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Could any one be so kind as to provide a list of The Shadows "Burns Era" numbers? I would be very grateful.
thanks Dave

Over the years there has been some debate about the very earliest use of 'The Burns' (in whatever form, e.g. prototype/whatever}. But, as a rough rule of thumb, you could say that Flingel Bunt/It's A Man's World was the first single release; and The Sound Of The Shadows was the first album to fully use the Burns. They continued with them into the Marvin, Welch and Farrar era (they were stolen)) Although Bruce still has his.
Not a definitive answer, I grant you; and I'm sure more authorative voices will add to this discussion. But I hope this helps.
Love,
Mart.

Hi Dave,

You might find the following of interest:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NuYc1r945Jk&feature=youtu.be

Paul.

Were any tracks on 'Dance with the Shadows' recorded using the Burns or did they use the white Fenders?

The first "Dance With The Shadows" tracks to be recorded were Blue Shadows, Dakota and French Dressing, all in the first few days of August 1963 and all recorded in a temporary studio set up in a Blackpool theatre.

The Burns guitars - even the Double Six - had not yet been seen in public, but the period falls within the final third of the alleged eighteen month development period for the Burns Marvin. By November 1963, from other evidence, we know that the guitar was in its last design stages though Fenders were used for public appearances right up into December 1963. We also know that Burns guitars were seen in the EMI studio on various occasions. It is therefore possible that some of the tracks on DWtS, and perhaps all of them, feature various prototype versions of the Marvin guitar.

Thanks Mart. Paul and Jim for your replies. Some useful info there!
Dave

JimN wrote:The first "Dance With The Shadows" tracks to be recorded were Blue Shadows, Dakota and French Dressing, all in the first few days of August 1963 and all recorded in a temporary studio set up in a Blackpool theatre.

As we know, these recordings were done in Blackpool because the Shads were in the middle of a summer season there. That suggests to me that the white Fenders were used because they’d have been on hand for the stage shows. I assume all the rest of DWTS is Burns.

I don't doubt that the two Precision basses were used on all tracks recorded before the early 1964 public swap to Burns guitars.

Likewise, the rhythm guitar on most of the tracks on DWTS was acoustic, whether Cliff's J-200 (which was on hand for the rendition of Guitar Tango in that summer season show) or Bruce's "banner" Gibson round-shouldered jumbo. As with the bass, it is likely that any electric rhythm guitar parts would have been recorded with a Stratocaster.

But the circumstances surrounding the choice of lead guitar are different, and for a reason. We know that the development period for the Marvin was some eighteen months (which probably means spring 1962 to just before Christmas 1963), and that there were thirty or so prototypes submitted to Hank and Bruce. Just think about that... thirty guitars in about 78 weeks. That's one every eighteen days, no time off for Sundays, Bank Holidays or good behaviour. Is it likely, in that case, that Hank had none of the prototypes available for the thirteen weeks or so of the Blackpool summer season? He must have had access to some of them. If he didn't, that would mean that the 30 instruments had to be fitted in at intervals of around 15 days...

I wonder if there were actually 30 or so prototypes, or whether there were just a half dozen or so, which went backwards and forwards with alterations, between Burns and Hank and Bruce?

For example, let's say Hank sent a prototype back with the comments that the sound was OK, and the body was comfortable and looked good, but the neck was too wide...surely Jim would have just replaced the neck on that particular guitar and sent it back, rather than starting from scratch with building a whole new guitar?

cockroach wrote:I wonder if there were actually 30 or so prototypes, or whether there were just a half dozen or so, which went backwards and forwards with alterations, between Burns and Hank and Bruce?

For example, let's say Hank sent a prototype back with the comments that the sound was OK, and the body was comfortable and looked good, but the neck was too wide...surely Jim would have just replaced the neck on that particular guitar and sent it back, rather than starting from scratch with building a whole new guitar?

I would think you're right, but it still means thirty parcels received and thirty returns!