Burny

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Burny is a range of Gibson replica guitars produced by Fernandes Japan (Fernandes Guitars).

1 History
2 Characteristics
3 Serial Numbers
4 Sources
5 External links

[edit] History

Fernandes was established in 1969 in Japan. The Burny brand was used for the Gibson replicas and the Fernandes brand was used for the Fender replicas. At first Fernandes made Acoustic models and around 1971/1972 started making electric models such as the Fernandes Fender replica models and the Burny Gibson replica models. Steve Jones (Steve Jones (musician)) from the Sex Pistols has used Burny Les Pauls. Hideto Matsumoto (X Japan) also used Burny's. Robert Fripp has used Fernandes guitars.

[edit] Characteristics

The original selling price in Japanese Yen is often included in the model number for example FLG-90 = 90,000 Japanese Yen. The Japanese Burny and Fernandes models from the 1970's/1980's had an excellent build quality. Also the Japanese Burny Gibson replicas and the Fernandes Fender replicas had excellent pickups. Early Fernandes Fender replicas (Revival Series) used Fender like headstock shapes. For later models the Fender like headstock shape was altered. The Burny models sometimes come with VH-1 pickups (Gibson PAF like pickups) which have an excellent reputation amongst players and the Fernandes models pickups likewise have an excellent reputation. The higher end Burny models have fret edge binding. The early Burny models use "Les Paul model" on the headstock which was later changed to "Super Grade model". The FLG-XX Burny models are from the 1970's to the early 1980's and the RLG-XX Burny models are from the early 1980's onwards. Burny have made signature models such as the Randy Rhoads LC-75RR with VH-1 pickups and fret edge binding. Fernandes have also made Acoustic guitars using the Burny brand name. Fernandes currently have guitars made in Japan, Korea and China. Fernandes do not have their own guitar manufacturing factories and rely on OEM guitar manufacturers to make guitars for them. The majority of Burny models up until the 1990's were made by FujiGen Gakki and Tokai. Tokai made some Burny models around the late 1970's/early 1980's.

[edit] Serial Numbers

Older Japanese Burny models usually do not have serial numbers but newer ones do. Dating for Burny models can roughly be done by the differences in the truss rod covers. Burny models from the 1970's to early 1980's have a bell shaped truss rod cover and if the truss rod cover is a christmas tree shape and has a thin white band it is from the mid 1980's to early 1990's. From the late 1990's the truss rod cover has a dome shape with 3 screws. Japanese Burny models with a 3 screw truss rod cover are the higher priced models. The price is in the model number (RLG-90 = 90,000 Japanese Yen).