'63 Burns Sonic Bass (NBD)

[Chris P.]

Some weeks ago a friend who works at a music store, told me they got a '63 Burns Sonic in. The pickups are on - and not in - the pickguard en the former owner removed the switch and put the pickups close together like a mudbucker. Another friend at the shop brought it back to former glory - as good as possible - and I got it for a very nice price.

It's a small, light, and very well sounding bass!

[Pilgrim]

Very, very cool looking bass!!

[ilan]

Wow. Very cool. Congrats!

The original bridge was a weird unit.

[Rob]

Nice find!
How do you string that bridge?

[Chris P.]

I think the bridge on Ilan's pic has holes in de back to feed the string through.


The plastic knob one is '60 or '61. I have the aluminium knob one from '63, with a different bridge. I'm sure it's original, cos it looks a lot like the bridge on the '64 Vista Sonic Bass I used to have.

One problem with tha one, same wit my Gretsch Billy Bo: the saddles are wheels on a thread, so if you feed the string over the saddle, while tuning, the wheel turns and it messes up your string spacing.

[Dave W]

Nice one. An oddball in this day and age but I'll bet it sounds good.

[Chris P.]

And Leo Fender was right with the first Telecasters: who needs a truss rod? This Burns doesn't

[ilan]

One problem with tha one, same wit my Gretsch Billy Bo: the saddles are wheels on a thread, so if you feed the string over the saddle, while tuning, the wheel turns and it messes up your string spacing.

That's a brilliant design.

[Rob]

Looks great!

[gearHed289]

One problem with tha one, same wit my Gretsch Billy Bo: the saddles are wheels on a thread, so if you feed the string over the saddle, while tuning, the wheel turns and it messes up your string spacing.

I've used a drop of clear nail polish to keep them in place on my Schaller bridges.

[uwe]

Well, someone has to like its looks.

[Chris P.]

Yes like me. A face only a mother could love.

[uwe]