THE GUITARS OF JAMES ORMSTON BURNS

REFERENCE & RESOURCE PAGES:

 

SUPERSOUND (1958) - BURNS-WEILL (1959) - FENTON WEILL (1960-65)

ORMSTON BURNS (1960-1965) - AMPEG (1963-64) - BALDWIN (1965-69)

SHERGOLD WOODCRAFTS (1967-69) - ORMSTON (1968) - HAYMAN (1970-75)

BURNS UK (1973-77) - BURNS ACTUALIZERS (1979-82) - SHERGOLD (1975-92)

 

BURNS LONDON

TIMELINE - PUBLICITY - FACTORY

ARTIST - SONIC - VIBRA-ARTIST-DELUXE - BLACK BISON - VISTA-SONIC

BLACK BISON III - JAZZ - TR-2 - NU-SONIC - MARVIN - DOUBLE 6

BISON - VIBRASLIM - GB65 - GB66 - VIRGINIAN - BABY BISON

AMPLIFIERS - ACCESSORIES - PROTOTYPES

 

 

SHORT-SCALE JAZZ GUITAR RANGE (1962-68)

JAZZ GUITAR & JAZZ BASS

 

The earliest Jazz Guitars from mid 1962 feature a short pickguard bass-horn, with a body treble-horn that curves in. I have not yet seen a split sound variant of this early type.

First advertised in December 1962, with a subtly-revised body shape with reversed waist and extended pickguard bass-horn, although this advert pictured a Jazz-derived Six-String Bass prototype.

2-pickup Jazz featured plastic-buttoned Van Gents, the upmarket Split Sound version utilised Metal-buttoned Van Gents

Series 2 Vibrato system introduced from December 1963.

The matching 'Jazz Bass' was finally added to the line in 1964, when the Vista models were retired.

The Jazz range was also the basis for the first prototype Marvin models.

Production continued under the Baldwin name until the end, with bound fingerboards coming in around 1966 with a change to flattened-scroll headstocks by 1967

 

1962 Short-Scale Jazz Guitar Mk 1: with vibrato unit

Serial No. 424

1962 burns short scale jazz guitar prototype

 

 

1962 Short-Scale Jazz Guitar Mk 1: hardtail

Serial No. 679

 

 

 

 

 

1962 Short-Scale Jazz Guitar Mk 1

Serial No. 769

1962 Burns Jazz Short Scale Mk 1

 

1962 Burns Jazz Short Scale Mk 1

 

1962 Burns Jazz Short Scale Mk 1

 

1962 Burns Jazz Short Scale Mk 1

 

1962 Burns Jazz Short Scale Mk 1

 

1962 Burns Jazz Short Scale Mk 1

 

1962 Burns Jazz Short Scale Mk 1

 

1962 Burns Jazz Short Scale Mk 1

 

1962 Burns Jazz Short Scale Mk 1

 

1962 Burns Jazz Short Scale Mk 1

 

Crescendo December 1962

Crescendo December 1962

 

B&M Trade Catalogue, early 1963

 

Burns Mecca advert

Melody Maker 5th Jan 1963

 

1962 Bell Catalogue

 

 

1962 Short-Scale Jazz Guitar (Mk 2, early, all Mahogony)

Serial No. 474

 

 

1963 Albino Jazz Split Sound

 

 

 

1963 Jazz Split Sound

Serial No. 3396

1963 Burns Jazz Split Sound

 

1963 Burns Jazz Split Sound

 

1963 Burns Jazz Split Sound

 

1963 Burns Jazz Split Sound

 

1963 Burns Jazz Split Sound

 

1963 Burns Jazz Split Sound

 

1963 Burns Jazz Split Sound

 

 

New Musical Express 3rd April 1964

 

1964 White Jazz Short Scale

1963 White Jazz Short Scale

 

1963 White Jazz Short Scale

 

 

1964 Albino Short Scale Jazz Guitar

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1964 BURNS Jazz Guitar Split Sound

Serial No. 7033

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1964 Split Sound Jazz Guitar

Serial No. 7051

 

 

 

 

 

28th Sept 1964 Burns Jazz Split Sound

Serial No. 8350

1964 Jazz Splitsound

 

1964 Jazz Splitsound

 

1964 Jazz Splitsound

 

1964 Jazz Splitsound

 

1964 Jazz Splitsound

 

1964 Jazz Splitsound

 

Burns Catalogue Sept 1964

 

Burns Solid Sound advert

New Musical Express circa Oct 1964

Feb 1965 Burns Catalogue

 

c.1966 Baldwin Jazz Split Sonic

1966 Jazz Split Sonic

 

21st March 1967 Jazz Split Sonic

Serial No. 19590