Burns Marquee Pro

Once upon a time there was only one Strat, Tele or Les Paul model, but these days almost innumerable versions suit virtually every player preference and wallet size. This is the modern marketing way, playing to a product’s popularity by covering every possible price point. The policy results in an abundance of seemingly very similar products that can cause customer confusion, but the idea obviously appeals to the majority of mass-manufacturers, whether big or small, and Burns is no exception.

The Marvin has proved to be this British brand’s most popular model and the company unashamedly milks such success as much as possible. Apart from regularly introduced up-market reissues and revisions, the design has been brought to lower price levels via a variety of similarly styled, but less-expensive, interpretations. The first of these was the Marquee, launched in 1999. It too has become a best-seller for Burns London and is still going strong, recently being joined by a more costly close cousin known as the Marquee Pro. As with other more modern Burns, this newcomer is manufactured in China and the Pro suffix signifies a number of changes and upgrades over the standard six-string. Some have been borrowed from the Marvin and these combine with new components to provide a unique addition to the range.

The distinctive scroll headstock is naturally very much in evidence, this ‘love it or loath it’ design first being seen on the Burns Marvin back in 1964. The clear plastic badge denoting the model is another characteristic brand feature, and here it sits between a set of chrome-plated Wilkinson machine heads. These employ quite tall posts that actually negate the backward slope of the headstock, resulting in very little downward string deflection and causing some consequent playing buzz. Extra windings help to alleviate the symptoms a little, but this isn’t an ideal solution and, in view of the Marquee Pro’s more pricey status, it’s a pity that locking-type tuners aren’t fitted as these offer an obvious cure.

An equally typical traditional touch is the presence of a zero fret, which demotes the neatly cut nut to string-guide status and will no doubt eventually incur the usual wear-related ‘clicks’ when string-bending. It is strange that Burns still feel honour-bound to include this somewhat anachronistic and potentially problematic feature, especially on models that don’t pretend to be accurate repros of any oldie originals. The one-piece maple neck employs a shallow-ish ‘C’ profile, offering an instantly familiar, ‘stay and play’ feel that’s enhanced by a smooth-edged rosewood fingerboard. The latter boasts a gentle radius, pearloid position dots, a 648mm scale length and 21 consistently well-finished frets that are on the slim side of medium.

The neck/body join is one of the areas where Marvin and Marquee meet on this new model. As on the standard Marquee, the neck is firmly anchored in time-honoured Fender manner, using four-screws and a metal neckplate. However, on the Pro, the latter incorporates a hole that matches one through the body heel. This offers access to the spigot adjuster for the gearbox-style truss rod usually associated with the Marvin.

The basswood body mimics the original model’s offset interpretation of a Strat, with angled lower bouts and chunkier, inward curving horns. Smoothly executed contours on the front and back are enhanced by the high-gloss polyester finish in black or red. These colours contrast a three-section scratchplate made of white pearl plastic laminate. On the right horn, the ‘Handcrafted by Burns London’ logo is engraved and black-filled; an improvement on the silk-screened version employed by this maker’s less-expensive examples. The Pro is equipped with three Tri-Sonic single-coils, rather than the Rez-o-Matik equivalents used on the standard Marquee. This isn’t the first Marvin variant to offer such an alternative, as the earlier Shadow and Shadow Specials came with the same configuration.

As usual, the pickups are arranged in the angled formation first featured by the original Marvin, while the control layout is the same as that on more recent re-creations. This means Strat-style circuitry, with a five-way selector partnering a master volume and two tones. However, a push-pull switch provides the additional combinations of neck-plus-bridge pickup positions or all three on together.

The Pro’s control knobs are the proper Marvin design, replacing the Strat copy type seen on the standard Marquee. The selector switch tip is equally brand specific, replicating the original ribbed version rather than being a generic Fender version. The same accuracy even extends to the strap buttons, as these are again re-creations of Burns’ own components, not off-the-shelf alternatives. The vibrato unit is another item that distinguishes the Pro from the basic Marquee. The latter comes with a Burns-branded design, but here this is replaced by the Wilkinson WV model. It’s mounted on twin, height-adjustable pivot studs, while the beefy bridgeplate carries six PRS-style saddles that provide a suitably smooth-topped playing surface.

The Strat-like arm is a push-in type, with swing tension adjusted via a grub-screw mounted in the inertia block beneath. The latter lump features string holes arranged in a staggered three-plus-three formation that conforms to the standard intonation pattern.

This typically ingenious piece of Trevor Wilkinson design has caused problems with the Pro’s backplate, which is a generic type featuring a slim slot obviously intended for an equally narrow vibrato block with six in-line string holes. This lack of width impedes the string-threading process, but the Chinese have cunningly overcome the problem by simply angling the plate enough to allow sufficient access. The solution just about works, but it’s certainly not ideal, especially as the backplate is also too small to properly span the spring cavity and the decidedly skew-whiff end result looks far from elegant!

This problem is present on both review guitars and has been noted on other Marquee Pros, indicating a consistent construction glitch. Having been made aware of the criticism, Burns have reacted in predictably positive fashion, promptly organising production of a new backplate. Custom-made for the Marquee Pro, this now matches the scratchplate and is larger all round with a correct size string slot. According to Burns boss Barry Gibson, the revised version is being fitted to all future Marquee Pros and will also be available to retrofit on earlier examples.

The Marquee Pro is available either in gloss black or red finishes. The gearbox-style truss rod arrangement can be adjusted via a small access hole in the four-bolt neck plate.

Played acoustically, the Marquee Pro reveals the sort of warm and resonant ring that usually bodes well for plugged-in performance. While some Burns aficionados may argue the toss about the merits of the new Tri-Sonics, there’s no doubting these modern re-creations are very capable pickups, as well as being far more consistent in terms of tonal content and build quality compared to their 1960’s antecedents. The neck position delivers a deep, dark and woody twang that’s nicely balanced by a sweet and clear top end. This combination is tailor-made for anything from moody jazz to beefy blues work. The centre spot can be quite non-committal on some triple-pickup six-strings, but here a tubular-toned ring imbues character, contributing to a very usable response that works especially well on arpeggiated chords. The bridge pickup is suitably bright and tight, with a metallic mid-range flanked by muscular bass and clanging treble.

The combination settings offer usefully funky and forky sounding alternatives, but Burns’ angled pickup positioning alters the overall harmonic content, thus avoiding direct comparison with Fender’s finest. The two extra settings engaged via the second tone pot switch are handy additions, with the neck-plus-bridge pairing providing a credible Tele-type option, while the three in tandem further increases the phase-cancellation chime factor.

Definition is consistently never in question, holding up well for even the most complex chordal passages, while smoothly progressive pots help to make the most of subtle changes in level and tone.

The Tri-Sonic’s different design and construction makes for more meaty results than those supplied by Burns’ more overtly Fender-orientated Rez-o-Matik pickup. The Tri-Sonic isn’t as inherently bright and snappy, packing more mid-range punch and a fatter top end. These qualities come into their own when some amp gain is introduced into the aural equation. They provide the Pro with focus that helps keep the sound controlled but expressive, even under quite dirty conditions. This model may not be any metaller’s most obvious choice, but it holds up surprisingly well in such demanding conditions.

The Wilkinson WV vibrato unit is efficient and responsive, although a spare spring would be appreciated by players who prefer a stiffer return tension. Some pitch consistency problems are apparent, but the nut is actually the culprit, as the string slots would benefit from some extra setup T.L.C.

Some might not see the need for this Pro model, but it nicely bridges the gap between the more affordable Marquee and the full-blown, up-market Marvin reissue. It also offers a well-made and very viable alternative for those Burns players less concerned with vintage image and who might prefer Tri-Sonics to Rez-o-Matik pickups, likewise the decidedly simpler Wilkinson vibrato system. Apart from the various upgrades, the extra outlay also buys a fully-fledged Marvin-style hard case, complete with attendant accessories. The end result is an attractive, high quality and good-value package that deserves to appeal to players beyond mere Burns buffs. 0

Burns Marquee Pro

Electric guitar