Guitar Spotting

[dave robinson]

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Here's a few guitars outlining the differences that Jim mentioned re the tailpieces.

[Billyboygretsch]

Hey Dave you really have latched on to this posting pictures lark - great

[dave robinson]

Hey Dave you really have latched on to this posting pictures lark - great

Well it's something that's handy when you want to explain something i.e the subtle differences that occur on guitars and amps etc.

[Billyboygretsch]

This is similar to the one I had. Single pick up tremolo vinyl covering. I think would have been around '62 model.

[dave robinson]

Yes I remember the vinyl finish, what a let down from the lovely trans-red finish of a couple of years previous. I remember seeing them second hand in the local music shops with torn vinyl, they looked horrid.

[dusty fretz]

Dave,
Just to finally clarify your confusion concerning the early Burns catalogue: the Vibra Artist was equipped with three pickups, six knobs, a couple of switches and a double-octave, heel-less neck, all very advanced for that time. This six-string was soon joined by the Sonic, which was smaller in size and price, sported two Tri-Sonic single-coils, three controls and two switches, while 21 frets were spread over an equally short-scale fingerboard. It also boasted an appropriately titled headstock badge, but on the more upmarket Vibra Artist this always simply stated 'Burns London', another instance of this company's often inexplicable inconsistency!

Bill,
Rather than 'Colorado', I think you mean 'Colorama', which, like 'Futurama' was another great commercial name concocted by Selmer's marketing men. The later vinyl covering was introduced to speed production and help Hofner keep up with rapidly increasing demand during the early '60s, as the alternative painting process took appreciably longer. What the plastic lacked in looks was also balanced by better durability and the fact that it covered an ever cheaper choice of timber.

[dave robinson]

Thanks for that Paul, I'd fancy having a go on one now I've grown up a bit.

[dusty fretz]

I don't think you'd find the experience particularly pleasurable, Dave. Nostalgia is often best viewed via rose-coloured glasses and without them you'd soon see that the Sonic was headstock heavy, the body too small for practical purposes and the vibrato prone to inconsistent pitch return problems. The better Vibra Artist may have been 'state-of-the-art' for UK-made electrics in 1960, but certainly suffers in comparison to more modern equivalents. Although larger than the Sonic, the body crammed in far too much for comfort, most came with skinny necks, the vibrato shared the Sonic's tuning troubles and the bridge saddles rattled. Those complex controls seemingly had a mind of their own, eccentrically interacting and making it tricky to regularly find a favourite sound, so they were best left well alone. I bought one secondhand in 1963 as my first 'decent' solid six-string, and even though the best of a pretty bad bunch available back then, I soon realised things were far from perfect, making some very necessary mods before swapping it for a Strat in 1965. Thanks to Bill, the self-same example returned home 43 years later, neatly book-ending my collection. I'm really glad to have it back, but only for recapturing the past reasons, as there are many other instruments I much prefer to play and I'm sure you'd swiftly think the same. Put it this way, apart from youthful associations, you're really not missing out on a lot, because you've grown up but the Burns hasn't!

My apologies for hi-jacking this thread - back to all things Cilla!

[Moderne]

A hugely enjoyable and beautifully made programme - especially the Abbey Road scenes. If I had to be picky I would say that it gives the impression that early 60s singles had lovely picture sleeves whereas of course they are using EPs to illustrate Cilla's A-sides.

[dave robinson]

Yes I noticed the picture sleeves too, it just didn'happen that way, the Parlophone singles cover was a multi coloured stripey design back then, followed by the single plain colour a bit later when they went to the black labels. I remember Coloumbia being green and maybe the Parlophone ones were too.