Description
This is a Baby Bison guitar designed by Jim Burns and made by Baldwin/Burns of England in 1965. This guitar features a solid sycamore body, a black finish, two black plastic guardplates with white edges, one on the upper bass horn with the Baldwin logo on it and the other on the lower treble bout on which the knobs and pickup selection switch are mounted. It also has the patented, metal, Rezo-tube whammy tailpiece, an adjustable metal bar bridge, two metal strap pins, one single coil pickup and one double coilstack pickup of which each coil is capable of working separate or together. It is said that Jim Burns was the first to utilise the two coils of a humbucker separately or combined. This Baby Bison is in good shape for a guitar that is about fifty years old and it is 100% original. This was Jim Burns’ last design for the Burns company. Burns guitars were made famous by The Shadows which included Cliff Richards and Hank Marvin. The company went through many hands over the years and still produces today as Burns of London. Baldwin (the piano company) bought Ormston Burns Ltd. in 1965 for approximately $380,000 after failing to win Fender from CBS. James Ormston Burns took the offer to pay off the company debt. He stayed with Baldwin through 1966 and then moved on to other endeavors. With its great fast action and terrific tone, this guitar plays like a dream. It includes an original hardshell case. Get this instrument while you can.Description from VintageSilvertones.com
CONDITION:Description from VintageSilvertones.com
This guitar is 100% original and it is in good condition. While the finish is really clean, there are two tiny, almost invisible dings on the lower bass bout and a tiny scratch below the tailpiece. There is also one small bit of finish wear on the treble curve. Those blemishes are barely visible and this Baby Bison is still beautiful after approximately fifty years. It plays wonderfully and sounds great!
TUNERS:
The closed-back, individual custom metal tuners with custom metal buttons are in very good working condition. They are smooth and hold the pitch well.Description from VintageSilvertones.com
NECK:
The neck is in good shape. It is a straight, bolted-on, neck with white circular plastic inlays on an rosewood fretboard, 23 frets including a zero fret, and a 24.5″ scale. It has a white plastic nut although a slightly damaged black plastic nut (perhaps the original) is in the case with the guitar. There is a tiny bit of wear on the back of the neck. One can see two lines of crazing on the finish. There is also some wear on the top three frets. The split V-shaped headstock, featuring a Baby Bison logo on a transparent bolted on plastic V-shaped plate, is in good condition. There are two small lines of crazing coming down from the two bottom tuners. With its fast action, the neck feels fanstastic under your fingers. Description from VintageSilvertones.com
PICKUPS:
There is one single coil pickup in the bridge position and one double coilstack type pickup in the neck position. This Baby Bison has three knobs and a pickup selection switch. One of the knobs is a density control that regulates the balance of the two coils of the neck pickup. There is also a volume knob for both pickups and a tone knob which was made to work only for the neck and not for the bridge pickup. The selection switch allows the player to choose the neck, bridge or both pickups. With this level of control there is an endless possibility of tones to play a myriad of musical styles. The neck pickup tones range from a warm round sound to an edgier one. The bridge pickup is twangy but maintains its warmth. This guitar is just as suitable for jazz and blues and country as it is for rock and punk. The pots and toggle are clean sounding and work great. Description from VintageSilvertones.com
The Dimensions are:
Overall length: 38″Description from VintageSilvertones.com
Body width: 14″
Body thickness: 1 3/8″ with neck 2″Description from VintageSilvertones.com
Scale: 24.5″ approx.
Width of the nut: 1 11/16″ (depth: 7/8″)
String height at 12th fret: 1/16″Description from VintageSilvertones.com
