Burns Tri-Sonic


The Burns Tri-Sonic is a single-coil electric guitar pickup, with ceramic magnets and a chrome cover. The arrangement of the coil and magnets is significantly different to most other pickup designs. Tri-Sonics are wider than the more popular single-coiled pickups, such as used by Fender, so if Fender pickups are replaced with Tri-Sonics physical changes to the guitar may be required, such as routing the body or altering the mounting mechanism. There is also a mini Tri-Sonic, designed to fit directly into Fender style pick-guards.

Construction

The construction of a Tri-Sonic pickup is unconventional. The coil is not held in a rigid shape on a bobbin, as in most guitar pickups, but wound into an oval and fitted directly around the magnets. There are two magnets joined end-to-end by their magnetic attraction, and placed onto the flanged metal base. A cover is attached which fits over magnetic flanges running either side of the base. There are six holes in the pickup cover, through which can be seen a piece of black plastic which is glued to the inside. These are simply for appearance, not being any kind of pole piece.
The flanged base causes the magnetic field to be produced all around the coil, not simply in the center. The Tri-Sonic gets its name from the three points where the sounds is picked up from. This is unique for a guitar pickup and produces a richer harmonic sound than conventional pickups.

History

First manufactured in 1960, Tri-Sonic pickups were fitted in many Burns guitars in the early 1960s. A variation of them for bass guitar was also produced.
Queen guitarist Brian May bought a set of three when he made his own guitar, the Red Special. They have played a significant role in forming the distinctive and unique tone of May's guitar. Reissue editions of the Tri-Sonic and Mini Tri-Sonic pickups, along with Brian May signature Tri-Sonic pickups, are currently being produced by Burns London in the UK. Look-alikes of vintage-style Tri-Sonics can be found in other Red Special reissues, such as the version produced by Guild from 1984-1995, fitted in their various tributes to the original guitar.