I did some fitting up of guitars after that on wages it was good because I was very green as far as guitars concerned so I learnt a lot and done a fair bit of drinking - Jims favourite pastime! The machines came in, some timber - English Sycamore as Maple was an import and it cost Dollars which was taboo, unfortunately it was fools choice as we all know Maple is the more stable timber.

I spent the first 2 weeks (without pay) looking for machines and timber supplies. Jack hadn't been with them long, he started underneath Lez as a cabinet maker but Jack had plenty of rabbit and talked his way to managing the firm! He then got in touch with me to start the machine shop. My arrival: Jack Golder got in touch with me to start up the machine shop. Lez Andrews used to get the bits together and craft them to shape. Jim used to buy the rough shapes from a furniture manufacture in Epping. Memories from Norman Houlder Re: BURNS ARTIST BASS info? Norm?įurther to my most recent post, the guitars/basses were made truly by hand. Unloading a lorry outside the Burns factory Hi Everyone, This a picture of me (John Clark) on the left, with Gordon Chandler (chief designer) and Phil Storm aka Phil Sweet (designer draughtsman). Presumed circa mid-1962, preparing for a Trade Fair?

Station Approach, Cherry Tree Rise, Roding Valley Jim on Ormston Hawaiian Lap Steel, Phil Sweet on Burns Thinline Prototype through Tele Amp (or two?) The book is available to buy here and makes for an incredible read, containing hundreds of never-before-published photographs and anecdotes from family and Burns-team members, spread over 400 full-colour pages! It's a small-run privately printed book, and copies are very limited, so if you want one I'd urge you to order one now before they are all gone! These photos were kindly shared with me by Bill Lovegrove, co-author of 'The Jim Burns Story'. Rear of 131 Queens Road, Buckhurst Hill, Essex 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)īURNS LONDON TIMELINE - PUBLICITY - FACTORY ARTIST - DELUXE - SONIC - BLACK BISON - VISTA BLACK BISON III - JAZZ - TR-2 - NU-SONIC - MARVIN - DOUBLE 6 BISON - VIBRASLIM - GB65 - GB66 - VIRGINIAN - BABY BISON AMPLIFIERS - ACCESSORIES - PROTOTYPES

Valley arts guitar serial numbers