Comments on: The Lure of the Wild Dog (Vintage 1965 Baldwin Burns Jazz Split-Sound Electric Guitar)

By: Sherman F. Childers

Sherman F. Childers — Thu, 26 Sep 2019 17:32:56 +0000

I sold my 1965 Baldwin twin about 5/7 years ago to a music store some where in N Y state. I live in Florida. It was my first electric. Photo’s are exactly like the one I owned. Article brings back memories. ROCK ON !!!!

By: Martiy

Martiy — Sat, 22 Jun 2019 20:21:38 +0000

I own and love this guitar. However, I altered the internal wiring. For one thing, there is a “strangle” cap through which all PU´s go, except for the neck PU; I just wired a jumper across it. Now the “Treble” setting has a lot more body to it. Second, I rewired the “Wild Dog” position in such a way that it would only give me the mid-PU on its own. The neck PU has a separate tranformer of its own; I rewired it so that it will couple through the same transformer as the other two PU´s (now it has more treble, doesn´t sound so “whoofy”). Lastly, I rewired the “Split Sound” setting; with all other PU settings, you get a humbucking arrangement, where both coils are wired in series. Not so with the “Split Sound”: the bass coil of the neck PU and the treble coil of the bridge PU run in paralell – hence a much weaker signal. I chnaged it so that the bass coil of the bridge PU and the treble PU of the mid PU are in series (and hum cancelling – the mid PU is out of phase with the other two). The result is a sound where the bass strings have a real country twang, while the treble strings sound a little fuller than they do in the “Treble” setting. The voicing is less radical, but all the more useful. Plus: it can all be returned to a factory original setting, if desired.

By: Ray

Ray — Fri, 20 Jul 2018 06:19:01 +0000

Message to Eddie Steadman.
Eddie you needed a circuit for your Bison. Here is one that may well suit you.
Just click on the below link then click on ‘supporting information’ you will see photos of guitars and a circuit with Wild Dog that you will hopefully find is what you need.
I could still be interested in buying your Bison bits if you ever sell it. Please let me know via this site and Zi will send you my contact details.
Cheers
Ray

http://www.trevormidgley.com/BurnsGuitars/SGBison.ht
ml

By: Ray

Ray — Fri, 20 Jul 2018 05:29:59 +0000

A sunburst 3 pup Bison sounds like a nice onel. is it original or a re- fin? Do you want to sell it?
I have a translucent cherry red model 1963 which is very rare and maybe the first of only 5 ever made in this colour.

By: Woody Bell

Woody Bell — Fri, 11 May 2018 15:48:09 +0000

I have a 1963 Burns of London/Ampeg Wild Dog 6 string in very very good condition in the original case and has the tool kit with it. I am willing to sell it. The head stock says jazz guitar/split sound. The pickguard says Ampeg bu Burns of London. It is all there. Complete and original and plays excellent. The book Pearls and Crazy Diamonds about 50 years of Burns guitars 1952-2002 comes with it $1600.

By: Eddie steadman

Eddie steadman — Thu, 26 Apr 2018 13:15:02 +0000

I have a Sunburst Burns Bison made around 1963 and I am trying to locate a circuit diagram showing the ‘wild dog’ hook up. The guitar has been in bits for the last 30 years and I have been trying to restore it to it’s original condition. I have located all the parts I need but the wiring diagram has been difficult to locate. Any help would be appreciated. My Bison has 3 pickups.

By: Andy Pegg

Andy Pegg — Sun, 05 Mar 2017 13:13:20 +0000

Back in the early 1970’s I put together my first jazz-rock band and needed an electric guitar at short notice. My friend Rick very generously lent me his immaculate black Burns Bison. At our first gig I recall that my friend the late blues singer Roger Barnes kept shouting, “Give it some more ‘wild dog’ Andy”, much to the amusement of me and the rest of the band!
Since then I’ve owned several lovely guitars, including a Gibson Les Paul ‘Black Beauty’, Fenders Stratocaster & Telecaster, Tokai Strat., Yamaha SA2100 and Eastman AR 403 – lovely guitars all of them, but no Wild Dog!

By: Paul Westnutt

Paul Westnutt — Sun, 16 Oct 2016 19:11:15 +0000

Several of the early sixties Burns guitars had the “split-sound” feature and the “wild dog” tone (the Bison, Split Sonic and Jazz Split Sound).

I have been a Burns fan since 1964 when I purchased my first Burns, but for me the split-sound feature and wild dog tone setting were nothing more than a gimmick – only if you played finger style did the split-sound feature seem to have any advantage, with the E, A and D strings from one pickup mixed with the G, B and E strings of a different pickup.

The “wild dog” tone was (to my ears) a very piercing, but thin, treble sound, with only a few possible applications (like, say, “Man of Mystery” or “Midnight” by the Shadows) and where the lead guitar had to cut through the sound of the rest of the band (especially if you had a loud drummer)! But for the most part, the “split-sound” pickups and wild dog tone were a disappointment.

The Split Sonic guitar had a brother – the Vista Sonic, and the Jazz Split Sound guitar had a sister – the Short Scale Jazz. Each of these guitars had “normal” Tri-Sonic pickups – and (to my ears) both sounded better than the Split-Sound pickups.

Why Burns did not simply produce a 3 Tri-Sonic pickups Jazz (as well as the 2 Tri-Sonic pickups Short Scale Jazz) is a mystery. For me the 3 pickup Jazz looked great, but was let down by its Split-Sound pickups – 3 Tri-Sonics would have made it a great guitar.

I have a 2 pickup Short Scale Jazz (with Tri-Sonic pickups) and can vouch that it is an excellent sounding guitar. The pickups are excellent for clean and distorted sounds and the guitar really sings through a Marshal!

Unfortunately, as with the Split Sonic, the Jazz Split Sound catches the eye, but not the ear!

By: Zo

Zo — Fri, 18 Mar 2016 15:19:43 +0000

I have a 1963 burns split sound excellent condition. Anyone interested email me please

By: Paul Crookall

Paul Crookall — Fri, 20 Nov 2015 19:06:42 +0000

I own half-a-dozen Burns guitars. Their labelling does not describe the tone settings they can produce. My 1963 Split Sound Baritone/Bass (24.75 neck and tremolo arm !!!), when set to Jazz, produces exactly that tone found on Sunshine of Your Love. Unsurprisingly, Jack Bruce had on e of these rare instruments. Anyone who has a Bison with the A-B Switch and the four-tone dial will know that it produces eight radically different tones, all very 1960s, from Woman Tone to wiry Surf sounds. Jim Burns gave his customers something that all guitar makers should be obliged to offer – he wired up every possible combination of pickups in the cradle, so that a three pick-up guitar offered seven sound combinations.

By: Bill Bailey

Bill Bailey — Tue, 25 Aug 2015 15:55:17 +0000

I have an Ampeg/Burns Wild Dog purchased new in the early 60’s from Manny’s Music. I used it extensively in my garage band days, and have played it off and on since then. The playability and finish seem unfazed by many years moderate abuse. It was a wonderful investment that still provides some fun. Never did figure out what that Wild Dog sound was supposed to be.

By: Dennis Forry

Dennis Forry — Tue, 03 Mar 2015 02:49:09 +0000

Mike Ripa…….hello, I am a huge Plan 9 fan. Are you saying Eric sold you his Ampeg guitar ? If so please, please take good care of it as I am sure you will. By the way do you recall what amp he was playing through in the early days it was an Ampeg I think but what model was it ? I did not get hip to the band till Keep Your Cool era…….I went to alot of shows around that time and still after all these years really love the band. Those early records you played on are really fantastic.
Oddly enough it was listening to Plan 9 that finally made me commit to playing guitar….Eric turned down my request for lessons at one point….and I dont fault him for it but I wonder what I may have become under his tutelage. I live in CA. now and have lost touch but I suppose I should write Deb and Eric to thank them again for all the hours of joy their music has brought to my life and I thank you too.

By: Tom Armbruster

Tom Armbruster — Mon, 02 Mar 2015 19:01:22 +0000

i first met one of these along with a Baldwin Eliminator amp (sort of the steroid-fueled big brother to the Baldwin that Willie Nelson uses to this day) at Mel Bay Music when they came out. I was in my early teens but the staff kind of knew me as a player and they let me fondle it and even plug it in (with the volume set at about negative 10). I also got the admonishment not to set it on Wild Dog. i did anyway and was unimpressed. Still, it’s cool as anything.

By: paul Kreft

paul Kreft — Mon, 02 Mar 2015 18:55:14 +0000

A green Bison would be extraordinarily rare. The factory offered them in only black or white, although The Burns people were known to do an occasional one off. the Baldwin/Burns saga is sadly marked by a series of missteps and Baldwin understanding the piano market but being pretty much in the dark as far as guitars and those who play them were concerned. Their only signature artist early on was Hank Marvin, an amazing player, wildly popular in Britain but largely unknown to the American kids who were their target.Later on they got one hit wonders, The American Breed, Jerry Reed, and even Willie Nelson on board but by then the brand was dead in the water and Baldwin bought Gretsch and abandoned the Burns line. Willie still uses a Baldwin amp with a Baldwin Prismatone pickup on his Martin guitar, Trigger. I love my Baldwins in all their quirky glory. Thanks for the article. (By the way…The Ampeg involvement pre-dates the Baldwin purchase.)

By: Double D

Double D — Mon, 02 Mar 2015 18:27:09 +0000

Wow! Plan 9? There’s a blast from the past! Bomp records? Or is my hemp-stained cranium having some memory issues? Just a whale searching for a porpoise?

Groovy guitar, but I’d rather have my long lost Yamaha SG-3 12 string, with it’s amazingly groovy pickups and wiring scheme!

By: Mike Ripa

Mike Ripa — Fri, 23 Jan 2015 03:04:48 +0000

I just purchased a Burns Ampeg wild dog splitsound guitar which my buddy played in our original garage band in the 80’s called Plan 9 from the voted worst of all time sci- fi movies Plan 9 from outer space. I played a Burns Bison, pea green, very light and with the scroll top headstock. Not a Baldwin Baby Bison! I’m not not having much luck finding an original, with the big horns that actually ended up pointing back at the neck! Quality wise maybe not the best but we loved them because people didn’t know what the hell we were playing and they looked different, cool. Anyway if you ever have something close I would appreciate an e-mail. Sorry about being long winded, but if you love music and guitars I think you will forgive me…….thanks…..Mike Ripa