New Marvin - Deja Vu for Japanese market

[cockroach]

Interesting....and that price in Oz dollars is over AUS$1,200...not cheap for what is still a copy..albeit a very nice copy...bit cheeky putting the Burns London name on it, but they don't give a toss about being sued, as Paul said!

Mind you, in such small markets as ours here in Australia, which also has a weak currency at present, all guitars seem to be getting more expensive these days...even some Squier models are nearly AUS$1,000..

[Rover]

Hi, this is a great looking guitar. At that price I would like one, but import duty presumably has to be paid. Hard to think that it is a fake, surely it s illegal to put the Burns logo on it. I wonder if this guitar sounds like a Burns.
regards Rover

[dusty fretz]

Strictly speaking, the Deja Vu can't really be considered a copy or a fake, as it doesn't exactly replicate an existing Burns six-string and the model name is clearly different. However, the intention to deceive is undeniable and it certainly IS an unauthorised variation on the Marvin, blatantly made without Barry Gibson's permission in the factory that produces his 'proper' range. It also carries the correct Burns logo, which is a very obvious violation of trademark copyright, but that sort of detail rarely bothers Chinese manufacturers! It will indeed play and sound like a current Marvin because, apart from the visible differences previously noted, the components employed are apparently identical.

Unfortunately this commercial criminality is more the rule than the exception over there and Burns certainly isn't the only guitar brand to suffer in this way. In fact many big names accept such piracy as pretty much par for the course when choosing to use China and they accordingly allow for the losses thus incurred when calculating their profit margins.

[Paisley]

Hi all; first time poster but (very) long time Shadows fan.

Ironically I actually discovered this forum while researching this exact Guitar! I picked up a second-hand one just today over here (Australia) & was baffled by the almost non-existence of any information about it out there. Funnily enough I actually emailed Barry at Burns about it; his response was brief (understandable after reading about the situation), but he made no mention of it not being a legitimate Burns. In hindsight, considering the situation, it was very gracious of him to reply at all.

In some ways it's probably a good thing I discovered all this after the fact; if I'd known about its chequered history beforehand, I would have most likely reconsidered buying it. Despite its shady origins, it's an absolutely gorgeous Guitar to play.

Cheers.

[JimN]

Hi all; first time poster but (very) long time Shadows fan.

Ironically I actually discovered this forum while researching this exact Guitar! I picked up a second-hand one just today over here (Australia) & was baffled by the almost non-existence of any information about it out there. Funnily enough I actually emailed Barry at Burns about it; his response was brief (understandable after reading about the situation), but he made no mention of it not being a legitimate Burns. In hindsight, considering the situation, it was very gracious of him to reply at all.

In some ways it's probably a good thing I discovered all this after the fact; if I'd known about its chequered history beforehand, I would have most likely reconsidered buying it. Despite its shady origins, it's an absolutely gorgeous Guitar to play.

Cheers.

Welcome aboard, Dash!

PS: That's a great name.

[Billyboygretsch]

Whilst I agree with many of the comments here regarding the manufacture of a product very similar to a Burns Marvin - no mention of Marvin or the Shadows on this model - and particularly the unauthorised use of the name, it's not much different to what has happened with Fender over the years. Not just guitars but components.
Unfortunately Burns UK are poor at promoting models or in fact keeping stock of many. I know someone who has been waiting over a year for a Bison.
If Barry had the marketing resources he would have realised that there was a market outside of the traditional Shadows market and give Japan what it wanted. This model also has a lot of appeal to many in Europe.
The number of new Burns models which have been manufactured but never marketed is incredible. What has been new on the Website apart from another version of the Marvin or an overpriced Nu Sonic bass - introduced to try and latch onto the loose George Harrison connection.
I have a number of Burns guitars old and modern. Many of the modern ones were not easy to find.
Also to be remembered is others who built Marvins after JB ceased and also the number of people building their own from ex Shergold stocks.
BG is in a competitive market and cannot rely on just the connection to the Shadows

[cockroach]

Regarding the Chinese copying things, I read an interesting article a few years ago, at the time when it was a big scandal that the Chinese were copying some new European and Japanese car models. (There was/is actually a close copy of the current Rolls Royce Phantom for example!)

The writer said that in their culture there was no law or history of such law (or stigma) attached to patents and copyrights etc and therefore copying such consumer items etc and selling them far cheaper than the originals..in fact, it was seen as good smart business practice...if a firm could copy, produce and market and sell an item for less money, it was smart and successful business and admired.

Rightly or wrongly, different people, different cultures...

[Billyboygretsch]

When working I had to deal with China a lot. We were always aware of the risk of copying - I remember the outcry when the Japanese did it. They however seemed to have the knack of copying improving and marketing. I remember when Fender started making in Japan these guitars were frowned upon as some way inferior. Now they are seen as some of the best quality and have their own niche market.
In the case of Burns I understand that BG uses 4 factories thats going to increase the risk. The gamble here was making more money against the threat of copying. Made in China but the prices didn't come down.

[Paisley]

Welcome aboard, Dash!

PS: That's a great name.

Hey, thanks for the welcome. It's actually a nickname that took over about 35 years ago, but it's been proven more than once that having an odd name in the Music Industry can really help as far as return work goes! (lol)

Really great forum this one; I'm surprised I didn't discover it a few years ago when I had a Shadows/Surf style Instrumental project on the go. It's been put on hold over the last few years due to Family circumstances, but will most probably rear it's ugly head once again at some point in the future. When it does, I'm sure the little Deja Vu will come in handy!

[Rover]

Hi, I see that the same seller is advertising a Burns Marquee Pro for sale. Is this a fake also. Both guitars look great .
regards Rover