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

 

 

VIBRA-ARTIST DELUXE GUITAR & ARTIST DELUXE BASS (1961-62)

 

 

The Vibra-Artist Deluxe was introduced as a luxury custom order option around mid 1961. The price was an extravagant 105 GBP, when the standard Vibra Artist was 78 pounds. The Deluxe improved upon the standard Vibra Artiste by featuring a revised electronic circuit, bound fingerboard, 3-ply Traffolyte pickguard material, with gold-plated hardward throughout, including pearl-buttoned deluxe Van Gent tuners. In December 1961 the Floating cradle bridge was patented and subsequently appears on later Vibra-Artist Deluxes. On 28th April 1962 - "Vibra-Artiste 6" and "Vibra-Artiste Deluxe" were first advertised in dealer sheets and Melody Maker, but by June (one source says March) 1962, the Bell Catalogue announces that the new Vista-Sonic models "replace the famous Burns Vibra models" (although the Artist bass continues to be advertised). The 1962 Short Scale Jazz models also carried on the legacy of the Artist range with continued use of 23 3/8" short scale.

 

1962 Bell Catalogue announcing the discontinuation of all VIBRA Models

 

De Luxe Timeline:

Type 1 (mid 1961 - late 1961) - Standard bridge, clear secondary plate. 3 examples known

Type 2 (late 1961 - early 1962) - Standard bridge, brass secondary plate. 2 examples known

Type 3 (early 1962 - June 1962) - Cradle bridge, brass secondary plate. 6 examples known

 

Artist Deluxe Bass (1961-2) - Brass secondary plate. 2 examples known

 

 

Melody Maker 28th April 1962

 

"This is indeed the first (and only) press advert for the Vibra Artiste Deluxe, appearing in the April 28th 1962 Melody Maker, and the corresponding publicity leaflet was also dated April 1962. The latter delved into greater detail, although as you say, the company didn't exactly go overboard promotion-wise, but remember that by this time Jim was already developing the 'next generation' of models, incorporating some of the ideas formulated on the Deluxe. The prototype Vista Sonic was accordingly first advertised a mere two months later, so the writing was very much on the wall for the former flagship Vibra Artiste and its ilk. There never was a proper production run as such for the Deluxe six-string or four-string versions; Jim told me that standard examples were simply modified as necessary by hand whenever an appropriate order for a Deluxe was received. This means they stopped offering/making them when the Vibra Artiste and Artiste bass officially disappeared from the range, i.e. by 1963." - Paul Day

 

TYPE 1 (circa mid 1961)

Standard bridge, clear secondary plate:

 

with Patent Applied Vibrato arm:

 

 

 

with Registered Design Vibrato Arm:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bill Lovegrove's restored and refinished example (binding missing):

 

 

 

Same guitar before restoration/refinishing, with the wrong knobs and no secondary plate.

It is equally plausible that this guitar originally had either a clear acrylic or brass secondary plate.

It seems unikely anyone would discard a brass plate, so I assume this had a probematic clear plate which cracked and so was discarded?

 

 

 

 

 

TYPE 2 (circa late 1961)

Standard bridge, brass secondary plate:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TYPE 3 (circa early 62)

Cradle bridge, brass secondary plate:

 

Missing it's truss-rod cover:

 

Another with one changed knob and non-original tuners, looks to be refinished?:

 

 

 

 

 

A contemporary photo of one with a slanted bridge pickup:

 

 

Another, with non-standard knobs:

 

 

All black example with chrome plating and non-standard knobs. Uniquely, the cradle bridge sits atop a later-style thick Traffolyte pickguard on this one.

 

 

Another example, possibly refinished and replated with non-original single-ply pickguard?

 

Refinished restoration piece, with non-original microswitches and non-shaded neck:

 

Deluxe Bass

Original publicity photo

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stripped and refinished, modern knobs, and plastic bridge booster-plate removed: