Want to buy my first Burny, but questions.

[mabands]

Hello, I'm new here but have been reading for a little while to get up to speed on MIJ Les Pauls. The knowledge level here is amazing.

I found a Burny on Ebay that I'm curious about and wanted to get some opinions. I see that the following listing has been there for awhile and I was wondering if something stood out as being wrong with this guitar, other than the obvious bridge pickup. I haven't seen any other cherry sunburst customs so I thought this might have sold by now. The fact that is hasn't has me worried I might be missing something.

BURNY LP CUSTOM CHERRY SUNBURST EARLY 80'S W/ DIMARZIO - eBay (item 370193811230 end time Jul-26-09 02:35:46 PDT)

Any helpful opinions would be great.

Thanks.

 

[UITA]

All seems to be OK, I have one the same as it. As you can see the split diamond is slightly smaller which I'm guessing indicates an earlier 80s model.

 

[3pupLPC]

Yeah, this one has been around for a bit. It kills me to pay $130 for shipping from Japan, so personally I would wait for one to come around locally (depending on where you are)... especially considering the original L8000 or VH-4 has been swapped with that ugly DiMarzio. If you are in the States, here is a CSB as comparison, albeit a later 80's or early 90's model with lightning bolt and winged TRC... Burny (Japan) LP Custom - MIJ for $550 and it comes with a hardshell case.

Still if you go for it, and keep it under $750, you can't go wrong. Burny LPC's are my favorites.

 

[mabands]

Thanks for the help. I am in the states, Nashville to be specific. I haven't noticed any MIJ les pauls around here which is a little surprising given all of the guitar players here. Maybe I just keep missing them.

Now there is a Greco sunburst custom on Ebay:

GRECO 1983 EGC LP CUSTOM Cherry Sunburst JAPAN MADE! - eBay (item 370235285074 end time Aug-25-09 01:10:54 PDT)

So how would this compare to the Burny? Better, equivalent, depends on personal preference, etc.? As you can tell I'm stuck on getting a custom, and preferably a cherry sunburst.

Thanks again.

 

[3pupLPC]

The thing with Greco's is there are several levels of Custom's, and from what I know, the EGC-1000C top-of line was only made in black. Also, all the Greco Customs I have seen have a volute, which kind of bugs me, as I want my Custom's to be '57 repros, not a '70's.

To me, the Burny's are the overall closest 57 tribute for the best value. The OBG 57 reissue nails everything, including ebony board, nitro, and long tenon, but now go for big $$.

UITA has a huge Custom collection (aong others), and could offer you some valuable input.

 

[Dave1968]

These links may help:

burny info

http://www.mylespaul.com/forums/other-les-pauls/43354-burny-greco-tokai-back-catalogues-here.html

Good luck!

 

[greenalbatross]

I don't think that's a bad price for the Burny. Maybe not the deal of the century, but not a bad price. I wouldn't hold your breath, waiting for one to show up locally. They don't show up that often and considering you want a Custom in cherry sunburst...I don't really see all that many MIJ cherry sunburst Customs on Ebay all that often.

 

[nwobhm]

I slightly prefer the Burny's myself. Though, I think Grecos are nice too.

 

[mabands]

I appreciate all of the information. I have another question about the neck. I know that the add says it's a 50's type neck, but are the Burny's with this type of neck closer to a '59 or '58 neck?

Thanks.

 

[Dave1968]

I know that the add says it's a 50's type neck, but are the Burny's with this type of neck closer to a '59 or '58 neck?

I don't know I've never played a RLC 60. The catalogue refers to each model:

RLG-150 '59 model
RLG-120 '59 model
RLG-90 '59 model
RLG-60 '56 model (Goldtop)
RLG-50 '59 model
RLC-60 '60 model
RLC-65 '57 model (3 pup's)
RSC-80 No reference
RSC-100 No reference

My RLG-50 was sold saying it had a 60's neck, then again I've never seen the info change as he sells lots of MIJ LP's on ebay. Mine feels like a '59 neck, not overly fat but def not a slim 60's.

If the spec of each RLG model is as Burny refer then I'd say its most likely to be a 60's neck. Perhaps UITA may be able to help as he has a couple of hundred of this particular model, well at least one.

Hope it helps.

 

[UITA]

Well........I don't have a 58, 59 or 60s LP (plenty of 70s and 80s so no help)to compare sorry but by my gauge I would say that this model is pretty consistently mid slim. It's not nearly as slim as my Orville Vs (they really are the Jazz bass of the guitar world) and it's not as chunky as some of my Burny SGs (they do vary though). All my Burny customs are quite slim and not a chunky one amongst them, which for me is great.

As for the Greco custom I have two and owned a few others, they can vary. My take is get the Burny, I can't stand any other inlay on the head.

 

[3pupLPC]

My take is get the Burny, I can't stand any other inlay on the head.

+1

 

[shaun]

i have an '83 greco mint series, a '96 Burny and a late 80's Burny. the Greco is easily the best of the 3,with the long tenon, and plays and sounds the best (it sounds alot fuller if you like that. the Burny's are a bit like an SG/LP mix). the Burny's are still very good, but given the choice of the two, i would definitely take the Greco.
the frets on the Burny in the ebay add look a bit worn to me.
the Burny necks can be a bit thicker, not like a '58, and the Greco necks are in between a 60's and 59. i prefer 59 necks, but the Greco neck still feels good.
when buying older MIJ guitars from 80's and early 90's, generally speaking they are very good but the frets are often worn on them.

 

[nwobhm]

I've owned few dozen of each, Currently,4 Greco's and 7 Burny's. I find they very from guitar to guitar. I've had great to not so great of each. You'll never really know til' you play it, if it's the one.

 

[UITA]

You'll never really know til' you play it, if it's the one.

Nuff said!!

 

[SIB217]

Hey everyone. First post, but long time reader....I just recently became aware of the Burny guitars and they look pretty sweet. My question is (most likely for the Burny master UITA), what do I really need to look for in a good Burny? Mid to late 80's? Cut Diamond Headstock? I'm really just looking for the better made run of these. I do prefer the custom style with the trim, but color is no preference. I actually like the slimmer 60's necks as well. I currently have an early 90's Epi LP custom...Samick plant and it's actually a real player. It rivals a friends '02 Gibson Standard. I figured I could save a grand and potentially get one of these bad boys. Sorry, but I'm trying to get as much info as possible before I go for the gusto on this. Can anyone weigh in on this listing?

Burny (Japan) LP Custom - MIJ

 

[UITA]

If colour isn't a problem then I guess another thing to consider is weight. One thing I have noticed is that the later 80s/90s customs vary sooooo much in weight. The one you listed looks great and for the money I would go for it if it was in the UK. I can't comment on tenons and VH1s or not as I don't care too much if they have them or not, for me it's down to the action, string tension and how it sounds acoustically, all of these things are personal and I don't feel can be put across in a description. Pickups aside I feel I could use all of my Burny's in any situation.

Bottom line, as stated earlier.

Originally Posted by nwobhm
You'll never really know til' you play it, if it's the one.

 

[mabands]

I pulled the trigger on the Burny. Thank you everyone for your thoughts and advice. One thing that helped my decision was that the seller dropped the price. He also dropped the price on the Greco if anyone is interested. I'll post some details about the guitar after I receive it.

 

[3pupLPC]

Hey everyone. First post, but long time reader....I just recently became aware of the Burny guitars and they look pretty sweet. My question is (most likely for the Burny master UITA), what do I really need to look for in a good Burny? Mid to late 80's? Cut Diamond Headstock? I'm really just looking for the better made run of these. I do prefer the custom style with the trim, but color is no preference. I actually like the slimmer 60's necks as well. I currently have an early 90's Epi LP custom...Samick plant and it's actually a real player. It rivals a friends '02 Gibson Standard. I figured I could save a grand and potentially get one of these bad boys. Sorry, but I'm trying to get as much info as possible before I go for the gusto on this. Can anyone weigh in on this listing?

Burny (Japan) LP Custom - MIJ

A buddy of mine here in Jersey actually jumped on this one a few days ago, and brought it over for me to check out. I was a little surprised to find that it had a 4-pc body, though very well matched on the back (perhaps due to it being a later 80's?) But that fact aside, I continue to be amazed at the craftmanship and value of every Burny I get my hands on.

 

[mabands]

Well I received the guitar on Tuesday. It arrived amazingly fast considering that it came from Japan to Tennessee.

My first impressions are that it's lighter than I expected and in great condition for a guitar that's probably at least 15 years old. The neck is amazing. I absolutely love the shape and feel of it. The bridge pickup is currently wired with the coils split so it sounds pretty thin in the bridge position. That's okay because I intended to replace the pickups anyway. Although the neck pickup sounds great so I may keep it. The finish is a brighter cherry than it appeared in the eBay auction and looks very nice.

My only concern is that the neck has a little too much relief and I cannot adjust the truss rod any further. Luckily the action is still okay like this, although a touch higher than I like.

Now I understand why I read so many good reviews about Burny's. This is an amazing guitar and even better considering the price. I work near the Gibson Showcase here in Nashville, so I go play guitars occasionally and I like this Burny better than most of the modern Gibson's I play. That certainly surprised me.