Burns Cobra Demo 2

Updated Burns Cobra demo through a Fender Vibrolux, Electro Harmonix Soul Preacher, Big Muff Pi and Pulsar, and an Ibanez TS-9, with cameos by the Line 6 DL-4 and a Squier Bullet that I keep hot-rodding out. For this video I used a Groove Tubes GT-57 on the amp and a Shure lapel mic for narration, to eliminate unwanted compression or ambiance. The result is a very accurate representation of what this guitar might sound like in the studio.

This guitar has a sound that's completely unique - There's nothing like a Burns. I had been looking for one for a while, and when I saw this one I knew I had to have it. I've used it mostly for blues and pop music, and in these two genres it's absolutely one of the best guitars out there.

Go to 3:45 to skip all the boring stuff and get right to tone.

Look for this guitar on eBay this week! I'm sad to let it go, but times are hard.

A correction from my other Cobra demo - After playing many Strats I realized that the Tri-Sonic pickups are actually pretty hot! In the other video I said they were relatively low output, but I was comparing them to some really hot Strat pickups, which skewed my perspective a bit. They're not hot like Texas Specials and others, but still pretty blazing.

You'll also notice that the push-pull function is basically the same as Fender's S-1 switching, only I believe Burns was doing it before Fender. Correct me if I'm wrong on that.

Feel free to ask any questions or leave feedback.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Burns
• Cobra
• Club
• Series
• Electric
• Guitar
• Blues
• Funk
• Jazz
• Rock
• British
• Tri
• Sonic
• Fender
• Stratocaster
• Copy
• Vibrolux
• Electro
• Harmonix

[beachhutblues]

That thing is fret-buzzing way too much.

You need to slacken off the truss-rod a little bit ot give that neck some relief.

It will then ring like a bell.

Necks are not MEAN'T to be dead-straight!

[bgmathews]

@beachhutblues Thanks for watching, and thanks for the tip! Actually, I really dig all the fret buzz on this particular guitar - I think it's super funky. Most players probably hate it. But you're right, it's almost straight, and most players loosen the tension a little to keep their action low without buzz. At the time I think I only had between 1/32 and 1/16 of relief on the neck, but the bridge saddles were pretty low so it would buzz all the way down the neck.

[ChickenFaeces]

@bgmathews

Oh shit, really?  That's gnarly! Well, I'm nowhere near the Indianapolis area, so I can't say I'll be asking you t mod anything. But the info is much appreciated!

[bgmathews]

@ChickenFaeces It has more to do with the body cavity and pickguard routing than anything. The Tri-Sonics have no pole pieces, so string spacing will not affect the string balance etc the same way installing a Gibson humbucker would. In fact, technically you can use the Tri-Sonic for a variety of different stringed instruments, as long as the strings fall over the magnetic field.

[ChickenFaeces]

@bgmathews

You know how you can't put a Gibson humbucker into a strat because the spacing of the strings is different on either guitar? That's not the case here, is it?

(Sorry, I'm just not that articulate today!)

[bgmathews]

@ChickenFaeces Thanks for watching! These pickups do work great in a Strat, but not as direct replacement pickups. Using these in a Strat would sound great, but would probably require a new pickguard or even some body routing in order to install them. I recommend finding a highly qualified technician in your area - Or if you happen to be in the Indianapolis area I can install them for you. Sounds like a fun project!

[ChickenFaeces]

@bgmathews

Could I put a set of these into my strat with no modifications?

[dinkey100]

Awesome demo, really liked your funky sound. It convinced me of buying this guitar instead of a Strat copy.

Thanks .

[bgmathews]

@smackenurjunk It does sound significantly different - Brian May's guitar is technically a chambered guitar, made of oak with a mahogany veneer. It has very different tonal characteristics. But the tonal response of the pickups themselves is very close. With this guitar you can get pretty close to Brian May's sound with a Rat pedal and a slight mid-range boost on the eq.

[smackenurjunk]

would this sound significantly different than brians may sound? since the red special is different body and wood