Burns Artiste project ideas....what do you think??

[burnsbonkers]

Hi all.
About a year ago, I was harping on about "getting a decent Vibra artiste", blah blah etc.
Since then, I've had a couple of projects come my way.
My enthusiasm eventually paid off by finally getting my hands on a stunning 100% original example , that i bless daily , and offer it goats blood , while chanting in a trance.
.....Now .....The next stop is the Artiste.
I know the chances of myself getting one of these nowadays, is about as realistic as building a time machine out of a Delorean, going back to 1960 and walking into the Burns workshop and asking Jim and co to make one.
So......
What I have at the moment in my possession, is the remains of a early-ish Vibra artiste.
No more than a carcass, no frets, and a badly done refinish.
Nothing more. Pretty sad state.
As it will never be original again, what about the possibility of rebuilding it back / retrofitting it and turning it into a replica artiste?
Surely it can't be that hard? Apart from the offset neck, and bridge , it would be not too much different? .
Either way, it will be fun project to do.
Experts ....... I beg of your assistance!
Pat.

[mgeek]

I'd probably abandon the offset neck part of it. Without access to an original to compare, it'd be pretty iffy as to whether there is enough material on a Vibra Artiste neck to keep the structural integrity. Also you might hit the trussrod, and you DON'T want that

Did the 'Artists' even have trussrods?

[RayL]

Yes the Artist guitars had truss rods, with the adjustment under a three-screw semi-circular cover on the headstock.

For anyone wanting to build a replica Artist, finding the miniature 1/8" jack socket and matching plug might be a problem. Like wise the open-back machine heads and the 'big black plastic blob' for the pickup selector.

The Tri-sonic pickups would need to be without writing on them and to have the magnets for the second (B) and sixth string (E) recessed below the level of the casing. The 8BA nuts for the pickup screws are fixed to the plate by blobs of Araldite.

Ray

[burnsbonkers]

Hi.
I don't think it would be a super accurate replica, but a pretty close one.
I also would leave the offset neck idea out of it.
As for the black selector blob , I can easily vac form one from black plastic from a mould made of wood (im a model maker and have the gear to do all that kinda stuff)
Funnily enough, the original scratchplate that came with it is white, and it Looks original ...? odd for a vibra artiste, may be an old replacement? (maybe made by the guy who made the white plate for that v.a deluxe which was discussed on another thread) lol.
I think there are some van ghent open backed tuners on a hagstrom parts site .
Its the bridge that will be the real headache. I'm guessing it is like the v.artiste , but instead of the strings passing over and on to the vibrato, they stop somehow on the unit itself.?
Just realized that it has a rosewood fretboard....eek!.
Did artistes have rosewood boards? .
Oh pooh.

[RayL]

The Artist and the early Vibra Artist guitars had maple fingerboards (a little bit of my Artist's fingerboard can be seen in my avatar). Rosewood fingerboards only appeared on the later Vibra Artist(e)*.

Is the original scratchplate that you have actually white or is it a cream colour? That VA deluxe on eBay was white, but my very early Artist plate was definitely the colour of Devon cream.

*there was a discussion a while back about whether the 'official' Burns policy was to spell 'Artist' with ot without an 'e' at the end. The conclusion was, if I recollect correctly, that there was no official policy and both versions were used at different times. To add to the confusion, the Bell catalogue of 1961 has the Vibra Artist listed as 'Artist Model 1862' and since it is doubtful that they invented the description themselves, it must have been supplied by Burns.

Burns Artist Bell catalogue pic.jpg (17.76 KiB) Viewed 13576 times

Ray

[burnsbonkers]

Hi Ray,
My artist..(e) has a white-ish scratchplate, that does actually look very old. Definitely made of a slightly yellowed perspex....
It also has the hole for the bubble type selector switch.
Both the mini scratchplate and bubble were missing ,If the scratchplate was originally white, I guess the mini scratchplate would have been black...?, but no sign of it so I can't confirm anything.
The guitars finish has been stripped, but it was originally cherry red/black neck blow in, as there is some red still in the routing recesses.
so my best guess is that the original pickguard could have been black and it was damaged and It was replaced back then.
That one in the catalouge looks lovely with a maple fretboard!
I guess I can't make an artist unless I put a new maple fretboard on....and ill be buggered if im doing that !
Back to the drawing board!

[burnsbonkers]

Does anyone have any ideas what I could do with this project? I want to keep it all Burns , but kind of make this one my own, but at the same time not doing anything distasteful.
I have a mint v.a, so this one will be a "gigger" I have a spare mk9 trem from the smashed remains of a 63 sonic,
And a bridge from the same sonic .
Any help ? ?

[JimN]

Does anyone have any ideas what I could do with this project? I want to keep it all Burns , but kind of make this one my own, but at the same time not doing anything distasteful. I have a mint v.a, so this one will be a "gigger" I have a spare mk9 trem from the smashed remains of a 63 sonic, And a bridge from the same sonic .
Any help ? ?

What parts have you actually got, how complete are they as units and what do you still need? I'm losing track!

Body and neck?
Bridge?
Trem utailpiece?
Scratchplate (even if incomplete)?
Van Ghent tuners?
Pickups?
Electronics?

JN

[mgeek]

I reckon you should do a V/A Deluxe

Would be fun to have the more versatile switching arrangement, though I'd probably not bother binding the fretboard

[burnsbonkers]

Right. I have a fretless body and neck.
An old white scratchplate.
A mk9 trem from a sonic.
A metal bridge from a sonic.
I can get hold of pickups from adesons,
And also can get hold of some van ghents from a Hagstrom site.
That's it.
........
That's a good idea about a kind of v.a deluxe mgeek....the switching arrangements will be quite cool. Hmm
More ideas welcome!
Thanks pat.