Recently, the gang over at Atlas Obscura shared a truly engaging video that shows shiny new electric guitars being built in England in 1965. To be more precise, these axes are being assembled at the old Burns factory in Essex.
The clip, which was posted by British Pathé, is extra enjoyable because of its curmudgeonly narrator, who slips in silly comments about rebellious teens and youths, including, "all this to make a bedlam of adolescent noise" and “the guitar boys have to pay so much for their guitars that they have no money left for a haircut.” Ridiculous!
Anyway, at the 49-second mark, you can see how the rosewood fingerboard and nickel frets are fastened to a guitar's neck by hand. Pretty much the entire clip is fascinating, including its healthy serving of routing and painting. Remember that the mass production of electric guitars was still a relatively new one for England, which imported most of its axes before the British Invasion completely rocked its world in 1964 and '65.
Burns London is still turning out some fine guitars, by the way, including its Hank Marvin Signature Edition (which I wouldn't mind owning). Head here for more information.
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