1990 Burny RLC-65 '60 Les Paul Custom Black Beauty - Revival Series - Original VH-1 Humbuckers - Made In Japan MIJ

1990 Burny RLC-65 '60 Les Paul Custom Black Beauty model (1960 Les Paul Custom) from the Burny Revival series - In gloss black finish - With Original VH-1 Humbuckers - Made in the famous Dyna Gakki factory in Japan - MIJ

• Serial Number: None
• Body: Mahogany (appears to be 2 piece top, on a 3 piece back)
• Neck: Mahogany (possibly 1 pc, I can't see a seam under the paint)
• Fretboard: Rosewood (factory dyed black)
• Fretboard Radius: Around 10"
• Fret Edge Binding: Yes
• Inlays: Acrylic Pearloid blocks
• Frets: 22 x Vintage Narrow (0.9mm tall x 2.0mm wide)
• Nut Width: 43.5mm
• Width at 1st Fret: 44.8mm
• Width at 12th Fret: 52.7mm
• Thickness at 1st Fret: 21.3mm
• Thickness at 12th Fret: 24.4mm
• Nut: Bone
• Tuners: Original gold Gotoh sealed tuners
• Bridge & Tailpiece: Non original gold Japanese made SG 8107 F ABR style bridge and SG tailpiece (same as the original)
• Pickups: 2 x Original gold covered Fernandes/Burny VH-1 pickups
• Neck Pickup Resistance: 8.15K ohm
• Bridge Pickup Resistance: 7.98K ohm
• Pots: Original 500K pots with 05 date stamps (May 1990)
• Strings: Ernie Ball Regular Slinky 2221 10-46 - E Standard tuning
• Weight: 8.88lbs
• Non Original Parts: Pickguard, pickguard bracket & screws, bridge, tailpiece, strap buttons
• Case: New quality made Profile G05TX gig bag
• Truss Rod: Works as expected with lots of room to tighten, but at the limit of loose

The RLC-65 '60 from the Burny Revival series is their 1960 2 pickup Les Paul Custom Black Beauty model.

Burny, along with Tokai in the mid 80's, were the only brands to offer a 2 pickup Les Paul Custom made with a full mahogany body and neck - like the earliest Gibson Les Paul Custom's were - in the sub 1000 level guitar range. The Aria Les Paul customs in the late 70's and early 80's had maple tops and maple necks, and were no longer making Les Paul's by 1990 - the Orville LPC's also had maple tops - Greco did make an EG58-100 in the early 80's along with a 3 pickup EG57-60 version - and Burny also made a 3 pickup version the RLC-65 '57.

So if you're looking for an all Mahogany construction Les Paul Custom with 2 humbuckers from Japan - this is one of your best options.

One nice thing about all mahogany Les Paul's is that they tend to be lighter - like this one, weighing in at only 8.88lbs!

By 1990, Burny basically had VH-1 pickups installed on nearly all of their Gibson models - which is a good thing, since these pickups sound fantastic, and can cover almost any genre well. With a slightly hot PAF wind in and around 8.00K to 8.15K ohm range, they use a polished Alnico magnet. They can clean up when you roll off the volume, but can easily push your amp into break up. The VH-1's are one of the many great sounding PAF or modern PAF style pickups to come out of Japan in that era.

Likely as a nod what Gibson was doing in the early to mid 80's with the "Pat Appl. For" stickers that they installed on the pickup rings of the Tim Shaw PAF's, Burny also used VH-1 stickers on their pickup rings which are still in place on this guitar, although they have faded over time.

Burny had Fujigen and Dyna Gakki making their SG models during this time. They are very similar, but there are some differences - you can tell them apart by the control cavity route. This one is a Dyna Gakki built custom.

This guitar arrived to me without a nut, bridge, tailpiece, pickguard or bracket. I had a vintage gold SG 8107 F and SG tailpiece in my parts bin - the same as what was on this model originally, so I installed them onto this guitar. The bridge thumbscrews and posts, along with the tailpiece inserts and studs are original - just the bridge and tailpiece itself were replaced. I was also able to source what appears to be an original Burny pickguard from Japan, and installed it with a new gold pickguard bracket. I also installed a new non bleached bone nut on this one. It also arrived with 2 non original strap lock type strap buttons.

Other than those items, everything else on this guitar appears to be original, and this guitar is in good players grade condition.

Like most vintage gloss black guitars, this one has lots of scratches and swirling in the finish all over the guitar, along with a a few dents and dings here and there, and some blush in the finish on the face of the headstock. Gloss black is by far the hardest colour to keep looking brand new - it shows ever little mark. But overall, this one has lots of mojo - it has been played, a lot, but not abused.

The gold hardware has varying degrees of tarnish, pitting, corrosion, plate peeling, and/or rust, but there is still some shine left in areas, everything works as expected, and overall it has a consistent patina.

The black plastics have typical scratches, pick marks and swirling on them.

This Burny is made with a 1 piece mahogany neck mated to a mahogany body. Although I can't tell for certain under the gloss black finish, it appears to be a 2 piece mahogany top (possibly 3 piece), on a 2 or 3 piece mahogany back.

The neck itself has a nice medium C carve to it - it's really comfortable to play, staring out at 21.3mm at the 1st fret and ending up at a thick 24.4mm by the 12th fret.

They say the best guitars get played - and this one has definitely been played.

These RLC models came with rosewood fretboard that were dyed black (Ebony) from the factory. This dye can wear off over time. This guitar has been played a lot, so much of the dye is worn off on the lower 16 frets (basically all of the frets below the heel).

Although it has been played, a lot, the frets have much less wear than the fretboard, likely thanks to the vintage narrow size. Although there is some fret wear, mainly on plain strings on the lower 12 frets, overall there is lots of life left in these frets, and the guitar plays great up and down the entire fretboard.

All the guitars I sell, I test, thoroughly clean, and setup completely before I list them. Anything that is missing, damaged, or non original is mentioned in the listing.

I setup all my Gibson style guitars to Gibson factory specs - including neck relief, action, pickup height, intonation, and tailpiece height. So this guitar will be ready to play out of the box (after you tune it up - I ship my guitars with the strings loosened).

Comes with a new quality made Profile G05TX gig bag.

Overall, this is great looking Les Paul Custom that looks as good as it sounds, is built well, and plays great.

If you're looking for an Les Paul custom you'll want this Burny RLC-65 '60 in your collection today.

CONDITION ------------

Overall it's in good player grade shape.

I've tried to capture all of the flaws in the photos and in the description.

The nut, bridge, tailpiece, pickguard, pickguard bracket & screws, and strap buttons are not original (although most pieces are vintage correct).

There are many scuffs, scratches, swirling, dings, dents, and chips in the finish all over the guitar.

There is a large scratch across the front of the top below the tailpiece.

There is blush in the finish on the face of the headstock.

There is a scratch in the finish on the high E side of the neck by the nut - it is only in the finish, and there is no signs of a headstock break or repair.

The finish is slightly worn though on the low E side of the neck by the nut.

There is buckle rash on the back of the body.

There are some minor dents in the finish on the back of the neck.

All of the black plastics have typical scratches and swirling on them.

The gold hardware, bridge, tailpiece, pickup covers and pole pieces, tuners, and hardware all have some form of corrosion, pitting, scratches, and rust on them, although there's lots of shine left in most areas, and everything works as expected.

All of the Gotoh sealed tuners are work properly.

Around the strap buttons there's strap marks/swirling.

The frets have been played, and there is fret ware mainly on frets 1-12 on the plain strings, but overall the frets have lots of life left in them, and the guitar plays well up and down the entire neck.

The fretboard shows much more signs of play on it on the lower 16 frets - the original black dye (applied at the factory) has worn off in spots.

The truss rod works as expected, with lots of room to tighten, but it at the limit of loose. Right now, tuned in E standard with 10-46 strings, there is 0.007" of relief measured between the bottom of the low E string and the top of the 8th fret, with the 1st fret capoed and the 17th fret depressed. This is a decent amount of relief. If you want less relief, there is lots of room to tighten the rod to do so. If you want more, than you'd need heavier gauge strings.

There's no sign of a heel or headstock repair, or any other major structural repair.

SHIPPING ------------  

Every shipment is expertly packed with great care and includes tracking, signature required on delivery, and full insurance coverage for both the purchase price and shipping.

Every guitar is fully wrapped in bubble wrap, in a cardboard box meant for guitars, with proper support inside. To reduce environmental impact, the packing material (paper, newsprint, gift wrap, bubble wrap, air packets, foam, carboard boxes and/or tube supports, etc...) used may be recycled.

Package dimensions are 118cm x 47cm x 17cm

Note: if you want an exact shipping quote, just send me a note with your postal/zip code, and I'll get a proper quote for your address. 

Note: If you're buying from outside of Canada, you as the Buyer may be required to pay import duties, tariffs, taxes and/or VAT upon delivery, depending on your location and the purchase price.

QUESTIONS ------------

Any questions? Want more photos or detailed shots? Measurements? Shoot me a message, and I'll be happy to answer them, or send more pics, or take any measurements you want/need.

Thanks for looking!