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2014/51/1 Electric bass guitar, black enamel, wood / metal / plastic, made by Burns of London, London, England and Moody Amplifiers, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, 1960 - 1965. Click to enlarge.
  • Image 1 of 3, 2014/51/1 Electric bass guitar, black enamel, wood / metal / plastic, made by Burns of London, London, England and Moody Amplifiers, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, 1960 - 1965. Click to enlarge
  • Image 2 of 3, 2014/51/1 Electric bass guitar, black enamel, wood / metal / plastic, made by Burns of London, London, England and Moody Amplifiers, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, 1960 - 1965. Click to enlarge
  • Image 3 of 3, 2014/51/1 Electric bass guitar, black enamel, wood / metal / plastic, made by Burns of London, London, England and Moody Amplifiers, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, 1960 - 1965. Click to enlarge

Electric bass guitar made by Burns of London

Made
As the first electric bass guitar to enter the Museum's collection this instrument is not only an example of electric guitar design but also an example of adaptation to local musical needs and conditions in Australia during the early to mid 1960s. Comprising parts made in both England and Australia the guitar illustrates cultural influences from Britain and the United States of America that had an impact on Australian musicians of the period.

The guitar is also significant for its connection …

Summary

Object No.

2014/51/1

Object Statement

Electric bass guitar, black enamel, wood / metal / plastic, made by Burns of London, London, England and Moody Amplifiers, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, 1960 - 1965

Physical Description

The electric bass guitar consists of a solid wooden body, painted with black enamel, with a black scratch plate screwed onto front bearing the words "BASS / GUITAR" in white cut-out letters. The bass has a single pickup and single white plastic volume knob. The original input jack has been covered with a pink and blue flower sticker, with a new input jack installed within a metal plate for left hand playing. The original tailpiece has been removed and replaced by narrower tailpiece to fit the new neck, with the bridge missing. The neck is made from solid hardwood, with fret dots on fingerboard and at the side. Four metal tuning machines are found on the head set for left hand configuration. The headstock is designed in the style of a Fender bass guitar. Four screws at the back attach the neck to the body.

Marks

Scratch plate reads, 'BASS / GUITAR'
Pickup engraved with, 'Moody / TRI-SONIC UNIT'.

Short URL

https://ma.as/422137

Dimensions

Width

350 mm

Depth

50 mm

Production

Made

Made

Notes

The Burns guitar company was founded by Jim Burns (1925-1998) in London in 1960. The shape of this guitar's body is similar to other Burns guitar models such as the Bison, introduced in about 1963 or the Marvin series. The lettering on the scratch plate is also very similar to Burns lettering, although on this guitar it does not bear the Burns name as on other models. This instrument was possibly made as a cheaper single pickup version.

The replacement neck appears to have been professionally made possibly in Australia. The pick-up bears the name of Sydney amplifier company Moody who also made limited numbers of guitars. The pick-up also bears the name Tri-Sonic which was the name of the pickup used on Burns guitars.

History

Notes

This instrument was owned and used by Dave Carroll in one of the line-ups of the band 'Catfish and The Dee Jays' and was adapted from a right handed guitar to a left hand model.

Source

Credit Line

Gift of Colin Crabtree, 2014

Acquisition Date

6 May 2014

Cite this Object

Harvard

Electric bass guitar made by Burns of London 2023, Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences, accessed 30 May 2023, <https://ma.as/422137>

Wikipedia

{{cite web |url=https://ma.as/422137 |title=Electric bass guitar made by Burns of London |author=Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences |access-date=30 May 2023 |publisher=Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences, Australia}}

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