BURNS MARVIN SHADOWS CUSTOM £995 ELECTRICS CD TRACKS 5 & 6

Burns Marvin Shadows Custom £995 BURNS MARVIN Following on from last year’s 40th Anniversary Marvin, the Shadows SHADOWS CUSTOM PRICE: £995 Custom version offers an alternative, updated approach in an even more ORIGIN: Far East limited edition package by Paul Day TYPE: Double-cutaway solidbody electric BODY: Alder ast year saw Shadows guitarist the European dates of their ongoing Burns Marvins. The company’s classic, NECK: Maple, bolt-on Hank Marvin renew his association farewell tour. scroll-topped headstock remains SCALE LENGTH: L with UK maker Burns via the 40th Like the 40th Anniversary model, present and correct, but locking 648mm (25.5-inches) Anniversary Marvin, which this Marvin is of Chinese origin, but the Sperzel machineheads replace the NUT/WIDTH: Graphite/ 44.5mm commemorated the introduction of his most discernible difference concerns vintage Van Gent repro tuners. FINGERBOARD: Bound original signature six-string back in cosmetics. Rather than white, the There’s little deviation from straight maple, black position 1964. Now comes a variation that Shadows Custom body is fi nished in string travel and a graphite nut dots incorporates some modernised fi esta red, this Fender fl avouring maintains minimum friction, although FRETS: 21, medium-thin HARDWARE: Burns features approved by both Hank and contrasted by a three-section it’s purely a string guide, being Rezo-Tube vibrato unit, his fellow Shadow Bruce Welch. It’s scratchplate executed in vintage tint preceded by a zero fret governing Sperzel locking tuners, appropriately called the Marvin plastic laminate, not traditional overall string height up at this end. gold-plated Shadows Custom, with production tortoiseshell. This colour combination This is a typical Burns partnership, but STRING SPACING, BRIDGE: 50.5mm restricted to a mere 500 instruments, echoes a popular custom option it’s not popular with every player. ELECTRICS: Three and will be employed by the group for offered on the more recent UK-built Another obvious change is the single-coil pickups, fi ve- fi ngerboard, with the usual rosewood way lever pickup selector replaced by fl amed maple, again switch, master volume & two tones (second with faithful to a custom alternative offered push/pull neck pickup in the UK range. Like the underlying switch) maple neck, this topping looks good WEIGHT (KG/LB): 3/6.6 under lightly tinted lacquer, enhanced OPTIONS: No LEFT-HANDERS: Yes, by neatly applied white plastic binding. limited numbers £TBC The latter adds a slightly harder edge, FINISHES: Fiesta red but the shallow cambered, compound only radius fi ngerboard and a neck profi le Burns Guitars 020 8783 3638 with a familiar feel ensure a high www.burnsguitars.com comfort quota. At the same time consistently well-fi nished, slim frets contribute to impressive playability. The neck sits snug and secure in an amended body pocket, the treble shoulder of which is now eradicated to create a Strat-style fi t that allows easier upper end access. Although the body heel block has been left square- sided, a broader edge on production examples will make this seem less intrusive. This same area also accommodates access to the truss-rod adjuster, which is hidden, along with four neck-fi xing screws, under a plastic neckplate. Fender’s famous fi nish colour certainly suits the Marvin’s The Marvin’s metal parts are gold plated and the smoothly contoured alder body, while baseplate is signed by scratchplates that sport a greenish tint Hank and Bruce carry the Burns company logo and

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GGIT262.burnsIT262.burns 126126 44/3/05/3/05 3:22:223:22:22 pmpm PHOTOGRAPHY NEIL GODWIN control legends, now accurately MARVIN SHADOWS CUSTOM TEST RESULTS Tuning is impressively stable and, The rivals Build quality engraved over in China. although the heavy gauge strings fi tted Musicman Albert Lee The Shadows Custom carries the Playability make for pretty stiff operation, the Tremolo £1,350 Marvin’s regulation three Rez-O-Matik Sound vibrato is usefully responsive. It’s no G&L George Fullerton single-coil pickups; all angled as usual, Value for money dive-bomber of course, but does the Signature £1,289 Fender Mark Knopfl er ■ WE LIKED Updates improve playability but slightly hotter than those on the musical shimmer stuff very well. Stratocaster £1,499 and performance 40th Anniversary. Magnets are quite Albert Lee’s signature high and sharp edged, but these will ■ WE DISLIKED Zero fret authentic but Verdict Musicman features a now be bevelled to make them fi ngertip could cause problems, otherwise very little The Burns Marvin Shadows Custom familiar triple single- coil confi guration and friendly. Gold engraved white covers more than maintains the impressive simple, but effective, continue the lighter look, as do the Schaller’s locking- type numbers standard set by the 40th Anniversary vibrato on a quirkily control knobs and switch tip, but the replacing the standard Burns design. model. Criticisms of the latter were shaped chassis. The latter is to be toned down to match the The Marvin Shadows Custom comes comparatively meagre and most have Fender Mark Knopfl er Stratocaster plays it other plastic parts. with an excellent hard case, while an been successfully answered on this predictably safe, but The review guitar employs standard impressive array of accompanying case new ‘modernised’ version. The updates unusually employs a Marvin circuitry, comprising Strat-style candy includes a certifi cate hand incorporated should appeal to players red-fi nished ash body. master volume plus tone controls for signed by Hank and Bruce, spare who fancied this fl agship English Named after one of the G&L company’s the neck and centre pickups, but on strings and assorted accessories, many electric, but were deterred by its founders, the George production instruments these will both adorned with The Shadows’ logo. All ‘trapped in time’ character. It’s still a Fullerton Signature be governed by the fi rst tone pot, with that seems to be missing is a pair of highly individual instrument, but now also stays pretty true the second allocated to where it’s most Hank’s trademark glasses! packs a more modern punch to partner to the Strat stereotype, but with more rounded needed: the bridge single coil. The its superb playability. body styling plus the selector provides the usual fi ve pickup SOUNDS: The lacquered maple With the Marvin now available in company’s neat and permutations, while a pull switch on fi ngerboard adds a slightly brighter much more affordable vintage or nifty vibrato unit the second tone pot introduces the edge to the Marvin’s typical airy modern form, choice is down to extra two combinations of neck-plus- acoustic tonality, and this is reinforced personal preference, although time is bridge or all three together. by the revised pickups. These deliver fast running out on both limited Sporting a cream-tipped arm, the additional output along with a more editions. One thing is certain, these Burns Rezo-Tube vibrato unit is gold- aggressive attack that takes the new interpretations make mincemeat plated to match all other metalwork. Shadows Custom further into Fender of most UK-made oldie original This emphasises the new Marvin’s territory. This is apparent in all pickup Marvins. This statement may seem custom status, as does the baseplate, positions, with extra muscle endowing almost sacrilegious, but guitar making which is engraved with the classic four- a character that is decidedly more has undoubtedly improved over the fi gure Shadows silhouette, as well as contemporary than vintage, albeit past 40 years, and these new Far the autographs of Hank Marvin and achieved without losing the Marvin’s Eastern origin Burns guitars are among Bruce Welch. This is the fi rst time the innate, overall open tone. It does mean the best ever to bear this famous latter’s name has appeared on a guitar that this update is better suited to less British brandname. and such recognition is long overdue. clean conditions, although it’s still The updating process extends all the doubtful if most owners will ever get Burns Marvin Shadows Custom way to the strap buttons, with too down and dirty! RATING

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