This big bad Burns Double Six is an eye catching peace of ear candy. Burns guitars are a time capsule. Due to their brief reign in the 1960s, its hard not to tie the name with that era. And few guitars are more reminiscent of the 1960s British sound than the Burns Double Six.
Jim Burns founded the Burns company in 1959 and soon established a reputation for making fine guitars. It wasn’t long before Hank Marvin and the Shadows ditched their Fender instruments in favour of these high quality British instruments. Things were going well for Burns until they were acquired by the Baldwin Piano Company in 1965. Baldwin essentially put the Burns brand on the shelf while they focused their efforts elsewhere (they were also busy shaking things up with Gretsch Guitars at the time, but that's another story). Several attempts to revive Burns had occurred through the 80s, with little success. In 1991 Burns guitars were reintroduced under the name “Burns London”. From here Burns split into high end UK made collector guitars, and the more affordable Korean and later Chinese made variants.
This Burns Double Six is an incredibly well made instrument, with the finish and fit of something in a much higher price bracket. The neck is nice and wide, which makes navigating the 12 strings relatively easy, although it may be a little challenging for smaller hands. The contoured Basswood body and 4 bolt maple neck make it a more robust and comfortable instrument than its Rickenbacker alternatives, and the Fender-esque body contours make this rather large guitar a rather comfortable instrument to play.
This modern iteration of the Double Six has a few subtle changes from the original, most notably the updated bridge design makes for easy intonation. Belonging to a collector, this guitar has had minimal play time and is in almost new condition. The action is low and easy and the pickups have that distinctive chime that transport you instantly to a different era. A great 12 string guitar at a very affordable price.
Brand: Burns Model: Double Six - Club Series Year: 2007 Country: China Case: OHSC Serial: 07XXXX Colour (Body): Sunburst Colour (Neck): Natural Burst Finish Type: Poly Body Material: Basswood Neck Material: Maple Fretboard Material: Rosewood Nut: Brass Scale Length: 25.5” Fret Number: 21 Neck Radius: 12” Action: 2mm Neck Profile: Wide, shallow C Nut Width: 49.2mm 12th Fret Width: 56.1mm 1st Fret Depth: 20.6mm 12th Fret Depth: 24.8mm Pickups: Burns Tri Sonic Resistance: Neck: 6.58k, Middle: 6.61k, Bridge: 6.59k Electronics: Original Knobs: Original Pickguard: Black, white 3 ply Hardware: Chrome Mods, repairs: N/A Weight: 4.24kg
