proving to be difficult to sort it out.........

[mgeek]

I'd say if the scratchplate for these is different to the normal GB66, your chances of finding one are next to nonexistant...

Can you post a picture of where the backplate would have gone? I can't imagine it being wildly different from the ones that are out there. Burns only really used a few types, and the screw holes were pretty consistently in the same place.

See what you mean about the lack of screwholes for the neck pickup surround. That IS odd...Burns were known to glue on plastic parts upon occasion, but I can't see why they'd have screwed on the bridge surround and not the neck. Seems pretty unfeasible that they'd have just left it off too.

Could this have possibly come without a main scratchplate?

RE: sorting it out...relax. At least you're not missing anything crucial like the pickups! Slam some strings on it and see how it sounds!

[marcomadeira]

hi here is a picture ofthe burns gb66 delux alfons in the Netherlands owns it .......diferent from mine greeeee

[marcomadeira]

just found the surround around the pickup on my guitar is the same as the acoustic burns .......even more confused

[mgeek]

I don't think it's out of the question to speculate that yours is either an early version of this or possibly some sort of pre-production model.

Are there ANY holes, anywhere that suggest it once had a scratchplate? Struggling to see how it would have been fitted, unless some of the other 'plate' holes were shared.

[ErikMAMS]

I'm puzzled by a couple of others things:
1) the seemingly heavy/bigger mountings screws holding the plate between the Bar-o-matic PU's - and no less than 8 of them, WHY?
2) what's under the plate - have you tried to remove it?
3) the "B-plate" on the tailpiece seems to be up side down - can it be turned around

At first I didn't notice the bridge (on the floor in the first pic), thought it was missing at well. Now that I've noticed it it seems a bit large or bulky for the usual Burns alloy bridge (could be the pic though)...
4) is it the original bridge?

MORE pictures, please

Re serial # - AFAIK Burns guitar have no serial # or ID except the one usualy on the neck plate.

Erik

[marcomadeira]

sorry the b o the guitar has been turned to the correct position ....lol hahahah also the bridge is mounted on a bit of wood looks pretty old to me but wil post pics of that when i get home from work ....!!!!!! i only ever remember it being that way ....... erik and mgeek when i get home i will post loads more pictures and will remove plate and take some pictures of that to ......to see if both of you can get me out of my misery ...lol and mgeek there is no other holes apart from the ones seen on picture .............and i guess i am stuffed about the serial as there is no back plate with serial BUM....

[marcomadeira]

also find this odd no screw holes at the top pickup

[mgeek]

Did you say this belonged to your Grandfather?

Maybe there are some photos of him playing it before the parts went astray? That could prove very useful in figuring out what sort of scratchplate, if any, this had.

I wouldn't sweat the missing serial number too much...as long as you can find the right period and sized plate, They weren't very scientifically numbered anyway.

[marcomadeira]

i have looked for pics everywhere cant seem to find any but will keep looking ....funny you say that about the serial just managed to get on from spain ......its for a gb burns bass but its same 1965 ........will post more pics for you guys to give me your opinion when i get in ....thanks