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I've found a really nice-looking Burny SG copy in a local shop (online), and I'm gonna go and try it out in the next couple of weeks. I know Japanese guitars are meant to be AWESOME RADICAL, so is there a way to tell if it's a Japanese one? Or am I being dim and all Burny guitars are Japanese? Also, what's a fair price if it is/isn't Japanese? They're asking for £499.

PM me a link - I promise not to buy it (already got a Tokai SG, see). I'll check it out for you, although £499 seems a little steep unless it's some special edition uppity model thing.

is it newer or older? price seems pretty high for an '80s or '90s one.
also, if it's a bolt-neck, stay away. you'd be better off with an epiphone.

I had a Korean Les Paul, it was nice but not £499 nice. For that money i'd expect an older Jap 'super grade' model in pristine condition. The new Burnys are made at the Tokai factory in China i believe.

Some info;

Burny models that with RLG-XX. The XX were numbers that indicated the guitar series. The bigger number means the better the guitar in terms of sound and finishing qualities. Take the LP Standard copy for example, there are the RLG-45, RLG-55, RLG-70, RLG-90 etc, the best being the "Super Grade" model made in Japan. However, do note that there are models that are made in Korea. I wouldn't fault the Korean version since they are much cheaper in comparison to those made in Japan. However, if you would just compare the 2 makes in terms of quality, the Korean version does not come close to the Japanese version.

There are also the Burny FLG-XX series. These are known to be older versions of Burny - pre RLG era. An estimate timeline of their birth would be early 80s and before.

If the truss rod cover looks like this (2-screw like a Gibbo)



it's Japanese and a Gibson-killa and worth your extra trouble

If it looks like this (3-screw like an Epi)



it's an "Epiphone killer", they've been made in Korea and China just like Epiphones, and Epiphones being available everywhere cheaper than Burnys it's a bit pointless to chase one of these unless you REALLY like that headstock (though you can get 'em for a steal playing your cards right on the 'bay on occasion)

The difference is one-piece neck/headstock (as on Gibsons) and "scarf-joint" (as on most imports, seperate headstock attatched around back of 1st or 2nd fret, visible on trans finished Epis). There is a noticeable difference in sustain and resonance between the two, the one-piece necks always yield a more Gibson-like guitar and scarf-joints are brighter/snappier. These aren't the only differences between the Japanese and newer ones, just the easiest to identify right off the bat and tell you what you're dealing with.

Checked and it's got the 3-screw headstock D: so may as well get an Epiphone if I decide I want it. Thanks anyway guys!

Too much money. Keep an eye on eBay - Tokais come up with some regularity.

For the good Japanese solid bodies you're looking at £280-400 with £500 being for the high end tokai stuff and that sort of thing, almost all fall into the £300-370 sort of range. There are a few exceptions, like the higher end of the Yamaha SG series will get up to £800 or so.

For semi hollows, you can be talking £700-1200 but that varies quite a lot as well.

This is all for the stuff that gets these guitars their reputation. From the late 70s to mid 80s, Ibanez Tokai and all the other big names. Aria are one that often goes a little less than the others but is the same quality.

It's tough to give such a summary guide, but if that guitar was Japanese on ebay you'd be looking at £350-400, and for Korean, Chinese or otherwise it's more £180-220. £499 is crazy money and can only be asked because there's the chance someone will see Burny on the headstock and associate the quality of the MIJ stuff and make a mistaken valuation of it.

The two screw trussrod cover thing isnt universal but applies to a lot of these guitars because of them being in the same factories. It's always worth a glance if it's not explicit elsewhere.

While James is, as usual, dropping mad science on you throughout this post, his estimates on the high end solid-bodies are a little low: high-end stuff can easily sell for a grand. Otherwise, carry on.

James wrote:For the good Japanese solid bodies you're looking at £280-400 with £500 being for the high end tokai stuff and that sort of thing, almost all fall into the £300-370 sort of range. There are a few exceptions, like the higher end of the Yamaha SG series will get up to £800 or so.

For semi hollows, you can be talking £700-1200 but that varies quite a lot as well.