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Of Cabbages and Kings (and Marvins and Bisons...)
by Donna McGlinchey-Mahon
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Burns built his first guitar during the war in Africa, using only his sheer ingenuity and RAF materials. Imagine using a bar magnet from an aero engine and a coil with thirteen dry joints wrapped in toilet paper to make the pickup! He even went on to make two more for two other guitarists in the squadron band. He returned to England and went on to sell his first six-string guitar in 1952, and later in 1958 his first line of guitars under the Supersonic trademark was released. In the 60s he was well known for his mass-produced one-offs, with no two guitars of the same model being exactly the same. Many would associate the name of Burns with the Shadows, as it was Burns who created the famous Marvin for Hank Marvin. The Marvin range was, without a doubt, the most famous and most sought after of the Burns models. This was his first attempt at imitating the Fender Stratocaster, although certain design features such as the scroll headstock and "jigsaw puzzle" scratchplate gave it that individual look, far removed from the Strat.
Then we had the famous Bison range; those little beauties with the curved horns. It was indeed Ike Isaac who was responsible for naming these masterpieces, as when it was first shown to him by Jim remarked that it "looked like a bloody Bison!" The four pick-up Black Bison from the early sixties was reputed to be the finest British guitar ever made, and was somewhat of a breakthrough for Jim in terms of quality design. There were only 49 of these made, so if you see one anywhere in a car boot sale, make sure you buy it! Apparently, the fiftieth one ended up as a coffee table, and I wouldn't mind having it in my living room!
Another one of Burns' innovations was the famous "cigar" on the head, which hid the strings. This was a metal tube through which each string passed, and which was supposed to provide that resonance to the body of the guitar. The word "Rez-o-matic" is stamped onto many of Burns' pickups, referring in reality to these "Rezotubes". Other Burns-originated features include the heel-less glued-in neck, the 24-fret fingerboard, the knife-edge bearing vibrato unit, the active electronics, and not forgetting the stacked-coil pickups.
Burns was well known for producing fairly low-priced guitars, which produced an uncompromisingly bright sound, each with its beautiful slim and very fast neck, and the rosewood fingerboard. His choice of colours was also bold and eye-catching; the lovely sunbursts, the richest reds and greenbursts, to mention but a few. And on the Bison bass, which was finished in black or white, you'll find that sumptuous grey tortoise-shell scratchplate. This man had class, without a doubt.
The Artist was the first ever Burns guitar to be launched, followed by the Black Bison and the range of Marvins. In the heyday, over 150 guitars were produced each week, and were not only available in England, but also exported to a huge list of foreign countries. As a matter of fact, the King himself, Mr. Elvis Presley, played a Burns.
Unfortunately Jim was not the best businessman in the world and in 1965 his company was so heavily in debt, that he was forced to sell it. It was bought over by the Baldwin Piano and Organ Company from Cincinnati. This same company was also beaten in a bidding war for Fender.
Jim died in 1998, which was a great loss to the entire guitar world. However, his legend lives on in the Burns of London company which is now again producing the finest Burns guitars, after being given Jim's blessing back in the early nineties. He actually worked as a consultant to this company for some years prior to his death.
So we have a lot to thank Jim Burns for. The man responsible for the electrifying sound of Queen, the unforgettable sound of The Shadows, and the mind and talent behind those wacky shaped guitars with the split pickups. He is indeed a legend and will never be forgotten.
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Donna McGlinchey-Mahon is a freelance writer, successfully published in the U.K., Ireland and Australia. She has written several comedy scripts for television, and is currently working on a new sitcom. She also has an autobiographical novel underway, giving a somewhat humorous account of her life growing up in a troubled Northern Ireland.
Coming from a musical background, she has a keen interest in music and likes to play piano and guitar in her spare time.
Donna lives in Northern Ireland with her husband and three children.
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