Project Vista Sonic (rut row, JIO's at it again!)

[T-34]

I like this one a lot!

 

[Fender_Bender]

A bass version of this would be super cool....

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That whammy bar lol!. Looks like a gear shift lever from a farm tractor .

 

[JIO]

No word from Pat yet about the Vista Sonic... in the meantime I found this nice '66 Baldwin (Burns) Baby Bison on the ebay (no affiliation) at a good price for a cool vintage bass. 1966 Vintage Burns Baby Bison Baldwin England Orange Distressed 4 String Bass | eBay Another example of how their red was very prone to fading to nearly natural. (as seen under the pg sections & bridge) The short scale Baby Bison body design is a softer version of the very "horny" Bison but offered the cool Reso-tube bridge. The 2x2 hs was a variant of the scroll design first seen in prototypes from around '64. It was the last Jim Burns design before selling to Baldwin in '65.

Very nice chequing - I also like the strap-peg on the back of the upper-horn.

Check out the illustration of the Reso-tube bridge below - the red area was where a rubber 'gasket' was lodged to block/cover the route and allow up & down bridge adjustment.

Not sure if it's a replacement but the jack is a more conventional type - not the British variety.

Quite ingenious as was the MO of Jim Burns - the "tube" of Reso-tube was referencing the string channels through the body which were lined with metal tubes.

 

[rocu]

Did you buy it?

 

[JIO]

Did you buy it?

I admit to being tempted but ATC it's not the best time to be spending money on 'wants'.

 

[JIO]

Got the email from Pat - the Vista Sonic is done! Sez' he'll ship it next week. If he ships it on Monday it'll be here on Wednesday. Can't wait to see it! woo-hoo!

 

[Fender_Bender]

The rez o tube bridge seems like a solution in search of a problem. And much like the mass of a strat tone block has a big influence on tone, I don’t think it’s a good idea at all.
On a different note, I was watching a bunch of Lenny Breau videos the other day and he seemed to really like Baldwin electrics when not playing acoustic. Such a talent wasted on a guy who never met a drug he wouldn’t take .

 

[JIO]

The rez o tube bridge seems like a solution in search of a problem. And much like the mass of a strat tone block has a big influence on tone, I don’t think it’s a good idea at all.
On a different note, I was watching a bunch of Lenny Breau videos the other day and he seemed to really like Baldwin electrics when not playing acoustic. Such a talent wasted on a guy who never met a drug he wouldn’t take .

I think Jim Burns was legendary for over-designing. It's the sign of an over-exuberant amateur, and if empowered that person will eventually design something good along the way if he's lucky. Not familiar with Lenny Breau.

 

[Fender_Bender]

I think Jim Burns was legendary for over-designing. It's the sign of an over-exuberant amateur, and if empowered that person will eventually design something good along the way if he's lucky. Not familiar with Lenny Breau.

Check Lenny out. Chet Atkins was his hero, and Chet admitted Lenny was far ahead of him. Unfortunately, he was one of those guys who could only do one thing, play guitar. He really didn’t know how to live life. Possibly could have been autistic to some degree in that way.
Unfortunately, he was a big drug fiend. Multiple reports of him raiding medicine cabinets when in others houses and swallowing anything he could get his hands on.
He lived across the road from Randy Bachman and mentored him on guitar. He died many years ago.

 

[JIO]

Check Lenny out. Chet Atkins was his hero, and Chet admitted Lenny was far ahead of him. Unfortunately, he was one of those guys who could only do one thing, play guitar. He really didn’t know how to live life. Possibly could have been autistic to some degree in that way.
Unfortunately, he was a big drug fiend. Multiple reports of him raiding medicine cabinets when in others houses and swallowing anything he could get his hands on.
He lived across the road from Randy Bachman and mentored him on guitar. He died many years ago.

Thanks for that - my friend Jim Nichols knew Chet and plays in that style.(he's quite exceptional) I'll have to bring up LB when I talk with him, and meanwhile I'll do a YouTube search.

 

[JIO]

RED bass -

Strange 'drift' image not a paint flaw - some sort of reflection. Too exhausted to re-take a shot of it - spent the last 8hrs doing all the cleaning/paint touch-up/final loading at our ex-apartment. The bass arriving today was my reward and a glass of scotch is now front & center. The neck is finished the same - need to do post-finish fussy-work before I can set it in the pocket. It's going to be badass.

 

[Jon Clegg]

 

[JIO]

The photo makes it look more 'tomato' - it's actually more... I don't know.., more vampy nail-polish red if that makes any sense. Definitely red.

 

[rocu]

Very nice

 

[Jon Clegg]

The photo makes it look more 'tomato' - it's actually more... I don't know.., more vampy nail-polish red if that makes any sense. Definitely red.

Actually it looks more nail polish red than tomato on my monitor. It's dead sexy, that's for sure.

 

[Fender_Bender]

The photo makes it look more 'tomato' - it's actually more... I don't know.., more vampy nail-polish red if that makes any sense. Definitely red.

Looks more Dakota red than Fiesta red on my screen.

 

[Dynacord]

That looks great! Yes, very vampy nail-polish/lipstick red.

The rez o tube bridge seems like a solution in search of a problem. And much like the mass of a strat tone block has a big influence on tone, I don’t think it’s a good idea at all.
On a different note, I was watching a bunch of Lenny Breau videos the other day and he seemed to really like Baldwin electrics when not playing acoustic. Such a talent wasted on a guy who never met a drug he wouldn’t take .

Lenny Breau was an astoundingly original talent (with a too tragic end). "Must know" IMO. My friend Phil deGruy studied and played with him a lot - including some living/crashing together. Good intro to Breau in this documentary done for Canadian TV by his daughter:



By the way, was reminded that on the band Massacre's album "Killing Time" (with Bill Laswell playing bass), Fred Frith played a Burns guitar (a Black Bison IIRC) on the whole thing.

 

[JIO]

That looks great! Yes, very vampy lipstick red.



Lenny Breau was an astoundingly original talent (with a too tragic end). "Must know" IMO. My friend Phil deGruy studied and played with him a lot - including some living/crashing together. Good intro to Breau in this documentary done for Canadian TV by his daughter:



By the way, was reminded that on the band Massacre's album "Killing Time" (with Bill Laswell playing bass), Fred Frith played a Burns guitar (a Black Bison IIRC) on the whole thing.

Will be my evening educational viewing! Also - I bought that Massacre LP when new - love it! Will listen to it again (in a long time) soon!

 

[JIO]

Had to send the neck back to Pat - there was an issue that needs to be resolved. I've been dong biz with Pat for years, and he is always one to deal with any issue in a professional manor. It will be resolved and done in a quality way - it's not the first time but every time, he resolved it. Part & parcel of running a big business. This is the sign of a professional with integrity. I knew that from my very first dealings with him. Amazingly enough I have never actually met him - but I can tell you he is he hardest-working, most honest and talented finisher in the biz. To say "finished by Pat Wilkins" equates quality par excellence.

 

[JIO]

That looks great! Yes, very vampy nail-polish/lipstick red.



Lenny Breau was an astoundingly original talent (with a too tragic end). "Must know" IMO. My friend Phil deGruy studied and played with him a lot - including some living/crashing together. Good intro to Breau in this documentary done for Canadian TV by his daughter:



By the way, was reminded that on the band Massacre's album "Killing Time" (with Bill Laswell playing bass), Fred Frith played a Burns guitar (a Black Bison IIRC) on the whole thing.

Thank you so much for this vid David - it reminded me of the Chet Baker doc. So sad but so heart-warming. LB escaped my radar for guitarists/artists of his caliber. I'm so glad to know of him now - I love his style of expression on guitar.