Burny Serial Number Check
A local store has a Burny SG, looks like a 61 Reissue with the smaller half guard. It's got it's fair share of dings an scrapes, and the frets have some real play on them but plenty left, I think. There is no serial number on back, and from what info I've been able to dig up that is not uncommon but the norm with Burny. The price is $500. Is there any way I can make sure that it's definitely a MIJ Burny, as opposed to a MIK Burny?
It plays nice, and I'm real interested but I don't want to spend that amount on a Korean Burny. The store owner just said he got it in a trade-in and doesn't know the origin.
And also, how does $500 sound for a very played Burny SG 61 Reissue, if indeed it's MIJ? Thanks for any help.
Burny's can be pretty difficult to determine their country of origin. Generally though, the older 70s to early 80's models sport the Gibson style trussrod cover.
Mid 80s to early 90s models have the modified Gibson style cover like this one. Late 90s to present have a 3 screw truss rod cover as do the MIC and MIK models.
My suggestion would be to unscrew the cover to make sure there aren't 3 screw holes for the cover. Here are a couple of articles that may help.
Don't know if the price of the SGs have gone up, but I purchased my 80s SG for $350 off Ebay a couple of years ago. I've owned several small guard Burny SG's. As a rule I don't buy any MIJ guitars without serial numbers.
Pretty sure both of mine, an 86 an 87 had the long tenon. Regular Burny pups- not the VH1's. Nice guitars but the necks were a little too wonky for me. As a rule the MIJ's will have a 2 screw TRC. Burny (Fernandes) never stopped making guitars. You can buy a brand new one in Japan but they are MIC. Not bad though.My advise?
Go over to the Japanaxe forum and post. You'll get an answer really fast. I was always told the no serial number guitars were 90's.
Serial Number Check Warranty
But who knows? That's half the fun of collecting MIJ guitars, most of the 'history' is really hard to prove. Burny are still making guitars in Japan. Allegedly the quality isn't on par with the older models or even other Japanese brands like Tokai.
Serial Number Checking
Electronics and pickups can help to identify certain eras as well. Mid 80s models had brass baseplates and grey hookup wire for the pickups with either green or yellow ceramic caps. I've been told that Burny didn't use serial numbers during the mid 80s to early 90s. Serial numbers were stamped on headstocks prior to the '82 or '83 and again during the mid 90s. Is also a great resource for Japanese made guitars.
I went into a guitar center and they had this Burny saying it was a 'vintage' 80's model, Felt OK (needs new strings) but I wasn't 100 percent it was from the 80's, seems newer. Priced pretty cheap as it had a couple finish cracks on the neck, Was wondering if anyone had some insight on it. Here are some pics. Wiring and no name pickups look like it could be China/Korea. They 'assured' me that the vintage team looked at pictures of it and said it was a vintage 80's model made in japan, doesn't look it to me and from the info I gathered the FG serial numbers are all made in China. Anyone care to shed some light on this? /URL/IMG /URL/IMG /URL/IMG /URL/IMG /URL/IMG.
Serial Number Check Specs
I went into a guitar center and they had this Burny saying it was a 'vintage' 80's model, Felt OK (needs new strings) but I wasn't 100 percent it was from the 80's, seems newer. Priced pretty cheap as it had a couple finish cracks on the neck, Was wondering if anyone had some insight on it.
Here are some pics. Wiring and no name pickups look like it could be China/Korea. They 'assured' me that the vintage team looked at pictures of it and said it was a vintage 80's model made in japan, doesn't look it to me and from the info I gathered the FG serial numbers are all made in China. Anyone care to shed some light on this? /URL/IMG /URL/IMG /URL/IMG /URL/IMG /URL/IMG. I didn't know they made Super Grades in China, but I agree that is most likely not MIJ.
I owned a MIJ Burny LP style with no serial number bought from Japan and it was very different from my Fuji-Gen guitars. If I'm honest it wasn't up to the same level, however it did pay attention to details of early Gibson models that my Fuji-Gens didn't like bigger necks and pickups and sort of over all feel IMO.
That said I would compare my old Burny LP to today's Epiphone Limited Edition guitars- they're very good and nail the most important things but don't really feel like custom shop guitars, and we shouldn't expect them to. The Burnys with the serial numbers were most likely made to higher specifications. This is all my own personal experience.